Pretty much speaks for itself.

Did you prefer it when you knew little of what Prince's current music sounded like? When you only knew the titles of a few tracks and then, when you first heard the new single on the radio it blew your mind?
When the only thing you knew from Prince the man was what he felt fit to tell you through his music and lyrics. You heard little about the bad things and loved the man simply because of his music. The unbearable months (usually about 12) between the albums made you more and more desperate for the music and made you appreciate it more because of that wait. And then there were the B-sides and the major tour that followed...

Now, we seem to get far too much negativity which interferes with our love for the man and his music. This is from other fans (this very site is the prime example), the man himself (if you know what I mean you'll agree, if you don't then you won't) and, mainly, the NPGMC - the worst advert for Prince to date (the most annoying thing about the NPGMC is that Prince himself probably doesn't realise the problems that many members have - I doubt very much that any less-than-brilliant feedback to the club reaches his delicate ears). Having said that, the first year of the NPGMC provided fans with more music in a year than ever before!

I know that all my statements here are very generalising, but for me personally, I do wish that the man would go back to being an enigma. The less I knew about Prince the man and his business affairs the better, as I concentrated only on the music that I was hearing.

I still have some respect for Prince and I'll always love the music, but the past few years have really changed my view on the person and his business affairs for the worst, and most of it is due to the internet - sad, but true.

So what do other people think? I know that times change and we all think differently than how we thought years ago (Prince in particular), but I just want a straightforward answer;

Being a fan pre or post internet? Which was better?

I'm a Princefan since 1984 and only active on the internet for 3 years, so you know my answer on your question!

Haystack said:

It's the same just the information flows faster. before all the news would be out of magazines newpapers and or radio but now it is instant but both are cool... alot less use of stamps and envolopes thats about it.. i would not say one better than the other when both have good points... smile... 8)

No.
I prefer it now.
Prior to the internet connection I felt I didn't know what was happening in Prince World.
Now I feel tapped into something.
Connected if you will.
Yes its chaos at times but thats life.
Nothing I've learned from being on the internet has changed my opinion of Prince or depreciated my admiration of his music.

And I've been a fan since 1984.
Hooked up to the internet in 1996.

Actually if it wasn't for the internet I probably would not be as excited about new Prince music...

You see my enthusiasm towards Prince music, although still somewhat keen, was starting to wane, when lo and behold I found prince.org and the old excitement came back...after say, the greatest hits/b sides compilation came out it was impossible to find out about any new Prince music since I think that was around the time he gave up on the corporate promotional machine...and the press gave up on him...I still ran out and bought his new records but I did not feel the need to do it on the release date plus I never bought New Power Soul because I had no idea it had come out...

No, and I think this question is stupid. I wanna know Everything about him and I Love his music like there is no tommorrow.

Natasha said:

If anyone would recognize a stupid question it would be you - the Queen of Stupid Questions.

YES YES YES! There was more mystery...

I got to admit that it was a special time being a Prince fan back in the 80's when all you new was the next album or single. Everything that you tried to find out about the man was only through the music and magazines. Saying that though, I'm really glad that the internet did come along. It has given me more music and information about Prince that I could ever hope for.

Yes and No.

Yes: I miss the element of surprise that I got when I was a kid when I heard a new Prince song on the radio. The days before an album came out, I'd wonder what type of songs and song titles were on there & once I picked up the album I'd be in for a treat, but now you learn of what songs are on a CD and what they're like months in advance. Surprise has stopped being a part of the game. And if it wasn't for the internet, Prince wouldn't be able to do the crap he's done with the NPGMC and other games he played in the past, like the Crystal Ball fiasco in 1997-1998. I would love to see him back on a label but I respect his choices and I'll flow with.

No: If it wasn't for the Internet, I wouldn't know what Prince was doing with his music because of the lack of info that the regular media gives us. Plus, if it wasn't for the net, I wouldn't have found Prince.org and met some cool people over the years (3 years). It's helped me stay a fan when I needed it.

At the end of the day, I'm glad that the Internet's here and I'm glad that we can come together & discuss all things that are the Man, the Myth, the Legend: Prince.

This is my frist computer I just hooked up 2 the inernet this past 6 months I'am enjoying this new world,I love all the info on Prince. I never was one 2 seek out much info on Prince, but now it's so easy. 2 know all u fans r out there is the best of all. I love reading all the stuff u have 2 say, it's a lot of fun. So my answer is no.
Love D2

Makes no difference to me.

B4 I had access 2 the net at work, I never heard anything about Prince in the news or anything, so in a way was completely out of touch, so I think that in a way it is bad that the internet has taken over, as peep's without access are in the darK!

Without the internet, we wouldn't have the NPGMC and the chance for some "new" Prince music on a monthly bases. So in that aspect, I like the days of the internet now (even if I haven't been able to afford the NPGMC so far this year)!

I think the way he has gone after fan sites is a bit risky in that you risk losing some of those folks that are on the fence about whether they want to be complete Prince fams or not.

But, I also think the way that Prince is using the internet is very cutting edge, and goes along with his reputation as being a ground breaking artist. But, I also think this works best for an artist that is established like Prince is. For new artists, starting a music club would not work.

I´ve been a fan since 1980.

Times are changing and so am I, Thanx...


I loved it THEN - I love it NOW

?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 26 23:39:04 PST 2003 by IstenSzek]

it's true, Haystack, this forum becomes quite distorted by elements other than the truth. despite ben and valerie and matt's close ties with the NPGMC rumors abound and people spend their time guessing about what the heck is happening with the CD release and being cranky about not knowing.

i think i'll go on over to the NPGMC.org's message boards, read up on the daily concert update, check out pics of prince and the band and watch out that live webcast of the concert while browsing through downloads while chatting in the NPGMC chat room.

that WOULD cheer me up

I liked it better pre-web. The "fans" talk too much shit...

But now that I'm here, I can't leave. It's a bitch...

The only difference is the anticipation of the new music. It was a special time in the 80's with very little knowledge of
when things would be released, the hope
of a new B-side, and the real heyday of the mystique.

Now it's good also because he have a choice to tap in or maintain a "healthy"
distance.

people online talk too much smack. back in the day you had to write in to some janky magazine across the world and MAYBE see your letter printed. now you get instant feedback from every jerk who knows better than Prince what he should do with his own career. it's a sad state of affairs.

CalhounSq said:

yeee - its a bitch

The only thing I miss is the rush of waiting at tower records for the new album. Having no idea what the songs are like. But now I like the internet because of all the info. we get.

I prefer it NOW! information is plentiful, and THAT, i'm not sure, is too cool, as this site is addicting for strange reasons...sometimes i'd like 2 b doing other things, however it has taken care of some awfully boring times 4 me...