I don't really see much difference between live performances and selling records when it comes to covering songs.

When you perform it live, you make money without permission by doing a cover of somebody else's song, while (in most countries) you only have to pay a compulsory 'public performance license' fee to do so legally. And when you sell records by doing a cover, you also make money without permission using somebody else's song, while you also (in most countries) only have to pay a compulsory 'mechanical license' fee to do so legally.

One general rule: you may not significantly change the original composition and lyrics of the song. The cover has to respect the song and author's integrity and stay musically as well as lyrically true to the original to stay legal. Otherwise you need specific permission from the author and/or copyright owner to cover that way. And you also generally need to give credit on records, but not live, which is a major difference, tho' not in favour of live covers.

Prince surely got all the necessary licenses in writing from the original authors and/or copyright owners for a (combination of a) song like 'Crimson and Clover' and 'Wild Thing' on Lotusflower, as well as for not giving credit to the authors, nor to his drummer John Blackwell for playing on it, for example.

I guess that for Prince this is all about rules and control, possibly money too, sometimes (when it's a huge hit). In other words, about demanding to be asked permission first to cover his songs on record and not be at the mercy of a system of compulsory licenses, so he will always be able to exert control on the way his songs are covered and by whom and under what (financial) conditions.

Fair enough you could say, from his point of view of having total control. But when he talks about it, it's superficially and he loses sight of all the other aspects of the issue.

In the wider scheme of things, compulsory licenses aren't about Prince and his latest crusade on people using his music without his permission. Instead they have a long history regardless of Prince and are all about having a relatively fair and easy to use system for ALL artists, not just Prince, as well as record companies and music publishers, to be able to legally perform and release covers.

While it is further about a crumbling industry that has always relied heavily on this system to have a steady stream of income, because it makes it possible to re-sell hits over and over and over again. The last thing it needs now, is losing this cash cow.

So I don't really know what Prince is going for here, but I suspect he won't follow up on this in any serious way.

[Edited 4/26/11 12:53pm]

Also, when the radio plays your song, they don't get permission first either, but any artist is very happy when they do. Because it means promotion and you (should) get paid royalties.

Also based on a system of compulsory licences.

Not that this was easily accepted in the days when radio was born. Oh no. Popular radio stations were sued left and right all over the world for copyright infringement. How dare they broadcast copyrighted songs to the general public without permission of the owners of the copyrights!

Needless to say, this couldn't go on for long and goverments worldwide stepped in. Everybody wanted music on the radio, like they do these days on the internet, so radio wasn't going anywhere but was there to stay!

All that was needed was a system of compulsory licenses to make it work.

[Edited 4/26/11 12:16pm]

Right on to Prince!!! The radio sucks anyway. 9 times out of 10, anyone on the radio sucks, can't sing, can't do anything but attempt to sell sex, and won't be around selling out MSG in 30 years. I don't care if they have a record contract or not. There are few people with Prince's stats that could sell out MSG....52, been around 30+years, no major record label, etc.

Other than the weather report and news, I don't ever turn on the radio unless I'm in the car and just too busy to put in a cd. I hate the radio where I live anyways! Radio play and album sales are worthless, its the live shows that prove an artist's still being relative. Anyone can turn on a free radio, or buy a $10 cd, but real fans come out to see you and pay big money to see you...Prince can still sell VIP seats for $300+, I'd say he's still relevant!

^Say what you want in his defense. That's very nice of you, but that doesn't mean that Prince wouldn't love being all over the radio.

Hypernarcissistic as he is, there's no way he can't care about being on the radio. He just said that because he's lost a battle. The same when he lost the internet battle: it's easier to say that the internet is dead.

OK, he can sell out medium/small-sized venues, but record-wise Lotus/MPLS or Indigo Nights ended up nearly being given away. One of these days, Target will pay some money to those willing to get a Lotus Flower set as a store-clearance-help fee. Just wait and see.

vitriol said:

^Say what you want in his defense. That's very nice of you, but that doesn't mean that Prince wouldn't love being all over the radio.

Hypernarcissistic as he is, there's no way he can't care about being on the radio. He just said that because he's lost a battle. The same when he lost the internet battle: it's easier to say that the internet is dead.

