WaterInYourBath said:

totheteeth said:

actually, prince is smarter than we think.

he: "the internet is over"

us: "haha, we'll get you, fool! i'll download your shit for free!"

and, what do you know ... it's actually a good album. therefore, he basically made us all download it. lots of internet geeks are all over this shit. read the comments on other web sites. they can't wait for torrents, blogs, megaupload, etc. all wanting to prove a point. we are all playing his game. and i love it.

basically, "20ten" is going to be one of his most popular albums in a long time, simply because a lot of people will download it. and i bet it's a killer record.

With this publicity, he's using downloaders for his own advantage. However, it's like a double-edge sword now: You can either download the album somewhere to rebel against him, and thus aid his new music's popularity by discussing it. OR, you can NOT download the album to rebel against him, but resultingly help his primary agenda of ceasing the sharing of his music online. As usual, the man is quite cunning....

Lol...u would think after all this time.......people would know what's up.

Nice post and right on target.

Spinlight said:

I didn't spend a penny on LotusZzzzzer.

I won't spend a penny on 20TEN.

Why? Because the internet is sooooo alive.

Thanks Prince.

In other words, you're the exact reason why Prince's current business model makes more sense than using traditional models.

Spinlight said:

I didn't spend a penny on LotusZzzzzer.

I won't spend a penny on 20TEN.

Why? Because the internet is sooooo alive.

Thanks Prince.

sure is

Reel said:

SoulAlive said:

Prince's REAL problem with the Internet is that he can't control it.In the mid-90s,he talked excitedly about the Internet and all of its' possibilities.He talked about selling his music on-line directly,without the need for big,evil record companies.Funny how things change.The Internet became this big,popular thing.File-sharing became the norm.Prince hates things that he can't control or dominate.That's the real reason for his silly comments about the Internet being "dead".He's being left behind by something more powerful than he is.

Speak on it!

Notice that he always "rebels" against things that he can't control....lol...first it was Warner Bros,and now it's the Internet.What's next?

SoulAlive said:

Reel said:

Speak on it!

Notice that he always "rebels" against things that he can't control....lol...first it was Warner Bros,and now it's the Internet.What's next?

100% truth.

lezama said:

Spinlight said:

I didn't spend a penny on LotusZzzzzer.

I won't spend a penny on 20TEN.

Why? Because the internet is sooooo alive.

Thanks Prince.

In other words, you're the exact reason why Prince's current business model makes more sense than using traditional models.

[Edited 7/7/10 6:27am]

[Edited 7/7/10 6:28am]

SoulAlive said:

Reel said:

Speak on it!

Notice that he always "rebels" against things that he can't control....lol...first it was Warner Bros,and now it's the Internet.What's next?

First was Warner Bros., then was his Fans and their fan sites, now it's the whole internet. What's next, indeed?

"And, by the way, thanks to those who have admitted in this thread that they will do so - you're really helping to ensure that people can continue to make music!"

The INDUSTRY deserves to die. And the talentless people that filled up the BET awards and the MTV Video Music awards and every waking minute of the round the clock shitfest that is modern radio should go with it. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my downloading of music has any effect on the business of selling crap to children and people with no taste in music. Because when they are spoon fed crap their whole life naturally they will only have a taste for crap. YOU should wake up and see that it's a MACHINE called COMPANY and it's become a monster that should be burned to the ground for what it's done to the integrity and magic of music.

I thank God everyday that technology has finally gotten to the point where individuals can write and record and publish thier own music without the interference of lawyers and businessmen who only care about what they can buy and own as if musicians were cattle or houses or commodities.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

SoulAlive said:

Notice that he always "rebels" against things that he can't control....lol...first it was Warner Bros,and now it's the Internet.What's next?

First was Warner Bros., then was his Fans and their fan sites, now it's the whole internet. What's next, indeed?

I've noticed a lot of resentment from certain fans on here. If your ultimate goal is for Prince to get some sort of reckoning or comeuppance then don't support his endeavors on any level. You can't contribute to his methods and then complain after the fact. If you choose to illegally download his music then you validate his point but if you go out and get a paper with the CD you do so as well. The only option is to no be involved at all and take a stand against someone you feel is out of touch and a control freak. At the end of the day the choice is always the fans own.

