Sam / NPGMC,

As scheptical as I am about Prince sometimes, I still wanna see him succeed and have the support to create new ventures for us to enjoy. You know how big an admirer of this guy I am and you know the amount of time and money I have invested in seeing him succeed.

Unfortunately, I don't think enough time and thought have been put into making this whole club thing work to it's maximum extent. Sure there's a website, but how many casual folks do you think are gonna come by and join up just for the heck of it? What I'm proposing below would hand feed "casual fans" with not only the opportunity to join the club but also serves as a purpose to putting Prince back in the public eye...

Let's use South Florida as an example. I do pro audio in South Florida and you can only imagine the number of people I come across who are great admirers of the ARTISTRY of Prince but have no clue that he has even had a record out in YEARS. These are people who are actively playing music DAILY and also folks who are or have been MAJOR players in the music industry! When I play The Rainbow Children over a 12,000 Watt (STEREO!) system, I get folks constantly asking who it is that is playing.. When I say Prince they are like, "Huh? he's still around?" and they walk away with that "Not bad..." face on.

These are potential customers... EVERYONE is good for a dollar!

Imagine if I had a stack of Rainbow Children CD's with me and sold them at $10 a piece right there on the spot. Each and every person ho asks "Who is this that you are playing?" might very well purchase that disc from me.

So... My idea, AS A FAN who wants to see Prince succeed:

When artists with minimal distribution need to get their recordings promoted in areas the albums would normally noty be foudn in due to their not being able to tour or distribute to the region, they have clubs do promotional events.
This is common in the industrial music scene. There was just a VNV Nation party at a club here in Miami a few weeks ago, and I have personally done work for a few groups myself tying in a club night with a "CD Release Party".

So, here's what I offer as my part of "The Work" to the NPGMC.

I propose that the NPGMC give me the responsibility to gather representatives from each major city, supply them with promotional materials (supplied by Paisley Park), and set up club dates in each city to promote and SELL new NPGMC releases as they are released.
The reps duties will also be to hit the streets and give promotional flyers / posters / CD's / etc. once a month.

These reprasentatives would be volunteering their time to do this but be rewarded with memberships to the NPGMC and maybe complimentary passses to any future Celebration gatherings at Paisley Park in appreciation for helping Prince and NPG Records "Get Out There".

This is good for many reasons...

Prince and the NPGMC's benefits:
A. Prince gets distribution, FREE distribution for any new music "released".
B. More product will be sold at the scheduled events not to mention it will be at 100% profit for the NPGMC due to there being no distribution fees.
C. NPGMC memberships will be sold at the venues hosting these events giving access to folks who may not have known about the club and it's benefits in the past.
D. Casual Club go-ers who might just happen to be at the club will be (re)introduced to Prince's music and either be enticed to join, or at least pick up a disc when they might not have ever bothered with Prince again due to the simple fact opf not knowing he's even around anymore (believe me, THIS is a MAJOR problem).

The FANS benefits:
A. The fans will have a great night to enjoy their favorite artists newest ventures.
B. Fans can show their support by attending these nights making them a success, and making the club grow keeping us in great music in the future.
B. Admirers who are not so "hardcore" might join the club if they see the club is honestly reaching out to supply fans of Prince with a more "personal" experience.
C. Fans actually feel like Prince is reaching out to them making them feel like they are a part of what they love so much.

This is a total win - win situation.

I hope you will run this by him and give this serious consideration. We all would like to see Prince given the respect he deserves as an artist and we are all willing to do what is neeed to do this.

I have a list of folks in different cities / countries who I believe would be perfect for this opportunity. Folks who will get the job done CORRECTLY and be as appreciative for the chance to be a part of Prince's AMAZING creativity as I would be.

Give me a call if you would like to hear more of the ideas I have, I'm sure you will agreethat this is a great opportunity for all of us. I'd like to get something going ASAP to coincide with the new Live set that you have said is due soon.
Perfect timing here guys, let's get something working!
Sincerily,
T

OK...Ready, where do I go?

OH, I forgot...

What happens if someone MYSTERIOUSLY lost their albums??
Do the fans have to put the money up front?Is there insurance in case that are ATTACKED for the music???
How do we stop somebody from bootlegging it rather than selling it???

It's a worthy idea T but I just cant see Prince going for it.

I see it that members could be worthy..I mean you have to have a credit card just to be a member...so this shows some responsibility in an individual.. I myself am an honest person...and I am great in sales I would have no problem...I can talk anybody into anything...The Sagg part of me...GREAT IN SALES... but of course I do run a hard bargain...hey a womans got to do what a womans got to do.

