Imagine if Prince had stayed with Warner Brothers, do you think he would be more successful now as a commercial artist?

If they had had more of a word in what he released, for example, would we have got a three CD Emancipation or maybe one CD with the twelve best songs off it, making it a maybe less important release but perhaps a better one? In the long run, could Prince have been allowed to release the instrumental albums and the internet related stuff or Crystal Ball with their backing?

Although Prince has put out a lot of albums since he left Warner Brothers, there hasn't been too much which has set the world alight. It was nice to see Musicology and 3121 do well in the charts, but there aren't too many songs that would make a new Best of album of his period of the last 15 years lets say.

So, could the disagreement with Warner Brothers have been solved with both parties being satisfied. How would things be different?

i think we would have got much of the same songs, just far less
with much more promotion and more time between releases.

i for one am totally satisfied with how things worked out.

I think there hasn't been that much of a change in his music since he left WB. He wanted everybody to believe that it was WB fault that so many of his albums tanked. Unfortunately he isn't doing any better since WB isn't in the picture anymore.
His fan-base consists mainly of die-hard fans or some newbe's that haven't been around when he was really a mega-star back in the 80'. These youngens don't really know what it was like when Prince was the shit. Just watching the movie purple rain and listening to his hits doesn't even come close to what it was like to really have been a witness to the frenzy. How I miss the 80's. Everybody was acting the purple fool and Prince was leading the way. Unfortunately, nobody stays on top forever, not even Prince.
His glorious days are gone but I still like his music. Especially if you compare it to the crap that's out there these days.