HonestMan13 said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

First was Warner Bros., then was his Fans and their fan sites, now it's the whole internet. What's next, indeed?

I've noticed a lot of resentment from certain fans on here. If your ultimate goal is for Prince to get some sort of reckoning or comeuppance then don't support his endeavors on any level. You can't contribute to his methods and then complain after the fact. If you choose to illegally download his music then you validate his point but if you go out and get a paper with the CD you do so as well. The only option is to no be involved at all and take a stand against someone you feel is out of touch and a control freak. At the end of the day the choice is always the fans own.

Gee, thanks for the advice. I wish I'd thought of that before I did not join his now defunct Lotusflow3r website!

Graycap23 said:

More aware than u think.

THe logic that not releasing it on the net will increasing illegal downloads is flawed. People are going to get illegal downloads regrdless of the official channel of distribution. IN fact, an online album is more likely to be passed around on the net than one that is only on a CD and has to be transferred to the web.

People who want everything for nothing always have some negative opinons on Prince's business acumen. While there have been some mishaps (ask Bill Gates and Donald Trump is they have ever had any in their businesses), Prince remains the foremost artist/businessman in the music business when it comes to marketing and owning his product. True economic empowerment is achieved this way. I wish BET took the opportunity to recognize this during the awards show while Prince was there to offset continuous garbage it pours into the brains of black people for 23.5 hours a day.

lezama said:

djThunderfunk said:

I'm pretty sure everybody knows papers are dying... that's the thing that keeps cracking me up!

True. Papers and record stores are dying. But his current strategy of building up lots of publicity (positive & negative), getting what we suspect are relatively large paydays from willing papers/magazines and making even more money from ticket sales/advances for festival participation is something that is working currently, and much better than it would only releasing an album in stores/internet, generating buzz and touring... Prince got his album in the hands of almost 3 million people in the UK last time and sold 21 nights at 02. Does anyone seriously think he would have sold 3 million CD's in the UK or sold all those nights if he didn't have additional buzz and interest by getting his music to people who weren't traditional Prince fans? 3121 only sold 80K in the UK! So he knows what can work for him. Its just being smart. As usual with trendsetters, they're lambasted in the present and then admired years afterwards for doing what others are too pussy or not imaginative enough to do...

I don't disagree with your points...

Just had to point out the humor in the comment "And why limit yourself to a medium that's dying?" when everybody knows the distribution method he's chosen this time, newspapers, are a dying medium. I could, but won't, point to dozens if not hundreds of articles discussing this.

So, to me, that's some funny shit right there!

Not saying it hasn't, or won't, work for him... Cool?

WisdomNLove said:

chookalana said:

Ok, Prince proves once again, that he is not in touch with the real world.

As we all know, Prince says the internet is "completely over". By not releasing his music online, he is NOT doing himself any favors. By this short-sighted view, he will end up increasing the illegal downloading of his new album.

Yes, it will be released for "free" this Saturday on CD, but it will be available the same day on the internet everywhere.

Another dumb move, by a notoriously short-sighted genius.

I have to disagree, people are going to download music illegally no matter what prince says, they were doing it before he made that statement and will continue doing it after.

if you are a loyal fan you will buy a CD thats available for purchase, if you are a broke fan or casual fan you may find a way to download it for free since you dont have the cash, nothings changed here and it will always be the same. if you are a fan with cash and want to be vindictive because of a statement prince made you will illegally download music available for purchase.

I took Prince's statement as telling artists to get more smart about their businesss instead of depending on outside companies who are not in it for you but for a cut.

At the end of the day Prince doesnt need to release his CD digitally, if you want it you will find it. He's not tied down to a leash and can do and say what he wants. This is a part of success many artist wish they could achieve.

At the end of the day people are still talking and you're here posting and Prince will still be able to give out his music FOR FREE

pennylover said:

WisdomNLove said:

I have to disagree, people are going to download music illegally no matter what prince says, they were doing it before he made that statement and will continue doing it after.

if you are a loyal fan you will buy a CD thats available for purchase, if you are a broke fan or casual fan you may find a way to download it for free since you dont have the cash, nothings changed here and it will always be the same. if you are a fan with cash and want to be vindictive because of a statement prince made you will illegally download music available for purchase.