NO I cannot see Prince going for it neither...he would be too afraid of who's hands his merchandise falls into. And IMHO so would I. But I do see an Idea which is a start, to something that could be a good thing for NPGMC...Like maybe with Membership, we get a free T-shirt and on a certain day of the week all members wear that t-shirt out in public... That is good advertisement...

Don't worry, the people I have in mind are straight business... No need to worry about them snagging the stock and running. I don't even know how that could be an issue because my intentions are all honest.

It should be a PRIVALEDGE for these people to be chosen for this and they should understand that they have a responsibility.

This is common practice in the "lesser known music" industry and is nothing new. Prince even did SOMETHING a bit like this with his NPGMC parties in Chicago and Miami, but they were not what I am talking about here.

Insane Clown Posse has a street team that travels around doing this, tobacco companies even do this type of theing for crying out loud.

My point is this, Prince (THE PRODUCT) has tremendous potential to no doubt quadruple income by the correct promotion schemes... I just think it would be a great idea to help out weather he cares about what we do for him or not. I love his music, and I'm willing to take a few days a month in my spare time to promote it. Plus it will give me an excuse to finally get off my a*s and create a night I've wanted to start for several years (Funk Night ie. The Star Bar in Atlanta on Tuesday Nights).

My idea is basically the ONLY route Prince can go to make an independant success. Otherwise he'll keep coming out with records to retail, and they will get lost in time just as the last what 4 records he's released publicly.

When Xenophobia finally gets to people it will be a SHAME for it not to be in EVERY SINGLE persons hands it could get to. This is his "B*tches Brew" and will definately be what makes the people look at him as an artist rather than a transvestite who sings about Purple stuff and says "OWA!" alot.

In any business for it to be a success ones knows it will take money to make money..Even for a little publicity...Now who's money are we talking here..Is this an investment of the members money or is this money coming out of NPGMC...and If it is going to be considered than I can find many other ways NPGMC can benefit without state wide or world wide contribution of his merchandise. He can do it straight out of Paisley Park through NPGMC all he would need to do is hire a few more people (organized) people who would be looking out for the best interest in NPGMC and members because in the end it will benefit Prince...But he has to be willing to invest a little more money into this club.

Sometimes u ppl act like the prince hasnt got a brain in his head. like ur his agents...granted, we all put out a great idea here & there for him 2 sleep over and decide if HE wants to take u up on it. but that's the key words here; HE DECIDES. i think he's doing very nicely with HIS choices about HIS music and HIS club. if it isnt broke, dont fix it. he's not retarded u know, or a teenager starting out in need of guidance. he's had ppl handle his affairs like W/B etc. and didnt like it. it should occur 2 ALL of u by now, that MAYBE he likes it running the way it is now. maybe he's happy with HIS way of doing things. maybe he doesnt want mega-success any more? he's not for the teens. his music is for the mature, sophisticated, intelligent audience he now has (as jazz/blues is meant 2 b!). maybe? he doesnt want 2 b an aging mick jagger, who i think looks FOOLISH at his age trying to look and act like he did in the 60's. no sophistication there! some people on here think they have ALL THE ANSWERS to prince's dreams, not even knowing what they truly are..."lets help the club promote him", "lets help poor prince gain his stardom of the 80's back" etc., but prince has reached a new plateau in his musical career. sure he wants more club members etc., but does he REALLY? want that much more of a fan base? that much more money? that much more work to achieve this? videos? records on the the radio stations he is against? no. i think he wants to please the fans he already has, and he has, with the piano cd, the new live ona release coming etc. but he's not a puppet, and just because people r demanding and begging 4 dvd's, live videos, and a strip search of his vault wanting him to release material he's not wanting 2 release right now, does not mean he will do so, nor does it mean he wants to b top dog again. we think we r helping him, but ONLY he knows what he wants, & i doubt if it's to be in the top 10 again. he plays what HE likes. take it or leave it. dont try to b his agent.

who reads all this crap? too many sentences for my taste... {{stands confused}}

grandebelle said:

YOU said : Sure Prince wants more club members etc., but does he REALLY?... You say SURE he does and than you are questioning does he REALLY... So does he or doesnt he?

Regardless of the outcome, this note should stick out like a sore thumb in the NPGMC mailbox: It's well written, intelligent and contains some very good ideas.

