Found this article, thought you all would be interested in



Activision may be able to throw their fat rolls of cash at bands like Metallica and Aerosmith, but there's one man who was approached by the company and turned them down: Prince.
Yes, the man who is perhaps the greatest living American says in an interview with Tavis Smiley that Activision once approached him over the series (presumably for downloadable content), offering cash money in return for licensing rights.
And Prince said no dice.
"I ain't mad at them. I hear it made, like, $2 billion and they came to us and offered us a very small portion of that. But I just think it's more important that kids learn how to actually play the guitar", he told Smiley.
"It's a tough instrument — it's not easy. It took me a long time, and it was frustrating at first. And you just have to stick with it, and it's cool for people who don't have time to learn the chords or ain't interested in it, but to play music is one of the greatest things."
"To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings, and I would — I don't know, I wish it upon everybody. It's heaven."
Don't get mad. It's Prince.



http://kotaku.com/5233753...ds--pearls

jazzfook said:

Guitar hero is abit sh*t now anyway....

Good job Prince. That game cheapens music.

he seems to be getting respect from the gamers too.

Yeah, I never forgave PaRappa the Rapper for the damage he done did to the rap and hip-hop scene.

iloveannie said:

haha classic!

onion head! "kick, punch, block"!

Prince is "perhaps the greatest living American"?!
[Edited 4/30/09 4:47am]

That is too bad.

Genesia said:

I know right!
sheesh!
Maybe the greatest living known musician - if u will.....
but who knows...maybe the writer knows every American
God?...wat u doin on this thread???

I don't know, I think it wouldn't have been such a bad idea. Course you're not playing a real guitar, butt it is fun to think you are, and for some kids, it might be fun enough to want to learn how to play a real guitar or drums. Prince has A LOT of songs I would want to pretend play. Just from playing rock bands one and two I've heard a lot of songs that I had never heard before, that I now like. It could be a good way, for people who have never heard him, to get a feel of his music.

P2daP said:

Eh. Any game that exposes young kids to music they would have never heard otherwise is alright with me.
[Edited 4/30/09 5:32am]

P2daP said:

Don't fool yourself into thinking that's the reason why he turned them down.

Prince said:

How many more websites are going to make articles out of the Tavis interview!

jazzfook said:

Right On Prince!!!!! i LOVE u Prince, i agree wholeheartedly. Thats why i didn't buy Guitar Hero, because i'd rather my kids pick up and learn to play the real instrument!!!!! Right On!!!!!

It's cool to hear that Prince found learning the guitar a frustrating experience... that gives me hope!

It's just a damn toy. Can folks just enjoy a little piece of stress-relieving entertainment without the greatest living America looking down his nose at them because he wasn't offered a gajillion dollars for his languishing back catalog?

Is Tiger Woods gettin' all pious about Wii Golf?

NouveauDance said:

Seriously.

squirrelgrease said:

Seriously, like you said, it's just a game. Get a little buzz going,and who knows, you 'right on Prince, You go Prince' people might have a little fun.

I see where Prince is coming from with that but on the flip side of that is maybe in playing a Prince version of Guitar Hero, it might make some kid want to try and play Purple Rain or whatever Prince-guitar themed song on a real guitar after playing it on GH. While Prince isn't wrong, I think he has a limited view on the whole game. I've never played GH but it seems like it's a cool thing. I don't knock it. Just my

Now, If only he could lend some songs to DDR so we can do the splits on

This is why Prince is such a leader in the music world, always thinking ahead of the game.

.....and according 2 some he is ONLY in it 4 the $$$.....

IBSTROLLIN said:

i can agree on one side of ur stance where one might want 2 learn 2 play an instrument only because that's what happend 2 me after seeing purple rain, i started learning the guitar. but as a video game, i don't c it happening with these kids 2day. i wish it would b different cause i have seen kids play the game in stores and they r flying on certain levels, but when asked if they play or want 2 play 4 real, the response is less than i would hope 4.

i agree so much with what prince said about the game, tho it's great fun 2 play, nothing beats actual having a guitar in ur hands and strumming and having a whole new world open up 2 u cause ur creating music instead of copying.

Shawnt26 said:

well said.

Bottom line, it's just a video game. A chance for more people, who normally wouldnt hear him, to here his music, if a kid wants to learn to play a real instrument then they'll take the time. You can't force a kid to learn it. Seems like these kids you ask at the store wouldnt be interested in learning to play regardless if they were playing the game or not, at least they would be listining and playing to good Prince music. I guess from a gamers standpoint, not a musicians, I want to play his songs.

prince hardly plays guitar on wax
If you go to the guitar forums nobody knows prince is good.

He made the right decision

truefunksoldier said:

-----
I think P is serious about music and musicianship so I think he was being real about his reasons.

squirrelgrease said:

, yeah, God forbid that P would put his principles before $!. Jeeze, give the man a break fool!.

nurseV said:

Not really.