HMV would sell bugger all copies in any case.

Prince is playing 21 shows in London, so like 90% of the Prince fans in the UK get at least 1 free CD. Those going to more than one show might well give it to a friend.

Who else will buy Planet Earth?

Plus the possibility of download sales.

I don't see what the problem is.

realm said:

This is all that needs to be said as to the, "what sense is there in that?" question!

But all this hatin' from the record business, y'know I wonder if it's possible for him to betray them.
I for 1 think that've very often given prince a hard time.. The industry was foolish in the way they treated for a long time.
I suppose if you play with fire you get you're hands burnt.

I don't think he's takin that much of a risk but, Good luck to Prince! anyway!

He's not stupid, there's something behind this that's going to blow up in those record stores faces. it'll be hilarious.

On the other hand, I think Prince has made it clear that he doesn't like the system of things with the record industry/business. I think he's trying to drive them away from greed. Maybe that's part of that whole 'golden age' thing he rambled about at some award speech. Either way, this is more grade A marketing for him, at the rate his name is circulating over this whole thing, everyone's gonna be curious about this album.

1p1p1i3 said:

well i would guess the record stores would not want anyone giving anything away for free because they will not make any money from selling it in their stores.

2freaky4church1 said:

Hello freaky.

The Mail is indeed a base-minded, sensationalist tabloid.
It has very little respect for the truth.
Most of it's readers are dumbf*cks.

Prince should have picked a different newspaper.

Rightly said:

oh its like Foxnews

I think it's a very very very smart move...

I just love that.. Thinking about it he probably got paid more by the newspaper than he would have made, getting less than $1 per album copy sold through retailers...


And, the more you give the more you get...

good for him...

OperatingThetan said:

The assertion that they didn't even more so.
Think about this: even back when Prince was leading his audience into "FUCK WB" chants, he did nothing to sabotage the system.
Only now that he is able to employ some dubious get-rich-quick schemes and has money in the bank, is he comfortable enough to throw some sand into the engine.
The assumption that traditional record companies are no longer needed is rediculous. Where are they, those succesful bands that made their way to the top without support from a record company? I don't see any, they do not exist.
If all top earners in the industry give their music away for free, and instead get their income from corporate sponsors and in the process kill off traditional record companies, how much opportunity will there be for new bands to float to the top?

happyhappy said:

"I think he's trying to drive them away from greed"

You haven't been paying a lot of attention the last few months, have you.

He has changed the name of the game. You just got some salty record executives that are upset they aren't gonna get that 2008 model Jaguar off those few (and I stress few) record sales he gives up in order to SALE MORE ALBUMS FOR THE LABEL.
I hate ignorance, especially when it's fueled by greed.

m3taverse said:

Well, uh, no... made sense to me XP

except wait, what did i miss? i'm trying to think back on what greedy things he might have done
[Edited 6/30/07 9:56am]

asg said:

just the thought that he'd side with a fox news equivalent makes me barf a little.
[Edited 6/30/07 9:57am]

wonder505 said:

Of course they have all made attempts to broaden their business, their main source of income is drying up after all. You probably noticed a huge change in your local record shops in the past decade, you have to get past loads of games and dvds to get to the music section. Some have also attempted to sell their wares online, but this is a very tough battleground. Apple has a lock on this market and isn't allowing anyone in with their Itunes/Ipod tactic. Noone but Apple can sell music that works on the Ipod.

m3taverse said:

i'm sorry but...what? i'm confused but normally i'm easily confused.

i thought the problem was how traditional record companies operate by gaining more and controlling more than the artist who creates the music. I don't think Prince's intentions was to never work with record companies, but only to his/the artist advantage, controlling the direction of his music.

this is all a learning process for me with this subject. again, i would have never thought giving away a cd for free would become controversial. i'm looking at it from the artist perspective. i'm not sure if i as an artist is supposed to be concerned with who else makes money or don't off my music. i thought Prince's concern was to get his music out there and that was okay.
[Edited 6/30/07 10:19am]

m3taverse said:

oh gosh, i have not been to a record shop in years. i do go to best buy often to shop for electronics and happen to browse by the music section from time to time.

everyone forgot...look at all this free promotion as well just by this controversy.

