I'm a satisfied WinMX member.

Aside from the waiting, I couldn't be happier so far. I do feel bad for the European members among us, though.

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[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 3:07:36 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

I am satisfied, With ONA I have been able to share this recording with just about everyone and just about everyone loves it. When they say I'm going to the store right now to buy it, I smile and say, it is for Members only and they all say, How do you become a member. Makes me seem like the smart one. When I get the other 3 CD's I will be playing them long and loud and tell everybody, Me and Prince is like this, he personally sent them to me and not the record stores. I am Satisfied.

VERY satisfied with NPGMC this year!!
I was able to take advantage of ALL
of the perks. I think that's the problem
with those who r unsatisfied...did u all
get into a soundcheck? go 2 the celebration?
The CD's will come, but it's those other
things that put it over the top 4 me!
Where's the line to sign up 4 next year?!

Tom said:The site is stagnant and basically pointless. He might as well just called it a prepurchase of his next 4 CDs and sold it through 1800newjunk. A "music club" implies something more engaging.

talk2thejay said:

...I see it this way, and I might be wrong...but NPGMC would not exist without Prince. So if NPGMC wants to exist I am sure they have sent some of the negative messages P's way. I would not consider ANY of these NEGATIVE responses or messages at all. So far what I have read are such simple demands of service that we expect AS PAYING MEMBERs, If we did not care for NPGMC or Prince who would care...(Prince we are on your side...we are doing our share!)...and even "some" of the little bootlegging that goes on...Some people who admire Prince and his talent, his music cannot afford a CD or a concert or membership club. AGAIN, I SAID A LITTLE BOOTLEGGING! I mean what musician does not have some kind of bootlegging going on. Makes one just want to go out to see the real thing when it comes around (Prince)...Look at it as free (good)publicity!

My guess is that most of the staff that ran the music club last year no longer works at the npgmc site...I mean, there are no downloads to prepare and set up and advertise each month, no hour-long radio show to produce...so why exactly would that staff still be needed??...Prince is using his music club as little more than a shipping center for his CDs...it sucks for members, because he ends up treating it as if it's not a "club" at all...Prince forgets that we joined under the assumptions that we were members of something, not just recipients of 4 CDs and advanced ticket sales...it wouldn't take very much to make the music club more enjoyable during those times in between recieving new CDs, but then again if he more or less dismantled the staff running the npgmc site or has them working elsewhere within Paisley Park, there may not really be anyone over there to DO anything anyways...

Think of how many times people on THIS site bitch cuz Ben or Matt haven't updated the news section or approved their profile pics or their avatars or whatever...Ben and company are only here like once a week cuz they're busy attending to the duties away from running P.org that bring them their income...could be the same situation with the staff at npgmc now, if not worse...

Abrazo said:

If NPGMC was compared to a baseball season we would be about ten games out, and I don't see us winning the world series this season.

If NPGMC was my girlfriend I would be pissed because I keep paying up and I'm getting nothing in return. I'll be breaking up with NPG when this year's up if I don't get some music, downloads, or something fast!

DMSR said:

If the NPGMC was your girlfriend she probably woulda broken up with YOU by now for thinkin' that anything she offers you of herself should be linked to how much you "pay up"..lol

Revolution said:

***This is one of my big questions, Revolution...I am a satisfied member also, so far but this is because I was able to attend the ONA concert, soundcheck and I got my ONA cd quick and I could have also attended the 2002 celebration. BUT does this make it right for the Unsatisfied members...WE are suppose to be members supporting the same PERSON,organization. If it does not work for some in the end it will not work for anybody and I myself would love to see NPGMC be around for a while and be a success. IMHO,I think the ONA cd's should have been sent out to the European members first. The 2002 celebration was suppose to be for members only for a higher price this year, at some point NPG claims SOLD OUT..but then sells daily passes...Some MEMBERS were able to make last minute plans and should have been able to purchase those extra passes as a weekly passes like the rest of the members. Some cities got cancelled for ONA concert so some members could not attend and enjoy their membership, soundcheck,concert or after-party. Which is understandable to some extent because as I remember Prince mentioning he would like to cover some cities he missed...NOW respect and consideration...Fridays Party at Paisley Park...I emailed NPG the day after the party was announced which was the day before the party (thursday)..I asked if we were in fact invited...They replied in email quickly "Yes everybody is welcome"...I emailed back and ask "what time will the doors open" and mention some of us are coming from out of town and need to make plans as far as the timeing goes and they reply "oh around 1am"... Friday morning before going to the airport the last thing before walking out the door was to check P.org and NPGMC to make sure no cancellation. I like many others now on our way to PP settle in hotels...rest for 1am party. Nobody is at PP at 1am...sure Prince HAS and I wish I could say HAD a reputation for doing this...but we could have cancelled our hotel reservations and our car rentals and some could have cancelled airfare or used the ticket for another day. The party could have gone on without Prince or at least have the respect for those who were waiting in the parking lot..because the gates were fully open, to tell PARTY cancelled..At concerts Prince asked "would you give up your seat for your brother back there"? Well could Prince/NPG give up one night to keep their word? Sure I spent money who didnt if they went...and it was less than if I had went to the celebration, and like the celebration it was also about meeting fellow fans, orgers. My point is RESPECT, CONSIDERATION...even though I am satisfied (so far,end of the membership year is still ahead) I just do not think I myself should just say "SCREW them..I am satisfied". As I mentioned I just hope NPGMC is around for a while for all members not just the satisfied ones.