I took Prince's statement as telling artists to get more smart about their businesss instead of depending on outside companies who are not in it for you but for a cut.

At the end of the day Prince doesnt need to release his CD digitally, if you want it you will find it. He's not tied down to a leash and can do and say what he wants. This is a part of success many artist wish they could achieve.

At the end of the day people are still talking and you're here posting and Prince will still be able to give out his music FOR FREE

Which part are you agreeing to? Because Prince certainly is NOT giving his music FOR FREE! He was paid in advance by the Newspaper because they EXPECT people to BUY the paper to get the CD.

If the papers don't sell enough...after all this hype that's been generated by Prince...to cover the advance he was paid...and the Newspapers are NOT satisfied with their investment and looking at Prince for a refund...exactly how long will it be before Prince is blaming that failure on...who...the illiterate?

.

[Edited 7/7/10 10:36am]

It is extremely simple.

This new album is going to be released for one day. And that's it.

If you want this album after next week, you're going to have to buy it on ebay second hand, in which case you might as well be downloading it as far as Prince's bank account is concerned, or you can find the torrent and suck it off the net.

This is because Prince wanted to be paid in advance for it.

C'est tout. Fini.

If you want to hear it next week, or next year, you will have to steal it.

And what this actually speaks of is Prince's ambition. He used to make albums to last. If he really thought this album was going to be something people would want to listen to in a year's time, like we all did with Parade, and Around the World in a Day, and Lovesexy, then he'd have thought a bit how people might hear it in 2011.

As it is, if you turn someone on to Prince's music, by playing them 20Ten, they're going to have to "steal" it. And that's that.

Because Prince's desire to be paid for his work is more important to him than the work itself.

[Edited 7/7/10 9:22am]

Splanknasty said:

It is extremely simple.

This new album is going to be released for one day. And that's it.

If you want this album after next week, you're going to have to buy it on ebay second hand, in which case you might as well be downloading it as far as Prince's bank account is concerned, or you can find the torrent and suck it off the net.

This is because Prince wanted to be paid in advance for it.

C'est tout. Fini.

If you want to hear it next week, or next year, you will have to steal it.

And what this actually speaks of is Prince's ambition. He used to make albums to last. If he really thought this album was going to be something people would want to listen to in a year's time, like we all did with Parade, and Around the World in a Day, and Lovesexy, then he'd have thought a bit how people might hear it in 2011.

As it is, if you turn someone on to Prince's music, by playing them 20Ten, they're going to have to "steal" it. And that's that.

Because Prince's desire to be paid for his work is more important to him than the work itself.

[Edited 7/7/10 9:22am]

funkyhead said:

come on, he is more than aware of this fact. I agree that it may be short sighted but perhaps he has a target figure $ in mind for a project so gets it with upfront deals and anything else is a bonus. Don't forget that as a result you can guarentee that sales of his available downloads / CDs etc from the past will increase.

This is exactly what Prince is doing, he knows how much he wants for a project before he is willing to walk away, and that is what he is getting up front. I think it is very smart. The paper will get a lot of promotion to boot.

If he gets what he wants up front, he does not have to rely on sales, and really doesn't give a toot about illegal downloads, because they will not cut in to his margin.

I think this was his big disappointment with LF, it did not carry its weight in giving upfront revenue, or at least not what he wanted. We, who joined, did pay up front though, just the same as everyone else.

"they just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you"

wwtf? he actually said this?

okay. then how the 7uck do we buy the album??

[Edited 7/7/10 10:05am]

“Hey, listen to this.”

-“Wow. That’s awesome. What is it?”

“It’s Prince. From two years ago. It’s called ‘2010’.”

-“Fantastic. I’ve got to buy that.”

“You can’t.”

-“I can’t? I can’t pay to download it?”

“No. The internet is totally over.”

-“O…Kay. Can you give me a copy of it?”

“No. It’s on this CD. Only. And you can’t have it because listening to it on an iPod or on your music server will only fill your head with numbers, because digital gadgets are no good.”

