SkletonKee said:

I think it more a matter of they already had a following from the previous albums they put out. Aleast one of which was also popular and had MTV exposure.

..well, wrong or right, prince has made his views on this quite clear...so it was really inevitable...

aside from that, if someone chooses not to share certain songs, chances are he doesn't think they're quite finished or up to par, so it has to be frustrating on some level to see songs that you had no intention of releasing keep showing up in different places...

i do agree prince should go after actual bootleggers first tho..cos anybody in the prince community knows about these guys...so it shouldn't be that hard to shut em down...

in fact he could officially release ev'rything they put out on him, and not even change the packaging, and there's nothing they could do about it..so he should look at underselling them...the stuff is already out there anyway...

...there are a lot more issues involved with this tho than just 'going after his fans..' and most of y'all know that whether you ever admit it or not...

AaronForever said:

from me too, Matthew!

Ifsixwuz9 said:

AaronForever said:

because radiohead leaks the stuff out...they are doing it *right now*..so the fans know what they are buying into...

i think its telling that album sells have dropped with the boom in filesharing..it has nothing to do with people pirating the stuff for their own collection...its all about the fact that people get to actually hear the music..when its crap album with two hits and a bunch of filler, people dont buy it...

radiohead understands this...they allow their fans to hear the tunes before they hit the streets...and the fans, in appreciation go out and by the albums...better sound quality, great artwork and support for a great band...

prince has some loyal diehard fans...im sure we *all* would still buy an album, if we had heard it before via filesharing..why? because we support the guy...we are the only ones still buying his stuff...what does he have to loose? unless the albums are crap...hmmm

did anyone bring up the fact that bringing a tape recorder into paisley park and recording xenopobia was illegal???

If Prince asked Matt to stop doing something and then Matt didn't respect Prince's wishes well that was disrespectful to Prince. It is his music you know . You gotta listen. He figured you didn't get the message. So he decided to get tough with you. You should have listened if he asked you to stop. Why upset him like that? I would Never. If Prince asked me to stop doing something if I really cared about him as a fan ,well I would abide by his wishes.

Natasha said:

You know I 100% refuse to feel sorry for Prince and his scare tactics. This is just another example of Prince being Prince. Why doesn`t he go after the bigger fish instead of trying to beat up the little guy? Hey Prince how about filing a law suit against Moonraker, Thunderball, or Kiss the Stone records??? And as to Prince`s remark about how I feel having already bought my 6 CD set of a ONA show; my reply to him is to FUCK OFF PURPLE STYLE. Hell I have been listening to it since June and it was well worth the money I shelled out for it (plus I burn copies for my friends and charge them money for it so there!!!). Since it seems that NPG won`t be releasing its CD of the ONA show until sometime in the year 3000, I suppose that I was smart to purchase my copy from an "illeagle" source. Prince chill and quit being a bitch. I say support the bootleggers. I have said it before and I will say it once again; when NPGMC starts releasing great CD`s (bootleg shows, studio outtakes, and aftershows) then I will quit buying them from guys who sell them. True you as an "artist" has a right to your music; but since Im a fan I too am entitled to it. And that means by any way that I can get it. PRINCE GROW THE FUCK UP, maybe you should start making quality music again so that the fans won`t buy the boots??? Too much time studying law and worshipping Larry Graham have left you musical edge dull. I think that the sales numbers for TRC, Rave, and Emanicaption prove my point.

Nep2nes

Natasha

There is so much to be said on this issue to all ends... I will refrain and stick to my main thought which is this:

Mathew and his site have done by far the more for the artists then to the contrary. I have never felt guilty about snatching music off napster or other sites UNTIL i met Mathew. Who had a receipt posted for his Me'shell purchase. He encouraged that we purchase music released by the artists. The music posted was not available for purchase..he did not originate it and I only had my appetite increased to obtain such tracks should they become available.

Why weren't sites out there that have posted complete compilations, the target of the law suit.. instead of free my heart?? The greater # of people haven't the access to the music...

It indicates to me a scape goat mentality is being used. If it is heart felt that wrong is being done then go after those profiting by it.