wellbeyond said:Think of how many times people on THIS site bitch cuz Ben or Matt haven't updated the news section or approved their profile pics or their avatars or whatever...Ben and company are only here like once a week cuz they're busy attending to the duties away from running P.org that bring them their income...could be the same situation with the staff at npgmc now, if not worse...[/quote]***Yes, true true...but WE DO NOT PAY ben and P.org staff...we do pay NPGMC! And we do pay for our concert tickets and our party's and our celebrations.

TailGate said:

I wasn't making excuses...I was simply giving my thoughts on what's probably going on over at the npgmc site, one that I thought was a more likely scenario than the view that they're all over there just sitting around shootin' the shit, twiddling their thumbs, doing nothing and not caring...I used Ben and Matt as an example because of how many on here(too many) forget that they do not hang around P.org all day like we do...they come here one a week, I think...the npgmc "staff" may actually attend to the site once a month, if that...

Bootleggers treat Prince fans better than Prince does.

Of course, there's the theory that if it weren't for Prince being loosey-goosey with his unreleased studio tracks as an underhanded way of getting around WB, we wouldn't HAVE those bootlegs, but still...maybe that old skool down-low secret double-agent music-pushin' Prince is the guy we need back.

I'm loving my copy of "Dream Factory". I'm STILL loving my copies of "Dreams" and "H2O" (I know, I know, there have been better quality compilations of the music on these boots released since...my hearing's for shit, so audiophilia isn't exactly my strong suit, mmmkay?). I'm still loving my revved-up copy of "The Undertaker".

Though this year, as an "Xperiment in Truth", I decided to quit lining the bootleggers' pockets for a while and give my money to the source; it seemed a logical, ethical choice. I felt like I was supporting an alternative to the big, nasty, mean music industry. I felt like I was supporting an artist who was giving up the label of "commodity" and re-establishing himself as someone whose trade was creating art. It felt like taking part in something positive.

Shitty thing is, I'm realizing that when I supported the big mean music industry and the thieving bootleggers, I actually got MUSIC in return.

If you're going to provide an alternative, you either have to deliver the goods or you have to acknowledge your weaknesses and keep your supporters standing by you. You can't coast on your celebrity status and continue to make us feel lucky that you're still bothering to record music for us. When Prince said "Purple Rain is over" at his recent ONA shows, he really needed to think about what he was saying. He continues to want it both ways: he wants to have the credibility of an independent artist who is forging his own way, yet he still wants to enjoy the privileges of Michael and Madonna. He's created his legend; that can't be changed. It's going to take him years to fit into his own legend, to rest on his laurels, to enjoy the accolades that are due him. Look at Tina Turner - she had to work her ass off - in her 50s! - to make a comeback, and only in the past ten or so years has she been able to sit back and enjoy the worldwide appreciation of her life's work. He'll get there, and when he does, he can command a whole lot more than he can now.

Prince ain't at that point yet. He won't be for quite a while. And outside of a few moony-eyed sycophantic "Fams", there aren't a whole lot of fans who have the patience to be jerked around by a "club" that charges $100 for a year of bad service, shady treatment and attitude.

After years of living in awe of the Great and Powerful Oz, it's becoming more and more necessary to pay attention to the man behind the curtain...

Anxiety said:

What hasn't Prince delivered on??...By "paying the source" as you mentioned, over the past 1 1/2 years I've recieved about 4-5 CDs of music I could not get in any retail store, music that was not--and probably will never be--officially released, with another three coming my way in the next 6 months...should I look at those 4-5 CDs in a year and a half as Prince "not delivering the goods" simply because a bootlegger can provide me with yet something else of his to buy??..

Good point, Wellbeyond, and if you can change my point of view, I invite you to do so because I would LOVE to be proven wrong on my attitudes on NPGMC and be able to say, "I'm happy with what Prince is offering us and I shouldn't have complained."

But that's not happening for me yet.

For those people with the resources to have enjoyed the first years of NPGMC, it was a great service. But you needed the technological capabilities to download the files and transfer them to CD-R or into an MP3 player; not everyone can AFFORD to keep up with technology simply to have a few hours of unreleased material; I'd love to have been able to keep up, but I couldn't afford it. Thus, only a select audience had access to this "free the music" enterprise. Kind of elitist, if you think about it.

Then they got wise to that problem and offered CDs this year. Good move. So I joined. And I've yet to see any product. And when I contacted NPGMC, simply to see what was going on, I got responses from the staff ranging from "oh, we've already sent your ONA CD out to you" to "we can send your music out to you whenever we feel like it". I have no idea what's going on with the music I paid for. I know IN THEORY what I can expect, but they've sent me mixed messages that make me feel really uncomfortable with the investment I've made.

And so I have serious doubts in the purchase I made.

And so I wonder if this venture is one that is stable or worthwhile.

NPGMC has paid off for a certain segment of fans. That's great. I'm not one of those fans.

Definitely understand your views and frustrations, Anxiety...(btw, I thought you were a member last year,too...lol..)...two things I'm not sure of are:

1) Why ONA CDs don't reach some members...well, I do know that no business is ever 100% perfect, that there will be the occasional fucked-up shipment lost and things like that...the existence of mistakes alone doesn't tell anyone anything about a business...it's the ratio of fuck-ups-to-successes that matter, and as long as it is minimal, then not much more you can ask or expect from any company or business...

2) Why is it that, when a member DOES let them know that they never recieved their CD, it seems that very few of those members ever report any kind of satisfactory result??...I don't think I've heard once where someone said "I wrote the npgmc and told 'em I didn't get my CD...they said ok, and about a week later I got it in the mail"...

I don't doubt that you have serious doubts about spending th $100, Anxiety, especially if you can spend $100 elsewhere and get the music you crave almost instantly and without the form letter rhetoric that companies tend to use towards disatisfied customers...

wellbeyond said:

I agree with you 145%, my friend... you have said it absolutely PERFECTLY.

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[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 3:08:02 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

Abrazo said:***You know, memberships are annual.

So a member can't really fully judge about it after the year is over.***

TailGate said:{quote}***Some of us will be waiting***

wellbeyond said:

You are quite right... it is a confusing thing and am really thinking about ways to simply react... but not too many doors are open - the contract we signed while joining is actually quite well written, from NPGMC's perspective of course

agarze said:

The AGREEMENT/CONTRACT was theirs, NPGMC so they are bound by their own agreement to abide by it...My only concern is that ALL members recieve their CDs on time and that we get our words/concerns heard...I mean part of the agreement was there were no middle men.. WHERE IS ANYBODY..Seems NO MAN there at all!

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I would say mostly satisfied after all the new music,
has to come out in some form so i think it's cool...
doesn't it right it does right i'm so cold
rocking back and forth the music club
is worth it. it's worth it lol...
smile...

wellbeyond said

Working on a US tour, a Celebration and a European tour could be three good reasons...
They could have been working their butts off so far..., however I am not sure how much Prince and his staff arrange themselves...

Anyway further proof that there is a lot going on behind the scenes may very well be, in the near future, the Xenophobia set,... or other stuff which Prince maybe wants to keep unknown to the members untill he actually releases it.
Could very well be, don't you agree? I agree, could also very well not be, but nevertheless could be


I understand the reasons for dissapointment, but why get so gloomy? What makes you think that it all sucks as bad as you picture it now? Like you put it, it's like the club is more or less dead.
You usually are much more brighter and positive about it all, including the club. What's up?

I really think Prince and the Club should simply inform fans/members better and more clearly on what is going on with the club and other stuff and more regularly... The Club should get some more life!
and release at least something soon... and at least seemingly ... try a little harder to make the membership feel more special to the members...,

That simple way many won't start to think like they may have made "the wrong investement"... I can't really blame some for that, except when you have been to ONA and the Cellie, which should really make you happy with the club already, besides the lack of cd's so far.

But!... the year has not passed yet and many things may happen soon.
Cheer up!
In reality there are lots of things happening now and we will see soon.

could be, could not be, Abrazo man, you talkin in circles. The bootleggers seem to be the only peps that are workin

Prince just needs to stop this stupid practice of dropping cryptic hints & album titles so carelessly.

When the 2nd year of NPGMC started up, why couldn't he just have it all planned out from the get-go & tell everyone exactly what album was gonna be released during what month?
Does he get some kind of thrill out of making everyone worry & speculate if they're gonna get their CD's?

Whenever someone on this site brought up the "Crystal Ball fiasco", others would flame them by saying "give P a chance. That was then, this is now!"
Well looks like then is still now.

All I want is the respect and decency due to me by handing over my $100 membership. In other words, I want to be told when I can expect the benefits and WHAT to expect.

Bear in mind that I really dont give a fuck about the $100, I earn well enough. I just dont like being treated like an imbecile. I dont like being fucked without being given a drink and a kiss first.

There's my .02 cents.

If we get that 7 disk live CD boxset and he tours London. I will be VERY VERY satisfied.

XtrueX said:


Whenever someone on this site brought up the "Crystal Ball fiasco", others would flame them by saying "give P a chance. That was then, this is now!"
Well looks like then is still now. [/quote] Well get a load of this, I was mentioning my thought and views to somebody about how one should (Prince) not bite off more than they could chew and the situation about the CD's.. Well this person tells me, I am being to harsh and that they (themself) thinks Prince already has all the CD's made already...I am sorry but I thought that was funny! Wow, what some people will do for Prince...poor guy, poor us. No-wonder he treats us the way he does...some allow him too or "think" they (we) have no rights.

I must not pay enough attention to NPGMC b/c I'm still satisfied, reflecting on ONA (show & CD)...

I guess if I lived overseas I'd be pissy by now.