I would assume that the contract with Target was for 1 year. Meaning they would have to sell all the Cd's with in the year. Thats probably why they are at 4.99 each. I mean wasn't there limitation distributing rights with PE, 3121, musicology, etc. I mean that's why they are not in stores now.

You Know what i call that?

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4 dollars over priced.

oh and from what I gathered, target paid Prince a per unit amount so Prince got the same $ no matter what it sold for.

I'd rather listen to lotus flow3r than the majority of mainstream crap today.

GraffitiKid said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

How is anyone privy to the details of the deal?

Cinnie said:

It was discussed quite a bit when the deal was struck. It's typical of these exclusive retailer contracts.

squirrelgrease said:

Discussed by Target??

Cinnie said:

I think when he said " I got Paid, Bria got Paid" to Tavis that was what he ment. Verses I WILL get paid, or I WILL CONTINUE TO BE GETTING PAID. I think he used the tense of the word that he meant to use. Had Target sold 30,000 or 300,000 or 3,000,000 it would not have changed his paycheck IMO.

Deadflow3r said:

True he did say that. Seems like the rest of the details might be speculation.

Cinnie said:

http://www.time.com/time/...97,00.html

Prince and Target: A Match Made in Discount Heaven
By Josh Tyrangiel Tuesday, Mar. 03, 2009

When you think of Prince, do you expect to get more and pay less? Probably not, but that hasn't prevented Target, the 1,677-store discount chain, from striking a deal with his royal funkiness to be the exclusive retail outlet for Prince's new three-disc set. The Prince collection features two predictably tough-to-spell-check original studio albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND, and a third record, Elixer, which will introduce the world to Bria Valente, the next in the long line of purple protégés.

Target will bundle all three albums for $11.98, available starting March 29.

Other than the fact that both hail from Minneapolis, what brings this odd couple together is one thing: money. Linking up with an exclusive retailer is not a new idea, but it has proven to be quite a profitable one of late, at least for well-established musicians. The Eagles and AC/DC released their most recent original albums exclusively through Wal-Mart, and in January, Bruce Springsteen gave the chain an exclusive greatest-hits set. Each benefited from massive in-store promotion and stop-the-cart placement — AC/DC's Black Ice sold 1.92 million copies to rank as the fifth best-selling album of 2008. Paul McCartney also saw some of the best sales of his solo career when he struck a less exclusive deal with Starbucks and its record arm, Hear Music. (See the best and worst Grammy performances of 2009.)

While no one on the music or retailing sides is desperate to reveal the price tag of an exclusive-rights deal, several sources indicate that bands have received in the mid-six figures to fork over their music and participate in promotion.

As interesting as Prince's new music is likely to be — through all of his experiments and career meandering, he's never made a dull album — the marriage of musician and retailer is just as intriguing. The upside for Prince is obvious: in an era when record sales continue to slide, there's nothing quite as sweet as cash up-front, even if it does mean your face on a big cardboard display right next to the Swiffer. For Target, there's a small element of brand burnishing — Prince likes us! — but the music is primarily just one more product to seduce shoppers into its stores.

Whether Target sees an uptick in sales of purple linens remains to be seen, but each of these rock-and-retail experiments brings the future of the record industry into slightly sharper relief. And for mature acts who can bring an upscale fan base into stores, that future appears to be brightening.

$4.99 is fair enough. That set was 3 hours of my life I wish I could get back. As many times I give up on him I always give him another chance yet sadly since 1988 you gave us another dud. Call it a day and just let the flood gates of the vaults open! Please!

squirrelgrease said:

This means that it's on sale for half-off. Still not bad.

I was at Target on Grammy night to get those stupid 3D glasses and LF is back up to $9.99.

squirrelgrease said:

Maybe it was on sale for Grammy week?

daPrettyman said:

I just picked up two copies for $4.99 each at the Target in Manteca,CA.

After a look around on internet stores, the lowest I could find the CD for here in Sweden is $30.61, using today's exhange rate. That's

Well at the central station in a record store here in Gothenburg they sell Lotusflow3r for 169sek. Thats around $ 17

ernestsewell said:

Interesting... I never much paid attention to these 'exclusives' before. Never purchased cd's from Target before, and thought Best Buy the better outlet. At first blush, I thought it would be impossible for Prince's net or sales to match what 'non-exclusive' sales would have been of Lotusflow3r, but I really wonder if that's true now.

So would you be able to say how the Target deal compares to what he might get from a standard WB release for the same album?

squirrelgrease said:

ALOT of people on this web site are such a bunch of losers!!!!!
I mean don't folks have anything better to do than bad mouth other people??
Ok.. Ok. I DIDN'T see the other listings about this.. EXCUSE ME!!!!!
There is so much stuff on here and I am not on Line that much.. got more of a
life than sitting in front of my computer on the Org...
But so what.. if you already saw the POST.. SKIP IT!!!!!
And maybe to SOME of us who grew up loving Prince and watching him grow through
his career.. just maybe this DOES seem a bit sad to us when a THREE CD set of his is $4.99. Do you have to jump up People's asses?????
Haiti Haiti Haiti....
OLD NEWS.. yes, its terrible what happened to those folks.. and I am sorry that so many lost their lives.. but we ALL have other lives too...
Your saying I am not suppose to find anything else in this world a BUMMER cause people died over theres? Again.. EXCUSE ME!
This world would be a much nicer place if everyone could get off each others backs and just let people talk and vent.. and why so many prince haters on HIS web site. SLOW YOUR ROLL PEOPLE!!!!!

JumpUpOnThe1 said:

Bought 2 of them at 4.99 on President's Day. May bring one back, but I think it would be good to have one unopened. I opened the other because I couldn't find my copy.

Picked up a copy of LF 2 weeks ago for $4.99. Two copies left in local Target store over the weekend--one copy still priced $4.99, the other priced $9.99.

Poiple said:

What the hell was that about They don't have blueray DVD's included. (actually I would love to see the video of Elixer without paying 77 dollars. I am sure you brought your receipt back to Target. When I got mine the sign said 4.99 and right next to it was Christina A's for 6.99 and I believe it did come with a DVD (thus the 2 extra $$$).

Here.....check this out.....
It costs $1.00 per cd to be made.....so $3.00 total for 3 cds.
Plus an additional $1.00 for the cover to be made. It cost approx $4.00 per LOTUSFLOWER CD SET.....give or take a few cents here or there.
For TARGET to sell the set now for $4.99 they are either making a very small profit just under a $1.00 or just looking to get sales up to break even and move whatever stock they have left for this very specific release.

tuztones said:

It may be like the after season sales on winter coats etc: they may have taken that into account when setting the original price. At the end of each season I can buy my daughter a 9.99 clothing item for 2.49 at Target. I shop their often 'cause it is close by my house.

mestizo5000 said:

Sadly since 1988? You've been waiting 22 years? Sadly, indeed.

vivid said:

It's selling for £38 at my local HMV considering most new Cd's sell for £9.99 it's totally overpriced.
They had two, thats just awsum for one of the most revered artist of modern music...he needs to follow Madonna's lead
and sign up with a concert promoter like Live Nation who's raking in millions for her, not nickles and dimes.

Joyinrepatition said:

Maybe Target needs to hook-up up with a retailer in Canada or Europe who can take a bunch of the CD's off their hands and cover shipping. Maybe in the end, after shipping it would still be the same outrageous price you are paying now.