http://twitter.com/Anthon...3832949893



http://twitter.com/Anthon...3833109635



Kinda funny isn't it, how this not very talented guy manages to keep on pimping work he did for Prince. You'd think he'd be hiding somewhere after being involved in such a rip-off.

Then again, considering the quality of his artwork, shame doesn't seem to be part of his vocabulary.

What's really curious: Prince allowing him to use his name and work he'd done for him to rake in money.

.
[Edited 5/12/10 2:27am]

I'm glad you pointed out "lack of talent". I'm not going to say that he lacks talent since I don't know much about this guy or his work, and my criticism here is based soley on lotusfailure, but damn...ewwwww.


I admit I joined up for lotusflow3r curious to see what his new music would be like, and because I had read that Prince had recorded all of his live performances ever and that there would be the promise of several more.

Plus when I read PEJ's account of having gone to the 3121 mansion and seeing glimpses of the site, I figured "What the hell. It can't be any worse than the last incarnation of his music club.".... boy was I stupid.

Prince gave us a launch date, and then on that date pre-signups were permitted but the website didn't actually go "live". It was stated by the Prince camp that this was in accordance with their initial intentions, but I don't think so. Saying that you'll open up on a specific date then stating that you never intended to is just bad business....and douchey. Admit you're delayed and be honest. shit.

The first thing I noticed about lotusflow3r was just how completely dated the site felt. Remember those days when Flash was at version 2.0 and just catching on? When websites realized that they no longer needed animated gifs to make the site 'dynamic'? Everybody all of a sudden wanted their sites to resemble Joe Cartoon's site. It was ridiculous. You knew it was out of hand when Microsoft's stupid ass website started writing everything with active-x and flash embedded requiring that usless Internet Explorer 6 to view their website.

Love41another ended up adopting flash quickly and going overboard with it. At that time, folks thought it looked neat. That it was flashing. That there was a power of immersion into Prince's private universe you could never accomplish the old fashion way.

But love41another was a failed project, not because of technology or design, but because of the business practices. People should not have to wait months for a CD. People shouldn't be accidentally double-charged for items which are already overpriced. And certainly, when customers complain and email going out the membership owners calling those who voiced their concerns "haters" is about as piss poor a business practice I can think of.

Prince is quickly approaching 15 consecutive years of failed online business practices. I mean, he's phenomenally bad at it. During that same period of time , bands like NIN, Radiohead, and MJ have utilized the Internet in ways far superior to Prince. I could never imagine MJ heckling his fansites the way the Prince camp has ben and prince.org--and for what? speaking the truth? Calling a card for what it is? NIN released records for FREE on their website, and you didn't even need a pricey membership to get it.

lotusfailure was the icing on the cake. It would NEVER have crossed my mind that he would repeat the same mistakes AND worse with that website considering the BBB complaints filed against his previous websites and the criticisms he HAD to have heard regarding them.

With thousands of songs in his vault, he couldn't even be bothered to throw a few dozen at the site over the course of a year? Not even crappy plastic sounding drivel like the stuff released during the npgmc days? REALLY?

Ultimately, I share the blame for this. I know better than to do this. If Volkswagen had given me just one crappy car, I would never go back and buy another VW. I should have known better. Plus the fact that the website was named after an album, I should have known the days were numbered. I should have also known the hints and promises leading up to the website going green would never be fulfilled. I should have known.


And this fool who created the website, should have known what it requires to have a successful website. I mean, 3 floating flash-based universes floating out in space? REALLY? A ticket to login with a 'riddle' to allow someone to gain membership? REALLY? You're REALLY going to make it more challenging for people interested in buying your album?

The albums themselves (minus the dreadfully dull elixier) are pretty good. But the website is a complete and dismal failure such that anyone daring to put a positive spin on it is obviously off their head.

squirrelgrease said:

Anthony Malzone is an anagram of some Princely name isn't it? I knew it!

KeithyT said:

I was just contemplating "web things you haven't seen before". I'm a little curious.

But now you have me thinking of anagrams...

