What Prince said when he learned that his songs were being covered illegally.

psychodelicide said:

look, at the end of the day it comes down to this for me:

prince creates and sells a product for a living: his music. you can add in his films, his perfumes, his tamboroccas, whatever - but if we pare it down to the bare essentials, his speciality is music.

i am a consumer of prince's product, nothing more and nothing less. because i like whatever formula makes prince's music unique, i am a follower of whatever music he releases. i guess this makes me a "fan", but again, bare essentials: i am a consumer of a particular product, and i continue to purchase the product because i enjoy it.

because i enjoy all this music, it doesn't mean there's any "personal relationship" or "moral obligation" or anything else. prince makes something. i like it. i buy it. i own it and i enjoy it.

that's how it works for me.

now:

if prince somehow throws a wrench in his own machine and his product ain't what it used to be, or if he just up and quits producing his product, then i as a consumer may be enticed by other fans who have the ability to cash in on his market by way of tributes or other memorabilia.

if the quality of those products are satisfactory to me and they seem to be created in celebration of prince's legacy, i'm not going to have a problem giving my money and owning these products.

prince has to understand that just because he's packed up his toys and left the playground, he built most of the swings and slides and guess what? we're not about to leave the park yet. if other people wanna pick up the jump rope and push the merry go round, more power to 'em.

he's stuck with a legacy that tons of less successful people would kill for. he could either enjoy what he's created or be a sourpuss about it. i don't feel a bit sorry for him that other people want to celebrate his wonderful music. it would be absurd of anyone to feel pity for such nonsense.

Just 10 years ago or so, he was in a bad financial situation, now he seems to have shored up that situation, and apparently on steadier ground.
Unless you guys were going to pay all those outstanding bills for him then stfu

Why shouldn’t look out for HIS financial interests, whether you think he has the right is immaterial, I’m sure he’s getting all the advice he needs from his lawyers.

I don’t blame him one bit for being so protective of his music and his legacy the way he wants. Its his income, it pays the bills and its his legacy, chill people its not always about you.

violetblues said:

i would really love to know how one norwegian tribute album is going to ruin prince's empire. i mean, come on now.

Anxiety said:

It's not about that, it about a man protecting his interests however HE sees fit, plain and simple.

lol, he sends a strong and clear signal on where he stands on his music.
[Edited 6/27/08 17:13pm]

violetblues said:

yeah, he stands on people's necks while singing sly stone and santana covers with his glossy hypocrite lips.

The music industry keep evolving, and Prince is at the forefront of the debate. I remember what i read after Bo Diddley's passing and it's about time musicians rights progress.

"But like other black, midcentury music innovators, Mr. Diddley said he received neither the credit he deserved from the press or the public, nor financial compensation for his recordings. He remained bitter for the rest of his life about what he viewed as the exploitation of early rock 'n' rollers by record companies, promoters, and publishers."

"Elvis was not first; I was the first son of a gun out here, me and Chuck Berry. And I'm very sick of the lie," Mr. Diddley said in a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. "You know, we are over that black-and-white crap, and that was all the reason Elvis got the appreciation that he did. I'm the dude that he copied, and I'm not even mentioned. . . . I've been out here for 50 years, man, and I haven't ever seen a royalty check."

colorblu said:

that's very poignant, but the person in charge of the tribute comp actually posted ON THIS THREAD and stated that he has gone through all the necessary steps to ensure prince is appropriately compensated.

colorblu said:

that's very poignant, but the person in charge of the tribute comp actually posted ON THIS THREAD and stated that he has gone through all the necessary steps to ensure prince is appropriately compensated.

Anxiety said:

Okay, but maybe he's trying to perfect the system. There's still lots of shady areas in the music business. We love his innovative ideas when it comes to music, but not so much when it restricts what we hear or how it's done. Someone has to be the one to define this new territory and Prince isn't one to back down on something he believes in. I'm willing to give him the benefit of a doubt.

I was a little sceptic about this album, but now I want it even more

colorblu said:

you know what? your signature line pretty much sums up my position on the matter.

darlingfloor said:

Hey!
You know what, it is a very entertaining listen. Some good, some very good, some bad. But overall well worth a look.

Get it while you can, which now seems not very long!

Hi
I'm Christer Falck, the person behind this album.
Let me comment some of your accusations:

1. Prince will have what is rightfully his when it comes to money. In Norway all cd's made have to be registered at TONO/NCB, and Prince will receive ca. 10% of all the money coming in automatically.

2. We have applied for using his covers. Our response from Universal Publishing was; As long as you're doing straight covers, no-one can stop you. We have done everything by the book.

3. We have had problems with disc 2, but we only sendt out 26 copies with error, and we sendt a new cd to everyone that ordered it. If there still is someone who haven't received the right disc2, please contact me at falck@ccrecords.com, and I'll send you a new one.

4. When it comes to profiting on this album it's absolutely impossible to earn anything. 180,- (NOK) is the PPD (Price per dealer) (ca. 30 dollars).
Minus average 20% discount, 25% roylty to the artist, 20% distribution fee, expencive artwork, mastering-costs for 81 tracks AND having paid 20 of the recordings (including the national symphony orchestra, gospelchoirs etc) it's NOT the money that was my goal here. Do the maths. I'm just a big fan.

Peace

gyro34 said:

But they're not "his rights".
Did he ask Radiohead about "Creep"?


[Edited 6/26/08 16:38pm]

Hi
I'm Christer Falck, the person behind this album.
Let me comment some of your accusations:

1. Prince will have what is rightfully his when it comes to money. In Norway all cd's made have to be registered at TONO/NCB, and Prince will receive ca. 10% of all the money coming in automatically.

2. We have applied for using his covers. Our response from Universal Publishing was; As long as you're doing straight covers, no-one can stop you. We have done everything by the book.

3. We have had problems with disc 2, but we only sendt out 26 copies with error, and we sendt a new cd to everyone that ordered it. If there still is someone who haven't received the right disc2, please contact me at falck@ccrecords.com, and I'll send you a new one.

4. When it comes to profiting on this album it's absolutely impossible to earn anything. 180,- (NOK) is the PPD (Price per dealer) (ca. 30 dollars).
Minus average 20% discount, 25% roylty to the artist, 20% distribution fee, expencive artwork, mastering-costs for 81 tracks AND having paid 20 of the recordings (including the national symphony orchestra, gospelchoirs etc) it's NOT the money that was my goal here. Do the maths. I'm just a big fan.

Peace

darlingfloor said:

Hey!
You know what, it is a very entertaining listen. Some good, some very good, some bad. But overall well worth a look.

Get it while you can, which now seems not very long!

andymacfunky said:

sounds like you got a wonky copy. mine is just fine. just keep buggin' em about it via email, i guess. you know what they say about the squeaky wheel...

prince has to understand that just because he's packed up his toys and left the playground, he built most of the swings and slides and guess what? we're not about to leave the park yet. if other people wanna pick up the jump rope and push the merry go round, more power to 'em.

Anxiety said:

Some folks still haven't received Crystal Ball.