There's a great entry in an ongoing anti-DRM (digital rights management) blog series, and "day 7" was about Prince. Check it out:

http://www.defectivebydes...y07-prince

Excerpt:
"Luckily I only purchased one of MANY DRM-laden album from Prince's now defunct New Power Generation website, Xpectation. It came in the DRM-encumbered Windows Media format, but this was before I was ever aware of the horrors of DRM. Ironically, I EXPECTED the files to work pretty much forever, maybe not forever but at least a few good years. However, I guess the joke was on me as I misplaced the files on an external harddrive a year or so ago and recently located them only to find out there's absolutely nothing I can do with them."...

Good quick read, give it a click.

i never went that avenue, so i can't share mike's pain. but, at least he got a t-shirt!

Prince really embraced the idea of online music, but he struggled with getting it exactly right.

First, we had horrible streaming Real files with NPGOnlineLTD ... then Year One of NPGMC got the format right (MP3) but bitrates and sound quality were erratic ... finally, the Musicology Store got the distribution part right but introducted DRM. (sigh).

so basically with DRM files, Prince has done to us what he accused the record labels of doing - we get to buy the house (music files) but not keep it. Either that, or those who did purchase these files and are having this trouble only rented the house. Luckily for me and hopefully others, we bought these albums when mp3 technology supported burning files on2 CD's - I have both Xpectation and C-Note, as well as several other NPGMC files accessible to me this way.

yeah, I can't use any of those freakin files from the 2004 music store.. Thanks a lot .. money wasted


i highly doubt i'll ever invest in any of his online scams again.. unless of course he gets with the program and lowers his prices and be DRM Free..

Everybody remember's the "Warning's," that came with movies, And people were still hookin' up 2 VCR's 2 get away with it.

Hopefully...people will come 2 respect the people that brought Us the entertainment that we love.

i guess you get what you pay for
not you, the fan
but Prince, the all-knowing facilitator
directing the collective to do his bidding
instead of seeking advice from those who really know
maybe he thought no one really knew
but egomaniacs rarely ask

I guess I am kinda fortunate when I cut up my credit card at the time when I wanted to join the club, but couldn't as you could only join with a card.

thats why continue and support bootlegs and buy all the new prince ones monthly.i have also was robbed by the npg music club (the greatest site ever but ended 2 soon),but thanks to the boots i have all them songs (just as good if not better quality)all over again.

suckers.

boring old bastar*s

Prince and the NPGMC fanclub site did make a contract stating a 'permanent residency' (my words not his) for his fans/friends who paid a mandatory fee.

[His] breach of contract is illegal and the right person with the time and $$$ could not only prove this in the court of law but also recieve financial retribution for themselves and all those who were misled into investing. I'll be a witness. I too gave the monies due in belief of the lie that was told to the NPGMC site fans/friends.

Let me know what happens...

Kie
[Edited 12/4/08 23:09pm]

If you weren't smart enough to burn it on a cd... Well you know the rest.

Takieaa said:

Prince got the whole "interactive" idea from Todd Rundgren but he didn't do like Todd and try to build a lasting relationship with fans.

As long as the hi-fi shops are still selling jack and phono cables, DRM is a joke.

ben said:

music, like any digitally reproduced product is considered software. as a software developer, i have the choice of releasing music as a file that is more universal on a format called a compact disk, which is for a univeral software reader called a compact disk player... or i can release operating system specific software delivered as a licensed product called a DRM product which can be played for a specific time.

throughout our lives, we all have had the option of playing a substandard COPY from the RADIO delivered in analog format. ultimately you would BUY a copy to play in your house at will. thats how the business was designed to work.

the bonus: you could pay money to see the person play music in concert. thats how the business was designed to work from the beginning. selling music was a way to drive customers to the concert.

cheers!
s=v=n s+v~n(sq2) 7.

Tame said:

And hopefully lemmings will come to realize that people expect to own the product they pay for. Even from Prince.

7e7e7 said:

you have single-handedly justified the popularity of vinyl outside of the DJ sphere.

WELL DONE!

tell me an mp3 is NOT a substandard copy also.