Only One Maze?

squirrelgrease said:

Lame zony nothan

I'm sure Bart will point this out but I guess we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that Malzone was more the hired conceptual artist etc for the Lotusflower project rather than the web designer and content decider. So we can't blame him for that even if you think his Princely art is a little lacking. Or did he work with Scott Addison-Clay on the building of the site too?
[Edited 5/12/10 4:28am]

KeithyT said:

Ant Money Holzan?

squirrelgrease said:

A ho'z natal money?

KeithyT said:

http://twitter.com/Anthony_Malzone



Kinda funny, because before he described himself as "manager of Prince's online presence".

http://www.linkedin.com/p.../7/995/649



But the real question is: how come he's being allowed to sell the artwork he made for Prince? How come Prince is allowing this?

And how pathetic is it that he seemingly doesn't have anything else to do but rehash the same dozen or so "artworks" he created for Prince?

squirrelgrease said:

Anal zone myth on?

Efan said:

Actually, an anagram generator reveals Anthony Malzone is all about the ass.


Anal Men Nth Oozy
Anal Ozone Nth My
Anal Zone Hymn To
Anal Zone Myth No
Anal Zone Myth On
Anal Ten Hymn Zoo
Anal Net Hymn Zoo
Anal Yen Nth Zoom
Anal Zen Month Yo
Anal Zen Hymn Too
Anal Zen Ohm Tony
Anal Zen Moth Yon
Anal Zen Homy Not
Anal Zen Homy Ton
Anal Zen Thy Moon
Anal Zen Thy Mono

BartVanHemelen said:

It's not that curious. Anyone who's taken a Prince photo can hock it out. Most laws, esp in the US, state that whoever takes the picture, or creates the art, owns it. Prince himself should know that.

This guy is going no more than Andy Warhol did with Campbell soup cans and old Monroe pictures, and look where that got him - a lot of fame and a shitload of cash at times.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, who's to say if it's any good or not? If his artwork is his livelihood, then he has every right, and motivation, to hock any of his work. Prince sells and when you've been lucky enough to work with Prince, then it's time to milk the shit out of it.

BartVanHemelen said:

Because Prince didn't create it, and dollars to donuts he didn't pay for it either (IF he commissioned the work). Prince isn't the law, and he can't override it.

ernestsewell said:

Prince hired him, Malzone is apparently still employed by Prince, I doubt the artwork was something Malzone spontaneously came up with, the other guy already told us he got paid.

Considering Prince in the past has bought the rights to numerous photos, it's rather surprising that he's now allowing this kind of artwork to be sold.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone involved with Prince being able to monetize his employment this much, including divulging "secrets" at conferences etc. Discretion is a key requirement in Prince world, but Malzone doesn't seem to be restricted.

... very interesting

Efan said:

Apparently so are you!

Efan said:

Hymn To Anal Zone may be my favorite.

BartVanHemelen said:

I'm wondering if the sale of art prints wasn't negotiated in lieu of cash. Cash that Prince may not have been so quick to disperse.

And Malzone was the only one who confirmed that he did artwork for a DVD(Montreux?) Which of course, never made it to market. I'm somewhat skeptical that the loose-lipped Malzone is really still in Prince's employ. "Me 2.0" may be taking care of design duties.

squirrelgrease said:

Why oh why did 'Purple & Gold' immediately come to my mind when I read that sentence...?

vitriol said:

BartVanHemelen said:

- Well, I am a webdesigner, And I always use screenshots of the sites I did in my portfolio. As far as I know, it´s not illegal.

And, technically, the guy is good. If Lotus was a fiasco, it has more to do with Prince abandoning it, or giving wrong directions to the design team (or would u think Prince gave them total freedom?) IMO.

I LOVE the lotusflower design campaign. beats the hell out of anything Parke did in all his yrs with Prince, and the best since Rainbow Children
[Edited 5/13/10 12:28pm]

GustavoRibas said:

And that's the point. An artist like that has the right to use their creation to promote their business, as much as the person who commissioned and bought it has the right to display it and call it their own. It's the same thing about a producer putting their name on a record of another artist. Or a photographer getting credit for their work like that. It's always about exploiting your work to get more work, and show what you've done. It'd be a bit pointless to run a business and have nothing to show for it, and nothing to show what you've done thus far. Your work is your rep, and your rep is your paycheck.

TheVoid said:

www.igiman.vacau.com

missjay23 said: