Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!. Live nation must be smiling through very gritted teeth right now!. Surely a smaller venue would have fit the announcement?.

Anyways when you look at all the piss poor decisions, people that have been upset / ripped off, bands that aren't allowed to use their original names [The time, Family!]etc over the years would you still be tempted to work with him or his people.

Would you risk being shafted in order to meet and deal with him and therefore have some form of relationship with our hero?!!!

If I could afford the loss then yes I'd go in with my eyes wide open and assume that I was going to lose out but have a hell of a ride!. However the truth is that I wouldn't touch his organisation unless it was payment up front!. How about you?.

As much as i admire and respect the guy, there is no way i would ever do any kind of business deal with him.

no, he's my favourite musician, but no way in hell i'd do business with him.

No.

Aside from all the stories we've heard about unpaid creditors, production companies, the court cases, etc., the last time I personally did direct business with Prince (lotusflow3r.com), it was a miserable experience. And the time before that (the DRM wma's from NPGMC). And the time before that (Crystal Ball).

Sure, I'd do business with him. He'd have to pay me in full and upfront. Or if it were some sort of venture that depending on sales of something, I'd have a signed and notarized ironclad contract that if sales weren't so hot, he'd still be paying me in cash or a 50-50 split on the rights to his '80's catalog.

Now would I go into business with him, where I had to pay him. Oh no, ma'am!

This might be the one topic that everyone in the org agrees upon!

Um no. I love him but I don't trust him anymore.

Only if I got the money up front.

I don't think so. I've read of quite a few ventures going astray and bad organisation etc.

I'm a fanatic about structure and framework and anything vague coming from Prince would make me wanna give me a piece of my mind, which I don't think he'd appreciate.

Business and pleasure rarely mix long term to my mind. So we'll keep it as friends. 8-)That's more fun.

CallMeCarrie said:

This might be the one topic that everyone in the org agrees upon!

ooohhh, do I get a gold clock or something!. Can you imagine if we did get an ivite to do buisness?, how many who said no would be seriously tempted?.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Sure, I'd do business with him. He'd have to pay me in full and upfront. Or if it were some sort of venture that depending on sales of something, I'd have a signed and notarized ironclad contract that if sales weren't so hot, he'd still be paying me in cash or a 50-50 split on the rights to his '80's catalog.

Well, you might be duped. Even if he paid you in cash, it would probably find some way to bounce.

funkyhead said:

CallMeCarrie said:

This might be the one topic that everyone in the org agrees upon!

ooohhh, do I get a gold clock or something!. Can you imagine if we did get an ivite to do buisness?, how many who said no would be seriously tempted?.

Okay. I'd be tempted, but I'm with jpnyc and Hatrina on this one...money up front. Lawd, what was that line Jack Nicholson used in the movie The Departed... ?

stillwaiting said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Sure, I'd do business with him. He'd have to pay me in full and upfront. Or if it were some sort of venture that depending on sales of something, I'd have a signed and notarized ironclad contract that if sales weren't so hot, he'd still be paying me in cash or a 50-50 split on the rights to his '80's catalog.

Well, you might be duped. Even if he paid you in cash, it would probably find some way to bounce.

Do you mean as in counterfeit? Prince is playing with the funny money? Ooooooh!

Well no damn wonder money don't matter tonight and it sure didn't matter yesterday, yesterday, yesterday.

funkyhead said:

CallMeCarrie said:

This might be the one topic that everyone in the org agrees upon!

ooohhh, do I get a gold clock or something!. Can you imagine if we did get an ivite to do buisness?, how many who said no would be seriously tempted?.

I don't have a gold clock, but I'll send you my lotusflow3r t-shirt that I got when I paid Prince $77 for membership to his website. Oh wait - I never got my t-shirt!

...And thus we know what happens when you do business with Prince.

IamFunkay7 said:

No, he might steal all my money.

funkyhead said:

Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!. Live nation must be smiling through very gritted teeth right now!. Surely a smaller venue would have fit the announcement?.

Anyways when you look at all the piss poor decisions, people that have been upset / ripped off, bands that aren't allowed to use their original names [The time, Family!]etc over the years would you still be tempted to work with him or his people.

Would you risk being shafted in order to meet and deal with him and therefore have some form of relationship with our hero?!!!

If I could afford the loss then yes I'd go in with my eyes wide open and assume that I was going to lose out but have a hell of a ride!. However the truth is that I wouldn't touch his organisation unless it was payment up front!. How about you?.

sure. i work with celebrities, and sometimes they're clueless about how their business is run....but, in my service-oriented business, payment is usually upfront, deposits, contracts etc. if not, there's no work performed. it depends on the business you're doing.

so, i'd at least try to get a meeting....if it's not a good fit, it's not a good fit....but you have to do BUSINESS, not be a psycho/fan/stalker/freak. at the end of the day, business with anyone like prince needs to be handled properly, and if you're all googly and sweaty palmed about meeting him you'd probably blow it. lolololol

funkyhead said:

Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!