If people were dumb enough not to burn them to CD soon as they bought them, that's their problem. I have zero sympathy.

you know it is a boring day in prince world when shit like this makes news

2 words.....cd burner

prince is a genius because he has created so much interest in his live shows by not allowing us to see any youtube clips

and live shows just happen to be his main source of income over the past 5 years or so

1st rule of the madhouse when it comes 2 any music file download...BURN IT 2 A CD and don't rely on ur computer 2 house it 4ever. cause if ur computer crashes ..guess what? u won't have 2 worry about DRM files not playing ..nothing will unless it was able 2 b recovered. A cd is ur back up file that u can ALWAYS re up back 2 ur hardrive if desired.

when will people learn this lesson?

japanrocks said:

He's a smart business man. No youtube clips, we'd want to see him live; no recorded interviews, we'd want to see him live to hear wat he has to say onstage. He teases ppl with wat he know they want to hear. He'll say one cryptic line and have some fans bussin their brains tryin to figure out wat the hell he mean, which jus makes him all the more interesting enuff to GO SEE AT A LIVE SHOW/CONCERT. Anyone that's deep and mysterious is interesting. He leaves u wanting more, which is why many ppl are throwing cause he said this or that, or he did this or that. Maybe he studied psychology

I jus strayed into a whole other topic

As much as I'm inclined to blame Prince for his lack of foresight, if I remember correctly, DRM (while flawed) was pretty common at the time, and I don't blame Prince (or anyone for that matter) for at least wanting to take SOME kind of measure to minimize piracy.

I know the industry has moved away from DRM, but again, it was pretty much standard at the time. And I think that if the NPG hadn't been slapped with a copyright lawsuit from that publishing company, the site would still be around in some form.

Marrk said:

Same here. I knew that if I was going to download/buy music from NPGMC, I needed to have a backup by burning the songs onto a CD. If for nothing else, I wanted to hear these songs in my car. It's a little bit surprising to hear fans talk about how they weren't smart enought to do this much with the music. Then again, no it isn't surprising at all.

mrsquirrel said:

unfortunately, software developments concerning sonic over-enhancements to compensate for sound loss during compression has resulted in the ability to deliver mp3s and wmas that rival the quality of straight ripping software. my personal experiments have created sound files that are clearly superior to mass produced mp3s.

albums on vinyl also deteriorate as time and lack of maintenance became part of the product's lifespan. digital software does not deteriorate, only the media does. the template for the recording is locked exactly at the digital level. Records as vinyl deteriorate. Even the player eventually deteriorates as a player format. The vinyl versions get more and more valuable because the product, packaging and process deteriorates through time and mishap. the player eventually follows.

personally, i miss the larger format of vinyl record packaging. you got artwork that affected your life. if you also notice... the understanding that product deteriorates causes the owner to maintain the product. but also i makes the "user" owner use the product for the particular purpose it was created for... to listen and enjoy during its time of relevance. right now, a digital recording only gives a sound file.

If there is a future experience in digital media, it clearly must make available copies as format changes... such as.... i bought records and sold them to buy 8-track versions, to sell to buy cd's to collect and mp3s to listen to on my portable recording system

fortunately i have a great mp3 collection.... one or two songs from albums ive bought for FULL PRICE! then ripped... then i sold the cds for one or two dollars or gave them to other people. i kept the mp3s i bought for 15 to 20 dollars per album... i feel the music is worth the purchase.

cheers!
s=v=n s+v~n(sq2) 7.
[Edited 12/5/08 6:53am]

japanrocks said:

but why can't be create any interest in his bunk studio albums?

oh and honestly.. that wouldn't make me anymore interested in his live act cause he takes things off youtube.. i honestly think no'one cares but his hardcore fans anyhow...

i'm a big fan of his and i could give two shits

Marrk said:

Co-sign.

I don't think it's the fact that people lost the files.. it was the fact that he chose a ridiculous format.. i could care less if I have those songs.. they were pretty horrible anyway.
[Edited 12/5/08 7:25am]

mrsquirrel said:

No cause they are. The thing that bothers me about this argument is that by the time you are out of your teens, the average person has lost so much hearing capacity, that it at almost renders this argument null and void.