I dont understand why they went ahead with this, werent they told not to from the beginning?

syble said:

did you read the part where they don't have to and it's perfectly legal?

My Way or Norway: Prince Sues to Obliterate Tribute Album
By Eliot Van Buskirk June 25, 2008 | 3:35:36

Fifty artists who recorded Prince covers in honor of His Purpleness' 50th birthday June 7 have been slapped with a lawsuit by the short-tempered star. His lawyers now demand that all copies of the tribute be destroyed. Shockadelica had reached No. 8 on Norway's album charts and received several popular reviews by the Norwegian press.

It's perfectly legal to record and sell cover songs of someone else's material, so long as you pay the compulsory licensing fee of about 10 cents per song. To sell their five-disc set of 81 Prince cover songs, they would have to remit around $8 per unit sold to Prince, under a compulsory mechanical license.

Norway's C+C Records distributed 5,000 of the box sets starting earlier this month, plus digital versions, and claim that no one made any money from the project. As a result, they didn't think they owed Prince anything except maybe a free copy.

C+C Records owner and Prince fan Christer Falck contacted the Purple One's people to try to send one to Prince, and that's when the trouble began, according to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet (re-reported in Daily Swarm), one of many publications to post positive reviews of the collection.

For now, all 81 songs can be previewed free on C+C Records' website, and some are also available on MySpace in streamable medley form.

When this giveaway first began, there were 5,000 copies of the compilation in circulation. Thanks to Prince's lawsuit and the publicity it will generate, we expect that number to balloon significantly in the coming weeks.

ButterscotchPimp said:

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Since it is legal to cover songs as long as you pay the fee this is just an empty threat. No one is going to be sued. I am not sure why they went ahead and did it if he asked that they not do it. No sense in covering an artist who does not want to be covered or horned.

ButterscotchPimp said:

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Since it is legal to cover songs as long as you pay the fee this is just an empty threat. No one is going to be sued. I am not sure why they went ahead and did it if he asked that they not do it. No sense in covering an artist who does not want to be covered or horned.

His name is Prince, and he is litigious as all get out. All Norwegian label C+C Records wanted to do was release a 5CD box set of Norwegian artists covering the songs of Prince. And so they did: the 81-track Shockadelica compilation, featuring the likes of Susanna & the Magical Orchestra, Maja Ratkje, Ulver, Kenneth Ishak, Don Juan Dracula, Dylan Mondegreen, Loch Ness Mouse, Jens Carelius, and many, many others, was released in an edition of 5,000 earlier this month.

According to the Daily Swarm, C+C label head Christer Falck thought he'd shoot Shockadelica over to Prince's pad as a benevolent gesture. But, as it is with just about anybody doing just about anything involving Prince, C+C reportedly got themselves good and sued. Once Prince took notice of the set-- for which no artists involved received any money, it should be noted-- his crack team of lawyers swooped down on C+C, asking that all copies of Shockadelica be destroyed. Lame, lame, lame.

For the moment, Shockadelica is still available for purchase via various e-outlets, and portions of comp tracks can be heard at the comp's MySpace. What's more, at least one comp artist has already responded to Prince's F-you with one of their own: electro-pop duo Frost have made their cover of "Sex Shooter" (originally performed by Prince protégés Apollonia 6) available for free download via their website. Grab that one while it lasts.

Also hot on the Prince Burns Scandinavians newswire: recall that cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki" that appears on Love Is All's recent tour EP? Turns out Love Is All's attempts to get the proper licensing to release the song digitally were in vain. So, when the covers EP hits eMusic next week, downloaders will instead get a Love Is All cover of the Pastels' "Nothing to Be Done" (which previously appeared on a 2007 single). A rather appropriate choice of cover given the circumstances, but still!

Thanks to Prince's lawsuit and the publicity it will generate, we expect that number to balloon significantly in the coming weeks.

laurarichardson said:

The point is that they didn't pay the fee. That's the whole point of their saying, "Well, geez...we didn't make any money...so we thought it was okay." You have to pay a licensing fee whether you make money or not. They didn't. They're getting sued.

It's perfectly legal to record and sell cover songs of someone else's material, so long as you pay the compulsory licensing fee of about 10 cents per song. To sell their five-disc set of 81 Prince cover songs, they would have to remit around $8 per unit sold to Prince, under a compulsory mechanical license.

ButterscotchPimp said:

Saw that coming!


Seems Prince is still well within his rights to demand proper compensation though. Don't really get the thought behind releasing a covers boxset of an artist who is so litigious over such matters? Maybe they feel a bit safer being in a different country?

yep. not to mention, prince's songs' unauthorized distribution on the internet.

people, if you're going to do a tribute album be SURE you have permission from the artist who wrote the materials. sheesh. it ain't brain surgery

I just received my copy of Shockadelica in the mail a couple of days ago, and it's one of the best Prince tribute collections I've ever heard. I know that's not saying much because most Prince tribute albums are dodgy at best, but there's actually some really well thought out covers on Shockadelica. The whole project seems to have been put together with a lot of thought and care.

If Prince is bullying the people who put this collection together, shame on him. It was obviously created as a sincere tribute and it was done out of love and admiration. Maybe he should sit down and at least listen to the thing before he starts going into blast mode. He might be inspired by the sounds of his own songs through the imaginations of other artists.

Again, I think it's a beautiful collection. Get it before the purple goon squad has it obliterated.

I just received my copy of Shockadelica in the mail a couple of days ago, and it's one of the best Prince tribute collections I've ever heard. I know that's not saying much because most Prince tribute albums are dodgy at best, but there's actually some really well thought out covers on Shockadelica. The whole project seems to have been put together with a lot of thought and care.

If Prince is bullying the people who put this collection together, shame on him. It was obviously created as a sincere tribute and it was done out of love and admiration. Maybe he should sit down and at least listen to the thing before he starts going into blast mode. He might be inspired by the sounds of his own songs through the imaginations of other artists.

Again, I think it's a beautiful collection. Get it before the purple goon squad has it obliterated.

The point is that they didn't pay the fee. That's the whole point of their saying, "Well, geez...we didn't make any money...so we thought it was okay." You have to pay a licensing fee whether you make money or not. They didn't. They're getting sued.

Prince strikes again.

Genesia said:

Thank you for hitting the nail squarely on the head. They know better.

How far up your butt does your head have to be for you to believe it would be legitimate to avoid paying the licensing fee on a commercial venture simply by claiming that your expenses exceeded your income from the project.

Neg-wegian, please.

laurarichardson said:

The point is that they didn't pay the fee. That's the whole point of their saying, "Well, geez...we didn't make any money...so we thought it was okay." You have to pay a licensing fee whether you make money or not. They didn't. They're getting sued.

psychodelicide said:

Not surprising.

The box set is great. Except that my disk 2 is has no music, and disk 3 has the music from disk 2. So I'm missing disk 3's music. Anyone else got the same problems? I was told I'd be sent another disk but I'm 'Still Waiting'