-“But it’s on a CD. It’s digitised already.”

“Shut up.”

-“And CDs are almost extinct and this iPad 3 is constantly connected to the cloud and…”

“No. This album came out two years ago and it’s on this CD you can’t get any more and if you want it, you have to come over to my house and listen to it. Hey. What are you doing?”

-“I’m downloading it, right now, so I can listen to it on the bus home, you KNOBHEAD.”

hollywooddove said:

funkyhead said:

come on, he is more than aware of this fact. I agree that it may be short sighted but perhaps he has a target figure $ in mind for a project so gets it with upfront deals and anything else is a bonus. Don't forget that as a result you can guarentee that sales of his available downloads / CDs etc from the past will increase.

This is exactly what Prince is doing, he knows how much he wants for a project before he is willing to walk away, and that is what he is getting up front. I think it is very smart. The paper will get a lot of promotion to boot.

If he gets what he wants up front, he does not have to rely on sales, and really doesn't give a toot about illegal downloads, because they will not cut in to his margin.

I think this was his big disappointment with LF, it did not carry its weight in giving upfront revenue, or at least not what he wanted. We, who joined, did pay up front though, just the same as everyone else.

Co-Sign At the end of the day he is getting the money he wants for the CD and he really cannot be bootlegged anymore than what has occured in the past. People do not want to pay for music so a smart artist has to work around the system.

terribleg said:

"And, by the way, thanks to those who have admitted in this thread that they will do so - you're really helping to ensure that people can continue to make music!"

The INDUSTRY deserves to die. And the talentless people that filled up the BET awards and the MTV Video Music awards and every waking minute of the round the clock shitfest that is modern radio should go with it. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my downloading of music has any effect on the business of selling crap to children and people with no taste in music. Because when they are spoon fed crap their whole life naturally they will only have a taste for crap. YOU should wake up and see that it's a MACHINE called COMPANY and it's become a monster that should be burned to the ground for what it's done to the integrity and magic of music.

I thank God everyday that technology has finally gotten to the point where individuals can write and record and publish thier own music without the interference of lawyers and businessmen who only care about what they can buy and own as if musicians were cattle or houses or commodities.

Oh good - another casual observer who thinks they know all about the music business! So, what is it you do that gives you such fantastic insight in to the machine, eh?

Look, I'm no fan of the "industry", but artists still need to try and make a living, whether that is with majors (though why anyone would sign with a major these days is beyond me) or independently.

You're telling ME to "wake up?"! lol Listen, this IS my living. I make music and I try to make a living out of it. I do that as an independent artist and would NEVER sign to a major label. Neither would I make agreements that are unfair on me (like selling on iTunes). I KNOW what the industry is and how it works, I'm making my own way through it!

I've been signed to 2 different independent labels and am now setting up my own label, as it will benefit me more. I plan to release my next album to people who sign up to my website, so fans get it first and will get a bonus in with the deal. Only when that is exhausted will I then give it to the distributors to go to retail. This is an attempt to maximise sales before it gets pirated and torrented all over the net (hoping that the fans who sign up will also have the dignity not to upload it anywhere - there's no guarantees, but you have to try something).

But what you say is utter BS! Instead of "interference of lawyers and businessmen" who have been ripping off artists for ages, the same technology that you are lauding here and some of the GENERAL PUBLIC are now ripping off artists instead. You just don't get it, because you're not part of it. I have to put up with the fact that my last album was illegally downloaded at least 50 times more than it was purchased! WTF is that about? If you ran a business and for every item you sold 50 were stolen, how long do you think you would be in business for?

There are 2 sides to every coin and whilst the technology has had its benefits, it has also had its pitfalls. I piss myself laughing at all the utopian ideologies I see on this site every day about how liberating the internet is for artists from people who know nothing about it. Artists have benefited from the internet in some ways for sure, but they're also suffering from the internet too. And whilst that may not be so bad for the major artists, who can invariably afford to take that knock, the "upcomings" and the small independents are REALLY struggling to get through it.

