Since he sprung Musicology out on us, Prince has been getting all kinds of love and attention from all over the place, and it hasn't slowed down yet. He's getting awards and lifetime achievements left, right, and center and there isn't a person in the business who isn't dying to be invited to one of his famous all-nighters. A Princely party is THE place to be, it would seem.

But I gotta wonder: Is all this attention and adulation due in part to industry guilt? After years of only having the die-hard fans pay any attention at all to him, of being the butt of mean-spirited jokes, of being largely ignored by the rest of the music biz and the media at large, after all that: Could the love he's being shown now be everyone's way of making it up to him? Picture for a moment the praise thrown at cetrain legendary artists when they've died that they never heard in life.

I mean, we fans were always there and always thought he was fucking great, even during his shakier periods. But the rest of the world? They weren't exactly throwing roses in his direction. Silly as it really was, there was a legitimate point he was trying to make with the name change and the whole slave business, and people who worked in that environment had to have had an idea of what he was getting at. But he got shit for that move from all corners. And now? I can't even begin to list the number of artist, bands, and even suits who are on record saying, "Fuck, I guess he was right."

If there's anything we know about the public's attention span
is that it's arbitrary, fickel, and mostly dependent upon mass
media coverage. I love the praise he's been receiving the
last few years but we've all witnessed the public turn away from
him even during some of his most brilliant and prolific years.
I view it like anything I else I have a strong passion for...
the public's view has no affect on how connected it makes me feel.

The funny thing to me is there seems to be a lot of 'love' coming
his way but I still can't seem to find any songs on the radio other
than the usual 1984-86 hits. He has SOOOOO much more music and
beautiful songs that just will never get airplay. We've
come to accept this as normal but it simply exposes
how out of touch and tilted the music and radio industry will always be.
I've heard hundreds of different Beatles, Elvis, Stones' songs that
were never released as singles but are played regardless.
But not Prince.

shaedove99 said:

But now he's getting lifetime achievement awards and people are singing his praises, talking about how they've always loved him and thought he was a genius. That's all well and good, but where was everybody before '04? Sure, Prince is fucking nuts, but that's nothing new. Personally I find it a little off-putting that he's only getting the love now that he's wearing his Normal Person mask.

XNY said:

That's the thing though, even with the surge in record sales, it's not really the public who're showering him with love now. Who it is kissing Our Hero's royal purple ass are many of the same industry people who wouldn't be caught dead associating with him even just a few years ago.
[Edited 3/17/07 2:09am]

XNY said:

Who listens 2 the radio?
That's what Id, like 2 know..

...and btw I dont think there is such a thing as 'guilt' or 'conscience' in the music industry and wider corporate community.

christos7 said:

I don't mean literally, of course.


I was trying, in my own clumsy way, to liken it to the adoration shown to certain other artists just before or right after they die that they spent years, decades even, without. Each time they're trying to make up for what respect wasn't given before when it was deserved. Though Prince isn't exactly on his deathbed, I think this is similar in some ways.
[Edited 3/17/07 2:14am]

$$ is all they thinkin' .. the bottom line.
Capitalizing.

meow85 said:

People in the industry are fickle. Didn't u know that? That's why it's best we make our own decisions & create our own opinions and not worry about what the so-called critics tell us because according to many, after the superbowl they thought Prince was a crazy washed out has been with a penis guitar. It's best not to try to figure out why crazy people do/say what they do.

Good question Meow, I've wondered about this myself. Let's see, in '95, everyone thought I was crazy for liking Prince, and ridiculed me on a daily basis! In 2000, I found a few more people who dug him. In 2004, people (who I swear had never heard a Prince song in it's entirety) started calling him a genius, and were so "jealous" that I was going to see him in concert! Right. It was funny how it was suddenly cool to like Prince. And now, the media is seriously kissing his ass. Where were these people in the mid '90's, when was being called washed up, and a has been? Hmmm...

They were probably clutching their Purple Rain albums tightly and praying for a revival.
[Edited 3/17/07 10:04am]

XNY said:

I couldn't agree more. Last week Donnie Simpson of the almighty WPGC came out and blasted Justin for the wording in that Timbaland song. Even though most of us here think Justin wasn't aiming solely at Prince, Donnie went so far as to say 'now Justin has 2 strikes against him in his book, including the Janet Half time fiasco. He went on to say Prince is an icon and a musical genius. After that rant, when he had a perfect opportunity to play ANYTHING by P whom he claims to love nothing...I was sooo dissappointed. I also noticed nationally syndicated Michael Baisden has been doing 'B' side Fridays with artist he's encouraging to not let 'the industry' dictate how they do their music. He doesn't play P either and he's from Chitown where Prince's fan base has always been strong.

I think P's been black listed somehow...

meow85 said:

Well, we'll more than likely never get the answer as to where everyone was before Musicology '04. He is getting so much love and appreciation from everybody now, probably because he made himself more visible since Musicology. He may not be getting the radio play, but that doesn't stop his fans from obtaining his music or Prince gaining new fans.

He's getting his just rewards with all the attention on him now, which is a blessing and well deserved. At least he's getting that while he is still alive and well. It's sad when the industry waits until a valuable artist is no longer with us, and only then is when they decide to pay attention to them. In the meantiime, I think I'll focus on the "now" Prince and enjoy it for as long as he's around for us.
[Edited 3/17/07 11:02am]

Well P has been around 4 a very long time now. I think it might b something to do with th e fact that the journalists of yesterday have all died or retired.
New people, fresh minds, there r (probably) some journalists who haven't been offended by the purple 1, somehow. He does play the game now like never before.
I think many factors play a part in this new popularity

meow85 said:

christos7 said:

to some extent, yes guilty.. Im sure some of the so called 'friends' that's around now... werent with him during the WB days and also.. half the artists today are no where near making the money.. he's getting now.. Prince for the last couple of years (2004,2006) .. was the top grossing entertainer of those years .. Forbes magazine has him down making over $50 Million for each year and your average artist does NOT make that kinda loot.. so yes, the 'friends' are saying.. 'he was right after all'...

I agree that the bottom line to the world discovering Prince is MONEY, in reality he's not doing anything he couldn't do back in the 80's but now that he's older and rubbing elbows with the richy rich they start to like him the same awards he's getting now he deserved a long time ago but only we knew it. I guess better late than never for them but I swear Prince don't really need their approval, he knnows he was ALWAYS GOOD!