Brendan

Can't speak on the details, cuz I think they're a little more complicated, especially issues of accountability and liability. Isn't there a story about a London based fanclub organization that had a member run off with ppl's isht, and folks blamed Paisley back in the day? (Something to do with a concert I think.)

But I totally agree with the spirit of what T is saying. At the very least, the NPG Music Club needs to organize street teams to help promote his product in various regions/cities. Sending out an email to members by region/city and organizing a meeting with a street promo coordinator to get folks started... bigger markets may need more muscle than smaller ones, but the street team could help get the word out and organize events in coordination with a club much like the Chicago Nation event.

There are a whole lot of casual Prince fans that would love to hear what he has to offer but they really don't have $100 to drop down like that, or do they spend as much (if any) time on the computer/internet to find the information... and while NPG Music Club may work as a title, www.npgmusicclub.com is not the best domain name in my humble opinion... too many consonants, as well as the double "cc" don't lend itself to being easily remembered. People who didn't catch the "NPG" wave in the 90s have NO idea what "NPG" stands for.

Details aside, I'm with T in spirit... and know a good few folks here in NYC who would be willing to get down with this idea.

Great post.

TailGate said:

Excuse me tailgate...but u misread and misunderstood. i said " sure he wants more club members etc. but does he really? want a larger fanbase? question mark after the "really" confused u. my badd punctuation mistake... (to which followed "does he really want more money?", more work 4 himself etc?). notice this is all questioned. why? because i dont know 4 sure what he wants. do u? but u seem to b applying 4 a job at the club, insinuating U can make prince a "biggie". who's helping who here? your attitude is that poor prince needs a better business manage ment system and U have the answers. i doubt that thats what prince thinks. thats all! i think he thinks he's doing fine, as i do, as well. sometimes i think u ppl who so eagerly want to boost his popularity sky high again, are thinking not of prince, but yourselves...? again, i use question marks because they are not facts. who REALLY KNOWS? some just get too involved in his and only HIS business. he is very intelligent u know. give him credit. he's doing great right now.

JMG1 said:

Typical response I expected from casual Org users...
And I also expected very few to reply to this thread anyway since it has nothing to do with something INCREDIBLY immature and mundanely off topic. (I could have thrown in a few racial slurs to make sure it fit well on the Org though)

So, since there seems to be to many sentancesd in this (WTF?) I will sum it all up in a language you and 99% of the brain dead Org subscribers should surely understand:

(In my best monkey voice)
Prince need promotion...
We love Prince...
We help by promotion ourselves...
(scratches rump and picks nose while screeming some wierd monkey scream)


Please folks, if you aren't intelligent enough to read my posts... Don't reply to them at all.

TheMEssage said:

theC
Just because i ask some questions you don't like i'm unintelligent.are you serious??If you are i wouldn't trust you with two cents cause it seems you would crumble anytime there was a bump in the road.SAVE TODAY If this is directed at the person in the reply,,my apologoies.But you should direct it to that person and not be so vague.
[This message was edited Mon Aug 26 22:35:40 PDT 2002 by theC]

theC said:

Dude, I posted the reply of the person it was directed to right in MY reply...


Anyway, back to the topic.
This is a good idea and it will work.

TheMEssage said:

Dude, I posted the reply of the person it was directed to right in MY reply...


Anyway, back to the topic.
This is a good idea and it will work.[/quote]

theC
My bad then but you can see why i took offense.I think it could work but there are so many liabilities that prince and his fans would have to deal with.The bottom line is who's gonna put up the money???Maybe he should buy a radio station in each major city and promote music that way.I know stevie wonder had one in L.A in the 80's called KJLH.

TheMEssage said:

Will pompous, too cool for the room heirarchy people be the only ones allowed in the promotion parties?...Im jus' askin'.

rdhull said:

Of course RD...
T

TheMEssage said:

Uhhh...what?
Oh, I get it now.

Well, speaking for the Bump Squad in L.A., I am all ofr this n have contacted the MUSIC CLUB a few times for a sort of variation of promotion liek this.

Hard to get a club night for Prince n stuff here in L.A. when it is run by trends.

If we could get the Xenophobia stuff or other cd's first n build up momentum for them, it would help us. Plus, the only promotion i have ofr myself is my damn necklace n the n Bump Squad stickers on my car.

It is obvious Prince has a distribution problem. The fans that I know would be willing to help promote him.

All I am sayign is I would be down n gettign promotional items to give away or use as promotional tools is awesome..


Everyone thought it was really cool that at the end of the 2nd Leno show, the entire Auidence was given NPGmusicclub shirts.

It can be done...
But when I have contacted npgmc 4 promotional tools they say they are all out but will think of us first n thne at pAisley parties have promotional items that go up...sorry, our parties have more attendies then the Paisley parties n our Rainbow Children release party could have been even better if they woulda helped.

Hopefully, they will allow us to help when promoting the ONA live set.

Hit ne up T if you want to make this plan a reality. I would help as much as i could on the left coast.

TheMEssage said:

grandebelle said:

...OK...let me get this straight...ONE: I did not make this thread I was only responding to it...and if you notice in my first I was not really taking it serious. TWO: Yes you are very hard to understand with your writing skills. Not that mine are perfect I dont have a problem not LOOKING perfect in my intellect but dont blame me for not understanding you. THREE: I thought about a letter I wrote to NPGMC and took a second thought to the person who wrote this thread and thought "hey this is OUR club, we pay for it. FOUR: Why would you think I am applying for any job with NPGMC...this is called IDEAs. Its not like we are asking NPGMC for a job. WE ARE JUST OFFERING OUR HELP and you have no right to accuse anybody of doing bad, come on now NPGMC and website can not get any worse. HOW DO YOU know if Prince/NPGMC DOES NOT want ideas? Calm down! And even if I were applying for ANY job why whould it bother you so much...I dont see you questioning the poster of this thread.

Brendan said:

Good way of looking at this thread Brendan! With a positive insite to one mans idea. Yes if it can do just that, as you said "stick out like a sore thumb in the NPGMC mailbox then the thread and ideas would make it worth it.

Something I forgot to add to the original post...

This would also include going to local record stores and entertainment facilities and putting up posters, supplying promo material, and just getting the word out to retailers / customers.

Go downtown Atlanta and look at all the posters wallpapered to the sides of buildings for new artists / new releases...

I tore a Prince Live On Soul Train poster down from the old Krystals on Peachtree when I was a kid. If THAT got promotion why wouldn't a retail item?

TheMEssage said:

Again T is right on with the need for coordinated street teams. Most hip hop acts in New York get promo from street teams before their records ever get played on radio if at all. Throughout the City, posters go up, post cards get handed out at entertainment events, etc. and folks KNOW something is coming out, a BUZZ starts, and ppl start looking and asking for the product.

TailGate said:

Sorry. i DID think it was U that started this thread. my mistake. anyway, IDEAS r all good. throw them out there! it's ur right 2 do so and other's rights to oppose them... i know u guys love prince, as do we all, and want 2 help & all, but i just feel you guys r too pushy sometimes, concerning his business practices and trying to get him the fame he once had. thats MY opinion. ok? thats ALL I'M saying here. PLUS, its not up to ME or U to do or not do all this promoting for prince! put ur ideas out, (as u have) so prince can decide whether he wants to go with them or not. just dont go doing stuff without his permission. plus, i think if he wanted and needed this kind of help, he'd ask us, as well as he'd probobly b pursuing these things on his own. he doesnt need pity or sympathy from us, nor is he too poor to take on the kinds of things u are suggesting. he's not an idiot! HELL, i guess he's a big boy too, so bring on the ideas, show him u care, and i'm sure he'll do what he wants anyway. none of MY business i guess!!! to sum up what i was saying is that he's not a rocker anymore. he's a jazz/blues/funk artist now, and how many of these talented, intelligent musicians do u see in the top 20 countdown? ppl in "THE KNOW" (that listen 2 this genre of music), like us, for instance, know about prince. his new music (that he chooses to play and makes him happy) appeals to a select group of ppl. he chose this. (a higher class of people that understands his music-sophisticated) i think if he were much more popular than he is, (and he is ALREADY) it would cheapen his whole personna as the excellent musician he is, who doesnt need, imo, over promoting.

. No problem Grandebelle! I totally understand ur point and view ..And you know, I actually like his style now more than ever ..I love his new band and to me it dont matter what chart or where he stands with the public. He is a great musician and this is what I myself appreciate in him...Yes ideas are always welcome to anybody I would think if they have any wisdom at all, I mean who would turn down some free advice ...But I do see ALOT of progress just this last 2 weeks in NPGMC and also their website. As in one poster in this thread mentioned, maybe this thread and some ideas might stick out like a sore thumb too NPGMC. I myself am satisfied member and would like to see them around for a long time.