In another interesting conversation with another member who is very excited about Prince now promising the European tour which I myself am very excited for them. Well this person was excited and telling me they could not wait to see him, dance, sing, jump off of his piano and all that crazy stuff he "USE" to do...I mentioned to this person...Prince does not do that anymore or at least he did not do it at ONA concerts...No big lights and smoke, no dancers, well besides the ones he pulls on stage. I did tell them I loved ONA concert and would see it over and over if I could. I just did not want this person expecting something other then the way it is, his style, his music has changed over the last few years. He is older and more mellow, still not much change in his character though. I emailed NPGMC/Prince and asked why do they do this to us and why are they doing this to themselves...I mean come on now, small venues, no dancers to hire, no big lights...OH wait I cant forget there is that pillow and the big screen in the background..Certainly does not cost THAT much money to put that show on...But the quality of Prince music and NPG...Maceo Parker, John Blackwell, added that amazing touch at ONA concert. I mentioned that IMHO, Prince should have did the European tour first and then came home rested, did the 2002 celebration, rested and then the American tour. In between resting make a CD. Hey heard he is in the studio anyway all the time...Just make the damn CD's. Now comes his private life, nobody is asking for a concert tour EVERY YEAR... I feel as long as the yearly celebration a few downloads and the 4 CD's are sent out once a year are good enough for me, IMHO. But who am I? Just another member. BKW said it is not about the money...so $100 some of us can say, but some worked extra hard for that $100. And as he mentioned,,,RESPECT...(Prince one should not bite the hand that feeds him)...Come on buddy boy up, up get it going! Hey if you miss Mani darn make her your manager...Ozzy's wife always managed him and they are doing GREAT...so he sells some of his private life to MTV, for us viewers but at least he is REAL! He sure is raking in that $$$ though. OZZY! OZZY!OZZY!..But hey GEEZE even, Sting, OMG' Elton John, Aerosmith...Rolling stones are raking in the bucks and not giving their fans the run around with promises and words they cannot keep. I dont hear them walking around crying bootleggs bootleggs...And EVERY musician has to deal with them... It is not like these bootleggers work for studios and are actually copying your stuff...They are just sharing what you do not. You know they say when you die, you cant take your money with you...do you plan on taking that Vault? LOL...you cant take ur music with you either, ~can you~?...GET THE DARN BALL ROLLING!...~come on get up, get up~ !

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

wellbeyond said:

I think WellBeoyond either works for NPG or is Prince himself! They guy never says a bad word about NPG no matter ho many times he gets screwed. It's so one sided it's ridiculous.

Abrazo said:

LoL..Don't worry, my friend, I'm not at all doomy and gloomy about the npgmc..lol 8) I have no doubts whatsoever that we'll get the rest of the CDs delivered to us by Feb. 14th, 2003...I've already taken advantage of the concert perks membership offers(the House Of Blues aftershow was fantastic!)...and now that he's gonna tour Europe, I'm lookin' forward to hearing the reports of those overseas members talking about the soundchecks and such (can't wait for the European version of the "sand dollar" incident..heh heh)...So far, I'm a satisfied member...

But I have reached the conclusion that Prince has more or less forgotten the npgmc site as a useful avenue and tool for "connecting" with fans/members--my guess is that running an organized website dedicated to providing downloads, videos and hour-long "radio" programs every monthseemed too much like "work" last year to Prince...we all know that Prince didn't just hand over the key to his vault to some grunt worker and say "pick out 3-4 songs each month to put up on the site, and then pick out 7 or 8 more for the radio program"...he had to have control over every piece of music released to the club last year, which is why some months they were behind schedule getting the downloads up...

Someone like Prince isn't organized or focused enough to run a monthly download service effectively...nor is someone like Prince the type to deal well with the tedium required to do so...he'll bore of both the monthly deadlines and the "job-like" qualities of those duties quickly...I'm guessing it's one reason he switched to mailing out CDs, because he truly enjoys making full, cohesive albums in the studio more than running a website...but I also think he has ignored the purpose of that website in year 2 of the club, and in the process has ignored the desire to have members feel as though they're "part of something" involving him and his music, instead of just recipients of the occasional products and services...

I personally don't care one way or another...I'll be excited when I get the next CD...then the next one, and the next one after that...if Prince tours near Los Angeles again, I'll be excited at getting my tickets early and having great seats and possibly seeing another great aftershow...but for those who ARE desiring more of a feeling that they're members of a club, Prince is blowin' it big-time...

XtrueX said:

The NPG also does a nice job of throwing out the carrots to keep people interested like "what if you got a 7 cd set on your doorstep" Like that will happen! Or "when Prince tours Europe" we'll see about that one too. Don't tease me, friggin tell me what I'm getting and when I can expect it like every other "music club" would do. And these clubs don't take my $100 first.

DMSR said:

Spoken like someone who has tunnel vision...on this thread alone there are posts by me which debunk your pathetic myth...Abrazo even asked me why I had such a gloomy outlook about the npgmc...not to mention that you don't even argue or debate what I said, you only attack the reasons you feel I said it...whether or not anything I said is true is completely lost on you...hell, even the guy I was addressing in that post said I made good points...

