Just wondering how all of P's greatest hits collections are not allowed to use any material from the Batman soundtrack, yet the Purple Medley starts off with the opening riffs from the number 1 hit Batdance?

All of the songs on Purple Medley were newly rerecorded for that release.

WB owns the rights to the original soundtrack versions and the sampled actors' voices contained on them. That's why none of the Batman soundtrack songs have been on any of the greatest hits packages.

Se7en said:

OK, I´ve heard that before but I never really understood it.....weren´t all greatest hits compilations released by Warner Bros. ? Why couldn´t they simply put a Batman track on one of those compilations if they own the rights anyway ?

KoolEaze said:

i wonder if the actors need to give permission as well...but then that wouldn't explain why Party Man couldn't be used. Maybe Burton or DC Comics has a say...or the films producers.

good question.

sosgemini said:

Partyman has not been on any of the greatest hits compilations.

The only songs from the Batman project that made it onto a greatest hits release were 200 Balloons and I Love U In Me. The legality of those is that they don't contain actor samples and were B-sides.

It's not that they're "not allowed" to put the Batman tracks on Hits albums etc.
It's just that to do so causes problems as those songs were subject to
different contractual terms than the rest of Prince's material. The main reason
is the movie samples, as a new contract would have to be drawn up for their
use on any new release not covered by the original contract (The Batman
album and associated single releases). It would mean that Jack Nicholson
would end up getting a cut from the sales of Prince's Greatest Hits if Batdance
etc. were included. It's just easier (and cheaper) to leave them off.