This was sort of a rallying cry when Prince went into exhile and we had throwing Paisley Park parties and fighting WB.

Now Prince has "returned" and is having more mainstream/commercial "success" than he has had in awhile. I am wondering; Why charts should matter now? Is it not just a popularity contest?

The only reason I care about Prince's "commercial success" is so he can make more $$$$, so he can make more music, tour more, and hopefully remaster/release his older material (vault included).

Should we leave the chart hype to the MJ and Madonna fans?

skywalker said:

No , because if 3121 or any of his future projects fail there'll be a bunch of haters on this website who'll happily remind us over and over again how unsuccesful it was , so therefore if Prince has success then why shouldnt we shout about it now and again , nothing shuts up the moaning minnies more than a big Princely success story that they cant deny or overlook
[Edited 3/2/06 17:05pm]

moonshine said:

not really. those folks will still be around, no matter what happens.



[Edited 3/2/06 17:08pm]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

oh yeah , I'm not saying they're gonna go away ever , i'm just saying that if 3121 is successful then they cant come in here spouting off that it isnt with any serious credibility . And you KNOW that theyre just waiting to pounce if 3121 doesnt do well , we all do .....

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Yup... some folks are gonna kick him regardless of whether he's up or down.
[Edited 3/2/06 17:13pm]

Clearly Prince does more then anyone else. He keeps signing with new companies....making expensive videos....releasing single after single after single after single....having his lawyers go after billboard so he could get cd sales that should have never counted....doing promotions he would have never touched in his younger days, etc. etc. It's very very clear that Prince desperately is searching for chart success.

I relish a return to the charts. I miss us as fans seeing Prince in the mainstream, charts, magazines, and shows through Prince.

Im tired of us being underground so-to-speak. As if fandom was in a cellar for the last decade (pre Musicology).

Going to the Musicology shows in a large large venue and it being filled and hearing th e roar. It was liek home again as a fan. Seeing him at a hall was sad times.

He should just do it the right way--make music that grabs you--the hits will come.

i hope he does well because he clearly wants to do well, and i think ultimately it leads to more music for us.

Obviously, most fans do care.

It's not because we wouldn't like the music if there was no hit. Many of the songs fans name as their favorites were not hits.

But the fun of knowing that his music is reaching a new audience and a whole bunch of new wallets to finance the future projects and pay the salaries of great bandmates, that's is great. Also it's just terrific to see the renewed interest in the media, especially the music press. We want those people who keep dismissing Prince because he's not "relevant" to eat their words one day. And for many, visibility (including on the charts) is a factor, especially for someone who is viewed as a pop artist.

DiamondGirl said:

Really? Seeing him in small venues is awesome. Don't get me wrong,I loved the energy of the Musicology shows. But the more chart success he has, the more "classics" he tends to play on the road, and frankly I prefer to hear more new stuff with only a few classics.

I do, however, enjoy getting to see him in TV appearances and the like that we just don't get when only his loyal base loves him.

Aerogram said:

There it is right there. As an fan, how could you not want him to succeed at what he's doing? I believe there are people here who want him to fail so that they can gloat. It's cool though cause Prince is going to do what he wants to do whether people here like it or not. And because Prince does his own thing, it makes me want him to succeed that much more, just to prove that you can still be original and be huge.

Chart success would mean more mainstream appreciation and media coverage. The word "genius" will be thrown around again, and I can say to the people who didn't understand why I like Prince music so much: "I told u so".

mrmarcus said:

It's all about exposure. The more successful he is, the more we can see him and hear about him. All you have to do is look at Mariah Carey last year to get what I'm saying.

lovemachine said:

You're way off base here. Before Billboard shocked EVERYONE with its decision to count the concert giveaways as copies sold -- after a review of its own guidelines let's not forget -- Prince said in an interview that he knew the giveaways would cannibalize "chartable" sales and hurt his Billboard placement, but he didn't care.

In a separate interview attorney Londell McMillen also talked about the giveaways not counting for Billboard but being something that Prince's camp was committed to doing anyway.