SkletonKee said:

the fans. but not being a mainstream band, nor promoting it to the mainstream, that doesn't explain how it debuted at #1 unless people are buying it based on hype. or because it's "the thing to buy."

Pees on a copy of Dirty Mind.

If I go on WinMX & search for Prince Live & then download the Indianapolis Promo CD who can Prince go after?
Not me - he doesn't know I did it.
Not the person I downloaded from - who knows who that is.
Not WinMX - they were just the channel for exchanging info. WinMX did not go on prince.org & provide a link to Prince downloads.

freemyheart.com on the other hand came right out & said "Come here - I have free Prince live downloads." He made himself the target. He chose to be the target. He may deserve pity & compassion for his stupidity but until he shows some remorse & understanding of the situation he isn't ready for mercy.

ya know, in freemyhearts defense, he only posted those songs for a day each
[This message was edited Fri Sep 27 16:52:19 PDT 2002 by shausler]

AaronForever said:

and this is a bad thing? id rather have self generated hype be a gauge for music purchase then tons of purchased media time (be it on tv, ad prints or on mtv)...or worse, payola...

radiohead deserved the hype..Kid A was phenominal...sure, in some cases the hype can generate dissapointment and a let down (see Alicia Keys)..if that happens though...the artist is usually dead weight unless the follow up album is of quality (see Macy Gray).

funkbible said:

---

(Snip. Flame removed - Ian).

The ONA cd will be out soon why can't you just be patient and wait for it. As a huge fan who enjoys the music even I don't think Prince needs to release everything he has every done. Prince is within his rights to go after this guy. Matt was given a warning and still keep the downloads up. It is no surprise he being sued.
If you want to buy bootleggs knock yourself out but I am sure if the shoe was on the other foot you would be just as pissed as Prince. Nobody wants to have money taken out of their pocket.
By the why I like Emanicapation it is a good RnB cd. I bet you do not like RnB music like 90% of the posters on this site.

ZaZa said:

Great post ZaZa. This is what have been saying all along.
I think he being sued because he was so blantant and arrogant.

to all of u saying "why doesn't Prince just go after the bootleg labels instead, and catch the people actually making money off illegal recordings:" Well, you could always do your part and stop buying bootlegs and turn in the people who are behind the labels! I'm sure Prince and any artist would like to see bootleg labels go bye-bye in a hurry. If you REALLY wanna set things right then those of you who know who's responsible, why not turn in the people behind sabotage, etc. Then the artists wouldn't have to chase after the small fries. Get the picture? Long as the labels keep hiding and everyone keeps buying from those labels, everybody loses except the bootleggers. If there were no bootleg labels then the artists could still sell something unreleased if they wanted to. But if other labels already beat them to it, what's the point? There's nothing more supportive you could do for your favorite artists than turn in the thieves making a jillion bucks off you guys. Then maybe music really will be free.. think about it! Don't you think Prince and others would share more freely if people didn't steal music and have it end up on some cheap label?

if only prince were quick enough to release his own stuff and beat out the bootleggers i bet he'd prevent piracy. obviously, people want to hear what he's been up to lately, we all do. and, it's frustrating to be a member of the club and have less access to the music than the bootleggers do. !!!
so, on one hand i think it's a shame to discourage what could be great advertisement for the club, a peek into a xenophobia compilation.

on the other hand, i think prince is being forced to take stands, legally, that he feels he must in order to protect his creations. the internet is not yet governed by the kinds of definitive laws which protect trade. and, it's so easy for intellectual propertyto be piratized on the net. me, personally, i think it'd suck to know that someone somewhere was reading my manuscript in a form i may or may not have intended for public use. even if the website is not for profit no one should be distributing prince's creations except by his express wishes.

that being said, prince please hurry up and release a CD for all of us to hear

deepabove said:

well, i think ive been the loudest voice pertaining to boots on this thread and i must confess..."I HAVE NEVER HAD SEX...WITH THAT WOMAN!! MISS La..." oopsies, wrong confession...

