Left Warners because he wanted to release MORE music than they were willing to release....yet, now that he's FREE, he's working like his feets is stuck in molasses.

Shit, at least Warners had a reason for the slow releases...they wanted to promote and milk the CD for everything it was worth.

Prince doesn't promote and seems to give a dookie about sales....

So, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? YOUR SHOES ON TOO TIGHT OR SOMETHING?

wow, u are so jaded. Prince gives fans PLENTY of product. save for a few exceptions, he has close to an album a year output. what other star on his level can say that?! and beyond the music, he's becoming MORE accessible with age, not less. extended residencies, (Vegas, London) surprise concerts, (at his home no less), Leno, etc. has a DECADE passed already since Planet Earth, geeez

datdude said:

Did you just say that his home concerts are accessible??? How many were at his latest one? 30? Prince is playing it up to the mega stars, not the masses.

What I'm saying is that he isn't putting out any MORE product than when he was with WB...and wasn't that the point of him leaving?

There was a point in time when Prince wouldn't have the patience to sit on his new material...

I see your point Revolution, and I definitely agree with you.It's pretty much the same. I thought that when he left Warners he'd be on fire. Maybe stuff in his personal life has slowed him down during the latter years. But I'm with you, he plays to what.....30 people? How is that accessibility? When will he tour the U.S.again? Don't get me wrong, it't great to tour London and other parts of the world for he's loved around the world. But it's been a minute since he's had a U.S. tour again.Maybe he just wants smaller venues in L.A. now.

But, he's not putting out more product as quickly, and back in the day, that would have been a no-no. Maybe he's new website will be different and we'll get new music from there.

I thought he left cuz his contract was done and alo because he was upset that they owned most of his masters.

Clevelandgirl said:

It doesn't even have to be new music....how about a DVD or two between new CD's?
He's got the material, and I'm willing to buy from HIM, not a bootlegger.

Nope it was a control issue. He couldn't do what he wanted when he wanted and they had the contracts to stop him. So he opted to fill his contracts and get out of WB.

SANSKER7 said:

thats kinda what I just said.

Revolution said:

Ummm.. the issue is, Prince can release music whenever the hell he wants to now and doesn't have to put up with anyone else dictating if something is too quick or not.

Revolution said:

Don't forget that he just released Indigo Nights in September. The stuff is being released. If anything I think the reason there is hold ups its because it takes time to find the best means of releasing these things. And he just seems to be in an age where he's content to experiment with different things, concepts, business ideas etc. He doesn't seem to have that rush anymore. When people mature their ideas change, their motivations change, etc.

I think Prince geniunely thought he could release more product, but commercial reality hit home. If you look he started well enough with the release of Emancipation, Crystal Ball, The Truth, Kama Sutra, NPS and The War, and even after the disappointment of Rave, he got more out there with the NPMC. It was only by 2004 his ego, bank balance or long term survival instinct took over and mainstream releases slowed to an annual or more event.

Whether he's recording less (as someone has speculated on another thread re moving away from Paisley Park), or is being canny with sheparding his career into a profitable dotage, is up for debate. I think the latter. I also hope the lotusflower website is a return to satisfying his hardcore with web stuff whilst releasing annual mainstream releases to keep his star bright.

Revolution said:

I have a friend who worked with prince closely during 96 who made his dawn website. He as well said it was all about the masters and what ever prince says about it being because they wont let him release is all lies. He wanted his masters and they wouldn't give them period.

I think this might be a perception thing. I too want Prince to release more music, and thought he would after leaving Warners, and am not sure if technically he has.

However he has released music regularly and in an innovative way - remember the demo of Guitar going out on the web before the studio version? Correct me if I'm wrong but he never did anything like that under Warners. They even stopped him giving away The Undertaker as a live disc.

I think that because he doesn't benefit from the media onslaught a big label can muster for a release, it just feels like there isn't much action on the music release front.

I would love for him to release more and tour more, but I guess that's everyone here, but he is just one man!

We are gonna get 2 Prince albums this year so I'm already content with that.

PEJ said:

no. his contract wasn't finished. he renegotiated to give them C&D, The Vault (and I think Girl 6 was part of it) and a future compilation (The Very Best Of...) to get out of it.

and he didn't start complaining about his masters until he was in the process of leaven WB and then realized that he didn't own that stuff.

errant said:

so the whole slave on the face thing was a front?