Note: The related search results mentioned below no longer appear

Go to Amazon.com and type in lotus flower in the search option

Isn't it a coincidence that (only) the two new Prince albums come up (with correct spelling) under related searches?

Click Mplsound and 'Elixir' pops up under related searches - coincidence? Methinks not! Especially since Bria Valente doesn't even register in further searches

Normaly I'd put this down to customer's reviews or blogs on the site, but I don't see anything and this seems to be pretty specific to be just automated cross referencing or whatever.

It may be nothing but at this stage I'd put money on it Amazon has their system set for iminent retail listing.

Rex
[Edited 1/20/09 5:43am]

Well, if it's true,
that was a smart move since Amazon.com
is far reaching and a popular site.

what about bricks-and-mortar retail?

i think it's going to be a store chain, like target or best buy. of course, i think there's some kind of merged service between target and amazon.com, isn't there?

my guess is it's just cuz all of us are checking over there to see if a release date is set there

punkofthemonth said:

my thoughts exactly.


I'm going to agree with Anxiety on this one, and say that the CDs will be released at somewhere like Target, especially since there are several Prince has done several things with the store before (playing at the Target center, the 3121 perfume, etc --- there are some more things mentioned in another thread).

I searched on all three names at amazon.com and got exactly zero hits.

Oh - and amazon.com is not a "big box" retailer.

Anxiety said:

Possibly, but this would be limited to the USA and Prince would have to strike deals with retailers in all the major countries. Amazon is international (Canada, Germany, France, Japan, UK etc).

In the past Prince has struck one deal with one major distributor per album (with the exception of Planet Earth givaway - but this was localised in one country Sony distributed everywhere else) - I can't imagine Prince making multiple deals with multiple retailers. Can you imagine the difficulties and delays? We know what Prince is like with contracts...

Besides, the LA Times article suggests ONE major retailer to distibute all three albums.

Rex

Genesia said:

No, you won't find any actual hits, just listings under 'related searches'. It's just a clue that suggest it's already in the system.

rexington said:

but when you do click on those links, there are still no entries. that means there is nothing in the system.
the links you're talking about are the entries that ppl search under. it's kinda like a bookmark.

My money is still on Best Buy being the big box retailer.

However Amazon could the major online retailer of choice for digital sales

funny, doesn't come up at ALL even when i type lotusflower prince or lotus flower prince. Somebody's just trying to stir everybody up, as usual.

Great move i think.
I think "brick and mortar stores" are a non issue for an act like Prince,
store CD sales may still be a viable option for middle of the road acts like Miley Cyrus or Kenny Chesney, but not NIN or Prince or The Family 2.0 or any other specialty group. The trend for "internet only" sales is not really a trend anymore but sometimes the only way.

I'm glad because I have a very long history of ordering with Amazon. I ordered 21 nights from them and it arrived in 2 days!!

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

i don't think prince or NIN are "specialty" artists.

I just think it will be a retail store.. amazon would be nice, but i'm sure he would like some physical copies somewhere without ordering them. The approach in Best Buy would be his best bet


I say best buy

I think hes going to scrap all 3 projects and make us wait..again..





Ok ok..Honestly my money is on either Best Buy or maybe even Walmart. Hopefully soon we'll hear something

Anxiety said:

In music sales, If you don’t fit the 9-25 age demographic you are a specialty artist, and that includes almost everybody but maybe Elvis and The Beatles.

I think Target or Best Buy. Either way, both stores are in the same mall where I live. I believe in that article discussing the interview he had recently, there was a mention that the album would be sold online on the new site, as well as a retailer he has an agreement with.

One question though, if downloadable only from his official site, will liner notes, that we can print off from our computer, be included with the purchase or will there be a separate fee for it? We shall see.

I can’t really imagine a typical shopper going into a Wal-Mart to buy a Weber Grill or whatever people buy there and then stopping at a end cap to check out a NIN display.
Kenny Chesney ..... NIN or Prince , nada.
[Edited 1/15/09 19:16pm]

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

which is interesting, considering i bought copies of "ghosts" and "the slip" from a target endcap.

Anxiety said:

Ok cool, I exaggerate a little, but would you consider yourself, or ANY Prince fan a "typical" anything.


Wal-Mart = Best possible prices on a limited amount of products, the very definition of mass market consumerism.
They wouldn’t be doing their job if the end cap wasn’t filled with the latest “High School Musical” or whatever teens find interesting at the moment, than a Prince record.

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

i understand the lowest common denominator top of the pops "must haves" for stores like walmart and target, but i don't think some of the acts you're talking about have become quite as isolated and specialized as the picture you're trying to paint. i certainly wouldn't expect to find family 2.0 at my local big box/department store, but sheesh...when the last new cure album came out, i saw it EVERYWHERE. it's not going to get the display space that high school musical or miley cyrus would get, but i think certain artists that may be less of a craze with the kids are still accessible, partially in that their music can be easily accessed from retail outlets.

Anxiety said:

I agree, and I get where you are coming from, but times are changing.
In the long term this is going to work out better for everyone. Instead of products begging and paying big money for display space with major retailers, manufactures large and small are having the playing field leveled by the net.

At work, besides selling our own products we also carry products by others, and everyday we receive letters notifying us that they would rather sell the products directly through their own web sites, and I don’t blame them. This is a new age in consumerism.
[Edited 1/15/09 20:30pm]

.
[Edited 1/2/10 1:17am]

2elijah said:

You live in a mall??

thedoorkeeper said:

Anxiety said:

"ghosts"

listened to that in full two times over the past weekend. great stuff.

thedoorkeeper said:

NouveauDance said:

some people don't have a choice!!