I think it's an interesting idea--not sure whether it will make Prince more successful or not. I'm really shocked at how much press this in getting in the UK--I haven't heard/seen anything about it in the news here...

Based on what I've read from UK fans here & HQ, The Mail seems like a horrible right-wing piece of trash, so I'm puzzled as to why Prince would choose that newspaper. I guess because the price was right and seems like they have done similiar give aways in the past. I guess, like a lot of people, he's pc when it suits him but at the end of the day all that matters to him is the bottom line. A bit hypocritical (yes, I know it's not the first time for him to be that way).

Secondly, I'm bummed that London gets the affordable tickets and the free CD while the west coast gets $3121, $312 tickets, the east coast gets $15,000 tickets (E. Hamptons) and regularly priced cd of Planet Earth. I'm not being US v. UK, but why not do something similiar here? If he trying to make a statement about capitalism and corporate greed with this CD give away, it would make more, or at least as much, sense to do the CD/newspaper thing here (New York esp.) where corporate greed is rampant.

DevotedPuppy said:

i think your assessment is a little unfair. During the Musicology tour Europe had to painfully stand by and watch, especially during a time when the NPGMC was up and running and all the fans here in the US, across the nation got first row seats really cheap and a free CD. I am really happy fans for the UK and surrounding areas get to have their fun. yes, i guess he could give away here in the US too, but hey, i'll just have to wait until the official release just like everyone else.
[Edited 6/30/07 11:13am]

You have to just love the way the music retailers are moaning over this, and making Prince into some sort of scapegoat for their own woes. Pure hilarity!

Of course the truth is that the music retailers have no one to blame for their situation but themselves. Not only have they summarily failed to see the writing on the wall regarding downloadable purchasing of music (that writing has been on the wall so long now, the paint has started to flake off), but they've also failed to even try to compete online retailers like Play.com and Amazon. In the UK, the tax loophole in Jersey that those online retailers once exploited has been closed now, so the bricks-and-mortar operations cannot moan about that anymore. Both HMV and Virgin have piss-poor websites that have barely changed in five years, and feature appalling customer service. Fopp never even bothered selling online, and they have now closed down.

Worse still, the high-street music retailers haven't even tried to offer any kind of improved level of in-store service (for instance, more listening posts, better return policies, more diverse selections) or improved pricing, and instead have filled their shelves with larger quantities of mainstream chart albums and DVDs, with the more specialist sections (classical, jazz, soul etc) becoming so small and limited as to be complete pointless. They've tried to diversify by selling mobile phones, t-shirts, and all manner of tat which takes up space that could easily be occupied by music. Their videogame sections too are laughable - always overpriced and understocked, with all the prime shelf and floor space sold off to disreputable publishers that churn out piss-poor games that befuddled parents pick up for their kids at 40 quid a pop. No, the high street music stores have no one to blame for their own increasing irrelevancy but themselves.

I don't agree with Prince's latest stunt, simply because of the hateful rag newspaper he's chosen to associate with, but for the retail industry to jump on this issue is just pathetic. Their failure has nothing to do with an ageing 80s pop icon like Prince and everything to do their own ineptitude. Still, nice that they tried to spin a non-story in their own favour. Years ago it was radio and cassettes, last year it was piracy, downloads and MP3s... and in 2007 it's, erm, Prince. Yes, that's it! Prince is clearly to blame.