You might feel that Prince is desperate for a hit, but your quote above is not a factual example of that supposition. Nobody knew Billboard would count the concert discs as sales under its "non-traditional outlets" provision (I believe that's what they called it) until the magazine revealed the decision following an internal review by the editors.

Peace, David

Actually, I hope he doesn't have chart success. This isn't the 1970s or 1980s when music on the charts was actually good. The so-called "music" on the charts for long over a decade now has been the most boring music I have heard in my lifetime. If Prince has chart success, on the next album he might want to continue that success by making music that suits the needs of the listeners that are buying the boring music that dominates the charts these days.

Prince needs to let the little thugged out Romper Roomers have that silly embarassment of a chart and make music for his fans. He has a big enough fan base to keep him living comfortable and if the people buying this music on the current charts don't like it.....well, the hell with them. Prince didn't care about chart success when the charts were good so why should he start caring about chart success now that the charts have turned to shit?
.
.
[Edited 3/3/06 3:08am]

livewire said:

You are believing the official explanation. The truth is, which was pretty widely reported, that Billboard said no and Prince sent in Londell McMillen who was able to sway them that they should count because Prince had raised the price of the tickets specifically for the cd giveaway and they agreed to count them.

mrmarcus said:

But that would be superficial appreciation at best. Next album that is really daring and independently released, will not receive any (mainstream) praise whatsoever.
Just show them fools the real jams and they either get it or don't. My own experience is that there is something for everyone. Some people you have to play "Days of Wild" other the RnR Hall of Fame.

honestly, I couldn't care less about chart success. just some recognition as the serious musician that he is, that's all. kinda like John Coltrane... I personally don't know many people who likes Coltrane, but they all know he's one of the great jazz players, just not their cup of tea. Prince should be respected in the same way.

In a musical world where Laffy Taffy can become the number 1 song in the country, I think charts are laughable and clearly based on payola and most people are sheep.

Now I like some bubblegum too, but too much will make you sick. I need some soul in my music- no matter what it may be (R&B, Country, ROck, Jazz, Dance)

skywalker said:

Well, what you say about the charts being a popularity contest, makes me wonder: Isn't the way it's always been (and always will be?)

On the other hand, it's nice to know that he can still break into his original base, so to speak, which is the charts. He got to do it his way for a long time, and maybe now he's satisfied with things, and wants to reintegrate some of the things he never wanted to leave behind, but felt worth sacrificing. Integrity is extremely important, and who says that a person can't be on the charts and still have integrity about the way they work?

Aerogram said:

The key word is "relevance." I'm sure most popular musicians struggle with art and commerce. Prince has found a nice balance over a long career. But there does come a point where you want to be relevant to the music listening world. Otherwise why even record music and play it at a large venue. Most musicians don't make music purely for themselves (Remember Billy Sparks in PR.) Cultural relevancy is the only reason why P has tried his numerous rap experiments.

Aerogram said:

- I agree...but I would only care about a hit if it was a great, timeless song, that showed that he could be relevant BUT great.

I, as a fan, was embarassed to see Prince trying so hard to reach the mainstream audience with plastic programming and "following trends" just to be 'cool'...the same thing about Santana...I cant wait to see him abandoning doing duets with 17 year old pop singers/rappers and returning to do real great music like he used to.

mrmarcus said:

- I agree.

GustavoRibas said:

Of course not just any "hit" will do. I want good music. At the same time, I want Prince to have fun and do great pop, and not become this overdignified virtuosic multiinstrumentalist singer songwriter. There's a definite possiblity that the search for "relevance" has hurt Prince almost as much as his quest for commercial success. At the end, I think Prince is at his best when he has one eye on both goals.

I love him veing in the mainstream again. It means we as fans are again as well. Because as Princefans we know our friends and family think of us whenever they see or hear of Prince. We all are back and there's no more "so what ever happened to Prince" stories just becasue they haven't known of his non mainstream activities

vainandy said:

co-sign. i ain't into prince for whatever chart placement he may or may not have.