So, if like Spinlight, people are going to continue stealing product, then my original statement stands - your actions are hurting the most important people in the music process - THE ARTIST! Those actions might not kill music itself, but its sure going to put a lot of independent artists out of the game, because they can't afford to operate in this scenario. Nice one - cos what will you be left with? The very corporate, spoon-fed crap that you despise, because the ones with the deepest pockets will be the last to disappear.

Mindflux said:

terribleg said:

"And, by the way, thanks to those who have admitted in this thread that they will do so - you're really helping to ensure that people can continue to make music!"

The INDUSTRY deserves to die. And the talentless people that filled up the BET awards and the MTV Video Music awards and every waking minute of the round the clock shitfest that is modern radio should go with it. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my downloading of music has any effect on the business of selling crap to children and people with no taste in music. Because when they are spoon fed crap their whole life naturally they will only have a taste for crap. YOU should wake up and see that it's a MACHINE called COMPANY and it's become a monster that should be burned to the ground for what it's done to the integrity and magic of music.

I thank God everyday that technology has finally gotten to the point where individuals can write and record and publish thier own music without the interference of lawyers and businessmen who only care about what they can buy and own as if musicians were cattle or houses or commodities.

Oh good - another casual observer who thinks they know all about the music business! So, what is it you do that gives you such fantastic insight in to the machine, eh?

Look, I'm no fan of the "industry", but artists still need to try and make a living, whether that is with majors (though why anyone would sign with a major these days is beyond me) or independently.

You're telling ME to "wake up?"! lol Listen, this IS my living. I make music and I try to make a living out of it. I do that as an independent artist and would NEVER sign to a major label. Neither would I make agreements that are unfair on me (like selling on iTunes). I KNOW what the industry is and how it works, I'm making my own way through it!

I've been signed to 2 different independent labels and am now setting up my own label, as it will benefit me more. I plan to release my next album to people who sign up to my website, so fans get it first and will get a bonus in with the deal. Only when that is exhausted will I then give it to the distributors to go to retail. This is an attempt to maximise sales before it gets pirated and torrented all over the net (hoping that the fans who sign up will also have the dignity not to upload it anywhere - there's no guarantees, but you have to try something).

But what you say is utter BS! Instead of "interference of lawyers and businessmen" who have been ripping off artists for ages, the same technology that you are lauding here and some of the GENERAL PUBLIC are now ripping off artists instead. You just don't get it, because you're not part of it. I have to put up with the fact that my last album was illegally downloaded at least 50 times more than it was purchased! WTF is that about? If you ran a business and for every item you sold 50 were stolen, how long do you think you would be in business for?

There are 2 sides to every coin and whilst the technology has had its benefits, it has also had its pitfalls. I piss myself laughing at all the utopian ideologies I see on this site every day about how liberating the internet is for artists from people who know nothing about it. Artists have benefited from the internet in some ways for sure, but they're also suffering from the internet too. And whilst that may not be so bad for the major artists, who can invariably afford to take that knock, the "upcomings" and the small independents are REALLY struggling to get through it.

So, if like Spinlight, people are going to continue stealing product, then my original statement stands - your actions are hurting the most important people in the music process - THE ARTIST! Those actions might not kill music itself, but its sure going to put a lot of independent artists out of the game, because they can't afford to operate in this scenario. Nice one - cos what will you be left with? The very corporate, spoon-fed crap that you despise, because the ones with the deepest pockets will be the last to disappear.

"I'm not stupid enough to believe that my downloading of music has any effect on the business of selling crap to children and people with no taste in music"

Wow this mindset is the exact reason P is doing what he is doing. Musicians need to make a living from their work and as long as music sales are tanking labels are not going to continue to find no-talent cheap bums to throw on the music buying public. The labels will never spend the time and money to develop talent if the financial return is not enough. I say Prince stick as many CDs as you can in as many mags around the world for as long as you can.

terribleg said:

"And, by the way, thanks to those who have admitted in this thread that they will do so - you're really helping to ensure that people can continue to make music!"