I have never bought a boot...from prince or my other favorite artist...however, i have downloaded bootlegged tunes from the net...and i still buy all of the artist's albums, purchase concert tickets and if i really love the album, ill support the artist by buying the album as a gift (i have purchases at least 7 of Girlbros. as gifts)...and im a member of the npgmc thingie...i would think im the average online fan of princes...not a diehard "fam" who buys into everthing he does...nor am i an extreme hater..i appreciate TRC (but think it has flaws)...i loved The Truth...I FREAKEN LOVED THE ONA concert...but:

i think prince's energy against file sharing and (going back a few years) his attack to protect his image and logos (that damn silly sign) really hurts the remaining fans he has...it makes it a personal issue...him against a fan...and he will never win that fight...he needs to take business 101 and understand the meaning of "goodwill"...

but...(hehehehe...damn i need to quit posting long winded messages on this issue...)

i respect everyone else's views and i can even understand prince's actions...

i just wish he would stop taking actions so quickly and *think* about other options to solve his concerns..i once had a high up muckie muck boss tell me, "dont ever come to me with a problem unless you have two solutions"...prince needs to apply this rule of thinking to his plan...and think of better suited solutions to his online problems...

Since all the arguments aren't logically
cohesive to anyones benefit, we should
see what Prince REALLY is trying to accomplish with this stance.

Does he what to recoup monies from an
illegal site?

Does he want to get the message out there
once again about stealing his music?

Does he what to show that he feels he's being disrespected by his own fans?

Does he want to send a message --don't
duck with me cause I WILL sue?

I'd say the last 3 are true...especially
since he sent out that NPGMC email just today about bootleggers.

mmm..
I can't understand why someone would not act immediately upon a request of Prince himself 2 remove unauthorised recordings from a website... and even be stubborn and arrogant.
I had the same experience 1ce putting some copyright protected work on the internet. I was kindly requested to remove it IMMEDIATELY..
Well, I didn't have to think twice. I KNEW I was taking a risk in the first place by putting the stuff on the net.

So this guy even got warned it advance- why didn't he act by removing the material? I don't understand. You can expect a nasty lawsuit if you don't cooperate.

I mean, of course there are widespread bootleg-albums, distributed by well known bootleg labels.. but that's a whole different story..

This particular case is about putting things on the net. Don't put stuff on the net that's stolen!

funkbible said:

Oh yes. Gotta love the rational ones...

Listen fans of course we wanna hear new music,but Prince didn't want Matt doing this. Listen if he asked ya to stop something why didn't you stop. You were being Defiant and I am sorry,but you are 100% wrong. Let Prince release his own music. Don't upset him like that if you are truly a fan. Listen,Prince is a Celebrity and you are Stupid Matt to fight him. What especially with Copyright issues. Judges always side with the performer. What do you think these people are Wimps? You were Foolish. I hope your penalty isn't Jail. You don't play around.

I agree with Prince on this one. He asked him to stop and he didn't.
But I have to admit I downloaded some songs from there,
and Iam so glad I have them. I'm sorry I missed "YOu've got A Friend"

NPGMC say: "BOOTLEGGERS R NOT FANS. THEY SELL UNAUTHORIZED STOLEN PROPERTY 2 FANS. There r
numerous posts throut Paisley Park that in4m guests of their policies regarding
illegally recording the events that r staged there. This policy applies as well
2 PRINCE and the NPG concerts thruout the world. MESSAGE 2 BOOTLEGGERS: LEAVE UR
RECORDING EQUIPMENT AT HOME. ILLEGAL REPRODUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS
PROHIBITED. PEACE"

I see it more as a stand against the illegal live recording than the ultimate filesharing of the songs.

.

I've gotten more SONGS (for free) from that website than I have in 7 months as an NPGMC member. Now, why is that, and doesn't that seem a little fucked up? I suppose Prince can do whatever he wants with his songs, but releasing them (or selling them) to his fans makes the most sense to me. He could have all the publicity and money he wants if he felt like doing this. Why he doesn't is a mystery to me.

Shame.

"Music should be free anyhow" - Prince