Wake the fuck up and READ once in your life--and I mean, read more than my screennam--before reaching conclusions...

wellbeyond said:[/quote]
LoL..Don't worry, my friend, I'm not at all doomy and gloomy about the npgmc..lol 8) I have no doubts whatsoever that we'll get the rest of the CDs delivered to us by Feb. 14th, 2003...I've already taken advantage of the concert perks membership offers(the House Of Blues aftershow was fantastic!)...and now that he's gonna tour Europe, I'm lookin' forward to hearing the reports of those overseas members talking about the soundchecks and such (can't wait for the European version of the "sand dollar" incident..heh heh)...So far, I'm a satisfied member...
***Well not to rain on your parade wellbeyond but I think the LAST thing on the Europeans minds are going to be a European VERSION of the sand dollar incident...heh hee)...lol 8) I think they are just hoping Prince comes through for them right now...Now the other issue is how great WONDERFUL for the satisfied members...and it should be no problem to please and keep a promise...If you really take a GOOD LOOK...NPGMC does not really promise much for membership...So it should not take much to please its members. You sound like that one orger who told me Prince already has the CD's made...so what? He is sleeping with them, getting off knowing he has something we want...actually we paid for...SEND ONE OUT, if this is the case!

I'm not totally satisfied of course, but overall I am glad that I paid my $100, so that's the bottom line. I got great seats at the Atlanta show, plus the soundcheck, PLUS front row and free admission to the aftershow. That was enough for me, but I also got the One Nite Alone CD.

If I didn't get anything else from the club this year, it'd be wrong, but I'd still pay my $100 again next year...however,I might wait until he toured the States again to do so.

DMSR said:

i am shocked appalled and amazed at wellbeyonds criticitisms of the org...i never thought i'd see the day he *actually* did that...hehehehe


and wellbeyond...i guess you cant live down all those years of puckering up to prince's arse...your reputation proceeds you...

welcome to the dawn!!! lol

I'm more than satisfied, I've enjoyed the downloads for my year. There is alot of music here to listen to. Not to mention the videos, and ONA.

If we do get 7-Cd's, I will be even be more than satisfied, if that is possible. Well, yes it is.

Anyhow, for those who didn't get to go the Cele, this would be so COOL to get this, and COOL is not dead.

TonyC said:

Very good point! ACTUALLY, this might be a great Idea for some.The $100 for soundcheck,good seats,aftershows,CD's,downloads is great for the year. BUT as I see your point might not be worth it when there are no tours for a while...Umm maybe Prince could compensate something for those years...LIKE MAYBE keep his word when he has his Friday nite parties... keep us coming back to him for more.
[This message was edited Sun Aug 18 8:45:38 PDT 2002 by TailGate]

wellbeyond said:

well okay, points are taken!
And i see that you are just facing the music... that Prince simply isn't the tupe of person to come through in a way most people would want.

I have said that before on one of the freemyheart threads... that Prince appears to want something completely different than his fans, but is at the same time not clear WHAT he wants.
This could very well be his artistical whims, making him think he can run a business in an artistical fashion.
One that will frustrate you for a long time, because it's like the process of creating a new work... hard brain surgery...
and then Wham! inspiratuion arrives at the scene and you just start to write and write and feel like you have no time to lose to just get freaky and get it out! get it of your chest and do what you were planning to do...!!!

let's see what happens and then judge okay?

wellbeyond said:

well okay, points are taken!
And i see that you are just facing the music... that Prince simply isn't the tupe of person to come through in a way most people would want.

I have said that before on one of the freemyheart threads... that Prince appears to want something completely different than his fans, but is at the same time not clear WHAT he wants.
This could very well be his artistical whims, making him think he can run a business in an artistical fashion.
One that will frustrate you for a long time, because it's like the process of creating a new work... hard brain surgery...
and then Wham! inspiration jumps up in you and you just start to write and write... and feel like you have no time to lose to just get it out! get it of your chest and do what you were planning to do...!!! you know?

Okay let's just see what happens

wellbeyond said:

Just cause someone's opinion differs from yours doesnt necessarily mean the other side is brainwashed or has tunnel vision. It's just another point of view, we're all entitled to one. Nothin to worry about.
[This message was edited Sun Aug 18 21:52:17 PDT 2002 by Tom]

If you're unhappy with Prince and his music club (like I am) then hey, thats cool, we have something in common! But for those who are digging it, no sense in trying to take away their fun.

Its one thing to have your own opinion of the club. But when people start insisting that those who enjoy it must stop and become haters, thats kind of crossing the line.

"no man should asunder the joy that another mans found..."

I think it really boils down to whether or not you've been able to take advantage of the club perks or not. I've been very broke this year, and I knew Prince probably wouldn't come to my town, so it just didn't make sense for me to join the club ($100 to only get the CDs is a little ridiculous). For others who were able to afford the concerts, travel, etc., then the club was more than worth it. I think those that are the most disgruntled over the whole thing are those who joined just to get the CDs. So far, there has only been one, (and it was damn short too). I can see how this would be frustrating. It just depends on how you've benefitted.

For me personally, I found last year's version of the club to be far better. I got music every month, without fail, and that kept me satisfied. But, this was just my own personal experience.

I can wait for the members-only stuff to go on sale later, that's fine. I still have a ton of boots I haven't dug into yet (mp3's, anyway). I am 100% interested in everything he puts out and will buy anything but remix-only discs (I downloaded Beautiful Strange)

The show perks sound incredible and completely unprecedented. It seems, though, that if you can't get to any of his shows, it might not be worth your $100.

The music club is managed by people in Prince's camp who are all about the dollar.

The music club is run by people who are fans who love the fact that they are directly employed by thier hero.

The music club is run by people with blinders on and feel that they will never get the props, no matter how much they give.

The music club is run by people who give and have great ideas but are shot down by those who manage the club because the profit intake is just not there.

The celebration is the culmulation of the ideas that the people who run the club want to see. That is why it was so great for those who were there. They are fans as well, and it all was do-able without incurring much expense.

Eye just want a new freakin cd:)


send it on.. its about that time..

I'm totally satisfied! The Celebration did it for me! After that experience, how can anyone complain! Prince gave me all I could ask for and them some! Sometimes I think Prince fans are waaay too freakin' demanding! When the brotha was out on tour this spring, everybody was whining about when they were gonna get their cds! The year isn't up yet! I say give the man a chance to get it done!

currently satisfied! pending 3 more CD's.
If we dont' get atleast 3 more (what was promised) CD's I will not be satisfied...but I'll still join next year cause I'm a sheep like that!
LOL

Satisfied!

I beleive that he will fulfill his promise!

It has allowed me have good seats to concerts. I so wanted to see him up close, and why I wanted to see him up close is beyond me.


Hi Shortykins!

Dauphin said:

I agree %100 with you on this one...Prince needs to realize it takes $$$ to make $$$ and stop hiring peeps and fans who are going to tell him what he WANTS to hear...He needs to hire people who are in the best interest of his business, his fans and then Prince himself...Once the members and fans are satisfied only then will Prince/NPGMC start seeing what they can really do and actually see more $$$ coming in and stop the worry about $$$ not coming in at all...For some reason I feel he is confusing his fans (fam's)kindness/commitment for weakness.

RedZRyder said:

Well, that's my point exactly. You're satisfied because you could afford to go to the Celebration and all that. Some other folks just signed on for the CDs, since they couldn't afford to go to shows (or Prince just didn't come to their town). These folks haven't really gotten their money's worth out of the club, but you have. It's all relative to your experience.

RedZRyder said:

Red,,this is the way it should be for ALL members in one way or another...I dont think any of us are ready to give up on him...as I stated in a post...I dont think Prince even has an idea of what he can do..he is selling himself short. Now what about the people fans/members who were not able to go to the celebration, or to a concert or to a soundcheck/afterparty? It does take OUR money...$100 just for membership...$150 for concert ticket and thats if you are lucky he will reach your town...$250 for celebration tickets another $700 for hotel/car rental and more if your fly and even drive. Not to mention MONEY lost missing work, by those members/fans going to support the man and his music (what I like to call him)....So 4 CD's a year...that should be one every quarter...So the fans and even some members...especially the European fans should have some kind of word of what to expect and when instead of sitting around waiting and wondering..."did I make a mistake".."was it worth it" joining this club.. With some organization and manpower NPGMC can be a success and benefit all...I am a satisfied member and I myself would LOVE to see NPGMC around for a long time...Lets show them studio's it can be done without them...Prince! Remember you are a leader!!!.

I'm satisfied as far as concerts but he better not send me anymore motherfuckin one night alone john tesh sounding piano shit!

I feel like i'm the odd one out saying i liked ONA(on a prince site no less), but i did. I needed to hear it, even if i really want an all out r&b/funk/hip hop album from him, it was just what i needed in the past few months.

I would like some more info like the post recently on the npgmc..."if you rec'd 7 CD's in the mail..." then i would be a little happier--although the npgmc's note doesn't exactly confirm we're gettting 7 CD's-- but it helps.

We need to wait out the year until Feb 2003 to know more, but i have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised(esp as i missed 4 of the 7 nite concerts).

I love ONA too mrchristian!! you are not alone!!
TheChronic...You're 30??? are you sure?

Anxiety said:

I'm glad somebody mentioned this, It's often overlooked that a computer with all that horsepower is a huge expense all by itself; $100 memberhsip fee notwithstanding. Also, a 56k connection just couldn't cut it for the audio show files - even the single songs took awhile. EVRYONE does not have a DSL line and a G4 Macintosh.

Very elitist, and I thought so then too.

herbthe4 said:

AND a CD burner, AND an MP3 to WAV converter, AND to make up your own CD designs so your $100 downloads did not look to others like you lifted them from Napster for $0. Prince has put more effort in giving us "proper" CDs this year, but he needs to do that European tour before next year and give us that live 7 CD set, or he will have fewer members to send out the CDs to next year.