The INDUSTRY deserves to die. And the talentless people that filled up the BET awards and the MTV Video Music awards and every waking minute of the round the clock shitfest that is modern radio should go with it. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my downloading of music has any effect on the business of selling crap to children and people with no taste in music. Because when they are spoon fed crap their whole life naturally they will only have a taste for crap. YOU should wake up and see that it's a MACHINE called COMPANY and it's become a monster that should be burned to the ground for what it's done to the integrity and magic of music.

I thank God everyday that technology has finally gotten to the point where individuals can write and record and publish thier own music without the interference of lawyers and businessmen who only care about what they can buy and own as if musicians were cattle or houses or commodities.

I'm starting to think that Companies realize that it's hard to keep a truly talented artist under "control". Therefore they go with artist that have absolutely no talent, and they throw all of this money at the artist. The artist knows that he/ she better "stay in line" because they need the label...they can't make it without the label because they are talentless. Most of the disputes regarding publishing, shelving, and all the other unscruplous crap that I hear about comes from the label screwing around with aritist with real talent. Maybe the industry no longer wishes to fight those types of battles. That's just my opinion.

I can see some of Prince's points that the internet is dead. I took what he said as from a business model point of view. The last few years Prince has been doing these experiments with his music to see what make him the most money. And the newspaper giveaways seem to be what he is most happy with for now. Prince gets paid before the music is pirated which is a good thing.

What I would like to see is the data behind all this, how much he feels it cost him to make the CD or song, how much he made off each venture (experiement)? How much he lost? I have heard before that iTunes make more per song than the artist does.

An example of which was more profitable? Relasing "Guitar" on itunes at 0.99 cents or the demo version of "Guitar" he released himself which I think was $2.99?

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

HonestMan13 said:

I've noticed a lot of resentment from certain fans on here. If your ultimate goal is for Prince to get some sort of reckoning or comeuppance then don't support his endeavors on any level. You can't contribute to his methods and then complain after the fact. If you choose to illegally download his music then you validate his point but if you go out and get a paper with the CD you do so as well. The only option is to no be involved at all and take a stand against someone you feel is out of touch and a control freak. At the end of the day the choice is always the fans own.

Gee, thanks for the advice. I wish I'd thought of that before I did not join his now defunct Lotusflow3r website!

It's more than Lotusflow3r. if you feel he deserves to crash and burn then don't support anything on any level (Cds, concerts, videos, bootlegs, print media, fragrances, clothing etc.). Cut him off and then see if it gets the desired result. The same people who bitched endlessly on here about Lotusflow3r are now peeing their pants about 20TEN. How soon they forget? I never felt disenfranchised by Prince and am looking forward to the new CD but I can't understand why all those who seem to want him to fail would purchase or try to obtain anything he's doing now.

man.............

he goes on about i tunes etc-and im no expert-but im positive he does know what he's talking about regarding the music biz-BUT

I really wanna know when this 'hatred' of the net began-and why,.........

is it indeed-for the reasons he states-or-did the venom by most every single fool (like me) that joined the web site get to him? There was/is still alot of hard feelings about that-so like Zaza says-and im inclined to aggree-LetusFUover.con is the reason he now hates the net

just like the removal of the boards long ago on NPGMC-cuz of the negativity-though in Lotus's case-was ALL fully justified

and im sure-reading so many folk saying-im not paying for his next record.suddenly we don't have to

very clever-i'll give him that

but jeez-talk about oversensitive. I truly believe he thinks we as the record/ticket buying public know nothing about music-so have zero right to criticise.We aint the 'smart folk' he refers to in Tavis's interview.

lol-the smart folk-who never criticise or dissaggree-are all employees (or 'friends' as he calls em')

For suchy an obviously intelligent fella-he is a bit of a dick if he thinks he can stop folk expressing an opinion on something he may have made -but we pay for. That gives us a right to comment-and if its bad-he needs to learn to take it-cuz he sure as hell can dish it out

i think for P-the net died the 1st time he realised how shit the last net venture was. So as others have said-if he can't control it-he'll destroy it (in his mind anyway)

polkadotbliss said:

man.............

he goes on about i tunes etc-and im no expert-but im positive he does know what he's talking about regarding the music biz-BUT

I really wanna know when this 'hatred' of the net began-and why,.........