Prince has always done last minute concert announcements to keep scalping down. When I saw him in 2001 the show was announced in the same week. Scalpers bought up huge blocks of seats for the first MSG W2A show and were unable to sell them at a markup. There were lots of empty seats at that sold-out show and that must have cost Prince (and Livenation) a small fortune in lost merchandise and food/drink sales. So I’m not surpised he went back to last minute concert announcements.

If it really bothers you just get your tickets through the American Express customer presales. We got killer seats that way without having to deal with any scalper or ticketmaster BS.

funkyhead said:

Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!. Live nation must be smiling through very gritted teeth right now!. Surely a smaller venue would have fit the announcement?.

Anyways when you look at all the piss poor decisions, people that have been upset / ripped off, bands that aren't allowed to use their original names [The time, Family!]etc over the years would you still be tempted to work with him or his people.

Would you risk being shafted in order to meet and deal with him and therefore have some form of relationship with our hero?!!!

If I could afford the loss then yes I'd go in with my eyes wide open and assume that I was going to lose out but have a hell of a ride!. However the truth is that I wouldn't touch his organisation unless it was payment up front!. How about you?.

If you buy tickets to a concert, cds or anything else Prince related, you are doing business with him.

When Prince doesnt pay what he rightfully owes, your remedy is to sue him. And you will be paid with interest and court costs.

I would absolutely do business with Prince if there were clear-cut terms on the contract. In fact, it wouldn't be much of a contract - it'd be a purchase order because he's going to be paying me up front for whatever the exchange is. There is no way that I, as an investor, would ever simply give Prince things based on his stature. He would absolutely need to pay first given his terrible history.

It gets a little muddied up when you start discussing the notion that you are doing business with him when you buy tickets or merch. Thankfully, the way Prince's business works right now, you really aren't doing business with him, but with a third party. I am doing business with LiveNation when I buy tix to the Oakland shows. I am doing business with Amazon or Best Buy or whatever when I buy the CDs (or newspaper, natch).

I will never do business, again, with Prince on a 1 to 1 basis as a consumer without the terms being perfectly clear and concise and without the value of the offer being up to par in my eyes. For instance, I did not think LotusFlower's site was even interesting enough to pay the money. I didn't even, for once, get the impetus to pay it because nothing about the site was even remotely attractive. I would pay for the NPGMC again, though, as I found that to be a really cool setup. Even if I didn't like every new track put out, they were cool enough.

jpnyc said:

funkyhead said:

Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!

Prince has always done last minute concert announcements to keep scalping down. When I saw him in 2001 the show was announced in the same week.

Same happened here. He announced a show at the beginning of the week he was going to play at the end of the week. I was planning to go. It was cancelled just as quick. Because they couldn't sell tickets. Because there wasn't time for anyone to hear he was coming.

If his fans wouldn't do business with him, what do you think actual business people think about it?

Maybe this is why '20Ten' was never released?

QuasarOfRock said:

If his fans wouldn't do business with him, what do you think actual business people think about it?

Maybe this is why '20Ten' was never released?

he did manage to sucker several newspapers and magazines into it. and Target.

Of course we would all do it if Prince ask us

errant said:

QuasarOfRock said:

If his fans wouldn't do business with him, what do you think actual business people think about it?

Maybe this is why '20Ten' was never released?

he did manage to sucker several newspapers and magazines into it. and Target.

I'm guessing Target was another burned bridge, or they might have agreed to do with '20Ten' what they did with 'Lotusflow3r?'

QuasarOfRock said:

errant said:

he did manage to sucker several newspapers and magazines into it. and Target.

I'm guessing Target was another burned bridge, or they might have agreed to do with '20Ten' what they did with 'Lotusflow3r?'

what's that, pay him a bunch of money and have 8,000 crates of them to sell for $5 a pop for the next decade?

i'm sure they learned better.

meh the only reason any female singer/musician should try to get iinto a deal with prince is not cause they are thinking he'll make you famous;its cause of his track record of hooking up with his femal proteges. so if your a musician and wanna fuck him maybe you got a shot?!

funkyhead said:

Just thinking about the current mind fuk that is the Welcome to America tour - hmmm annouces a last minute gig in a big arena with only a few days notice to sell tix!. Live nation must be smiling through very gritted teeth right now!. Surely a smaller venue would have fit the announcement?.

Anyways when you look at all the piss poor decisions, people that have been upset / ripped off, bands that aren't allowed to use their original names [The time, Family!]etc over the years would you still be tempted to work with him or his people.

Would you risk being shafted in order to meet and deal with him and therefore have some form of relationship with our hero?!!!

If I could afford the loss then yes I'd go in with my eyes wide open and assume that I was going to lose out but have a hell of a ride!. However the truth is that I wouldn't touch his organisation unless it was payment up front!. How about you?.

Money don't matter because money is relatively insignificant. However, talking to and discussing things with Prince would be... Priceless and magic