Prince continues to challenge boundaries and never ceases to astound and amaze - in a world where we seem so reluctant to create anything new anymore (countless covers of old records and revives of old fashion) it's refreshing to see such a new approach to spreading music - HMV & Virgin better jump on board or get left behind!

wonder505 said:

You completely missed my point... I'm happy for the UK fans too; hell, I got to see GMA for free last summer (only 3 songs but still free) and I know he doesn't tour there as much so I'm thrilled for them. But why are the US "Club 3121" shows so much more expensive? Why doesn't he do this in the US, too? The record companies he's been fighting against for years are here too, so why not "free the music" everywhere?

(And not all the US fans got first row seats "really cheap" for Musicology.)

What record promotion ?. He's doin' what record companies have done for years.
When i was a dj i could go to or write to any record label and get Promotion material and get added to their mailing list, because i was workin' out of a club. When i became a mobile jock i was still on their mailing list(s).

DJ record pool. Where you pay to promote material that the record companies give to to them (dj record pools) free.

Why are people so upset, he's just edutaining what goes on behind the scene at a record label.

Now i can understand why the record label(s) would be upset.
But retailer's get fucked by record labels all the time.

Sony's BMG lost may be someone else's gain....nuthin' ventured nothing gained.
[Edited 6/30/07 11:40am]

DevotedPuppy said:

It's expensive for you, but the market price is reality. $312 for a show for only 200 people in a hotel like the roosevelt, and for 1000 or so at Vegas for $125, that is the going rate and i think it is unrealistic to expect anything cheaper. now the $700 deal for VIP in Vegas was reasonable based on my experience, but the $3121 for dinner, that to me is waaay too much but i guess it was slated for people who got it like that, although based on the reports of empty tables, not even they are willing to fork over that kind of cash.

Don't get me wrong. i was not happy when i heard about 3121 LA. not happy at all. i much prefer a state to state tour setup in a smaller venue over the resident tour/venue thing, but i guess he has his reasons, whatever the heck that is.

now as far as him fighting the record companies, is that the real issue with you or are you just mad cuz you can't get a free copy too. (i'm being funny so please don't take it too seriously. )

oh and lastly, i know not every single fan got a cheap ticket, however you cannot deny the unforgettable experience of the Musicology tour, much of which had to do with the benefit NPGMC offered fans by giving them great seats for a cheaper price, which is why dealing with tickets now to see a Prince concert is very hard for those who have been spoiled.
[Edited 6/30/07 11:50am]
[Edited 6/30/07 11:54am]

im glad that people in the uk are getting the album 4 free anaywayz my only concern is whether its gonna turn up in that shitty cardboard sleeve that newspapers give out free DVDs/CDs with...

ian said:

Damn. That right there pretty much says it all.

Welcome 2 The War...
P has struck the first blow, and many will come to follow
prepare for the destruction of the music industry...

purpledoveuk said:

it's probably not that simple. who knows.

with the ability to record & distribute music via internet & home recording software, this is just another example of how music execs & retailers are being "phased out" of the business. just like the oil profiteers fear of cars using alternate fuel, there's a big fear of their profit-making "institutions" crumbling.

i dig prince thumbing his nose at those greedy bastards! if 15% is all an artist is allowed on the profit from a CD (average industry standard), then i applaud forking up that small cut for some advertising (i.e., getting his music to the masses). plus i've always had a problem with 85% of a CD going to a group of CEO's that not only can't play or sing, but don't even know what good music is to begin with!
("according to the numbers on this profit graph, this song sounds great!! whaddya think clive?").

with the revenue generated from live shows (and apparently he's generating some BIG revenue!), i can see how the move would be considered an investment.

purpledoveuk said:

Did they say when "The Mail on Sunday" would be giving away the CD? I haven't seen a date announced yet. I need to know so that I can tell my cousin in London to pick me up a couple of copies!

Brendan said:

I'm with you guys, Ian you are absolutely spot on. I want to shop in a record shop, and I can't because they have so little selection beyond 'best sellers'. And you have to fight through all the cafes, internet, games, and ipod crap to get there.

Boo hoo HMV, since when have you promoted any artist beyond your own profit margin? Only now do they charge under £10 for chart CDs, back catalogue can be as much as £15, why???