is it indeed-for the reasons he states-or-did the venom by most every single fool (like me) that joined the web site get to him? There was/is still alot of hard feelings about that-so like Zaza says-and im inclined to aggree-LetusFUover.con is the reason he now hates the net

just like the removal of the boards long ago on NPGMC-cuz of the negativity-though in Lotus's case-was ALL fully justified

and im sure-reading so many folk saying-im not paying for his next record.suddenly we don't have to

very clever-i'll give him that

but jeez-talk about oversensitive. I truly believe he thinks we as the record/ticket buying public know nothing about music-so have zero right to criticise.We aint the 'smart folk' he refers to in Tavis's interview.

lol-the smart folk-who never criticise or dissaggree-are all employees (or 'friends' as he calls em')

For suchy an obviously intelligent fella-he is a bit of a dick if he thinks he can stop folk expressing an opinion on something he may have made -but we pay for. That gives us a right to comment-and if its bad-he needs to learn to take it-cuz he sure as hell can dish it out

i think for P-the net died the 1st time he realised how shit the last net venture was. So as others have said-if he can't control it-he'll destroy it (in his mind anyway)

I believe that in most cases, super stars never considered that the general public could have educated opinions before the net appeared. Suddenly, we find that many people are not the brainless cattle who consume or mindlessly idolize stars. I think that for the most part, most stars once believed that. There used to be only two criteria as far as the public was concerned, and that was the record + ticket sales, and those who showed up at the concerts. This would give a star a certain 'bubble' to live in where the crap that falls from their behind must indeed appear to be gold.

Suddenly Prince had the net, and the forums, and he jerked them down. That bubble burst. He saw that his name carried only so much wieght with his fans, and that even HE could be criticized for his music and his customer service by the little cattle.

I don't 100% blame him for this. Stardom was different in the day. Now a star can actually hear the words of the fans who would not otherwise take the time to write a letter and snail mail it.

We have daily free postage. Multiple times a day.

So what am I driving at? I think it takes a certain amount of arrogant self confidence to be the persona known as Prince. I think reading what we have to say would be stressful to him and some what damaging to his ego. Why would he want to deal with that? I think he had much rather deal with money up front so he can continue to live his life style.

He definately does not want to listen to the likes of me. Or many of the others on the org. A few hard chore come to mind, BartVan, Ernest, Nouveau, Blackguitar, Geonosis, and the other loud ones, if I don't mention you now don't be offended because I am in a hurry.

Some would argue that he could read what we say and care less. Why actions like taking the boards down then? Why not have a forum on the LF? I believe it is because Prince, in many ways, is kind of thin skinned.

JMO

of course, all the bs i write is JMO for that moment.

djThunderfunk said:

crazydoctor said:

I don't think Prince says anything he really means in interviews.

Yeah, didn't he say in Ebony that he doesn't like "Yes Men"?

I thought he had said something like this in Ebony and no one made a stink about it. I'm with Paris, I can't believe it's as big as it is either. I don't agree with what he said but I don't think it warrents all of this press.

WaterInYourBath said:

totheteeth said:

actually, prince is smarter than we think.

he: "the internet is over"

us: "haha, we'll get you, fool! i'll download your shit for free!"

and, what do you know ... it's actually a good album. therefore, he basically made us all download it. lots of internet geeks are all over this shit. read the comments on other web sites. they can't wait for torrents, blogs, megaupload, etc. all wanting to prove a point. we are all playing his game. and i love it.

basically, "20ten" is going to be one of his most popular albums in a long time, simply because a lot of people will download it. and i bet it's a killer record.

With this publicity, he's using downloaders for his own advantage. However, it's like a double-edge sword now: You can either download the album somewhere to rebel against him, and thus aid his new music's popularity by discussing it. OR, you can NOT download the album to rebel against him, but resultingly help his primary agenda of ceasing the sharing of his music online. As usual, the man is quite cunning....

Mmmm, that's food for thought right there.

SoulAlive said:

Reel said:

Speak on it!

Notice that he always "rebels" against things that he can't control....lol...first it was Warner Bros,and now it's the Internet.What's next?

That's what I was thinking, what next?

If papers don't do their job, what would be the next strategy?

Phone books?