OK, he can sell out medium/small-sized venues, but record-wise Lotus/MPLS or Indigo Nights ended up nearly being given away. One of these days, Target will pay some money to those willing to get a Lotus Flower set as a store-clearance-help fee. Just wait and see.

lotus sold something like 400, 000 copies and todays mainstream acts with all the promotion really dont sell much more. He can sell out big venees too

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

Right on to Prince!!! The radio sucks anyway. 9 times out of 10, anyone on the radio sucks, can't sing, can't do anything but attempt to sell sex, and won't be around selling out MSG in 30 years. I don't care if they have a record contract or not. There are few people with Prince's stats that could sell out MSG....52, been around 30+years, no major record label, etc.

Other than the weather report and news, I don't ever turn on the radio unless I'm in the car and just too busy to put in a cd. I hate the radio where I live anyways! Radio play and album sales are worthless, its the live shows that prove an artist's still being relative. Anyone can turn on a free radio, or buy a $10 cd, but real fans come out to see you and pay big money to see you...Prince can still sell VIP seats for $300+, I'd say he's still relevant!

Bravo!

TheDigitalGardener said:

Shut up Prince.

you shut up prince is right radio is dead not worth a hill of beans the songs they play 2day r sorry

hhhhdmt said:

vitriol said:

^Say what you want in his defense. That's very nice of you, but that doesn't mean that Prince wouldn't love being all over the radio.

Hypernarcissistic as he is, there's no way he can't care about being on the radio. He just said that because he's lost a battle. The same when he lost the internet battle: it's easier to say that the internet is dead.

OK, he can sell out medium/small-sized venues, but record-wise Lotus/MPLS or Indigo Nights ended up nearly being given away. One of these days, Target will pay some money to those willing to get a Lotus Flower set as a store-clearance-help fee. Just wait and see.

lotus sold something like 400, 000 copies and todays mainstream acts with all the promotion really dont sell much more. He can sell out big venees too

Huh? Wrong. Today's mainstream acts outsell Prince at retailers in about 12 hours.

vitriol said:

^Say what you want in his defense. That's very nice of you, but that doesn't mean that Prince wouldn't love being all over the radio.

Hypernarcissistic as he is, there's no way he can't care about being on the radio. He just said that because he's lost a battle. The same when he lost the internet battle: it's easier to say that the internet is dead.

OK, he can sell out medium/small-sized venues, but record-wise Lotus/MPLS or Indigo Nights ended up nearly being given away.

Hmm, I know there is 'perhaps' some evidence or second hand info you can use to bring such facts to the table, so to speak, with this convo but, as I come to find the record labels do not just ship a new artist album to a radio station, it is my understanding, unless someone told me wrong that Prince has to pay the Top 40 stations or Urban radio stations to play his music. It's not like a DJ would hear a new song from Prince and be like "WoW ... I love 'Sticky Like Glue' and we would hear it during rush hour air-play.

The internet is wild-fire and anyone can say or write how they feel without censorship in certain mediums like prince.org I can literally say FVCK YOU to you and most likely I won't be banned or reprimanded. There's no control and perhaps there should be no control. I don't think there was a batter with radio or just him sayin' 'the internet is dead' and he was meaning somethin' else. I know he most likely still has a computer, still goes on line but, that's about it. No more NPGMC type medium for us, that's about it. Whateva, we still find about the new albums and new music from prince.org, moquake or facebook, where I've read or found out about things first, in a lot of cases.

So to me, the internet is not dead, even tho I think P was jokin' when he said it, I didn't take him seriously ...

Spinlight said:

hhhhdmt said:

lotus sold something like 400, 000 copies and todays mainstream acts with all the promotion really dont sell much more. He can sell out big venees too

Huh? Wrong. Today's mainstream acts outsell Prince at retailers in about 12 hours.

paisleypark4 said:

Spinlight said:

Huh? Wrong. Today's mainstream acts outsell Prince at retailers in about 12 hours.

They also cant afford to stay at a venue for 21 days either, or sing live dance and play an instrument.

I don't get it, why does it matter? I don't care about the success. So long he is making music, and doing concerts.. I'm fine with it. I don't give a shit about outsell huge venues or great selling albums from 4 million.

^But he does. That's what we're discussing here.

who cares about the radio? The radio is filled with no talents like Rihanna, Britney Spears and Black Eyed Peas. They are not going to be selling out venues 20 years from now, nor can they play multiple instruments and they have never written high quality songs

Besides name me artists in their fifties who are on the mainstream radio without working with the biggest producers, big record companies and collobrating with younger mainstream stars.

laurarichardson said:

vitriol said:

He would kill for being constantly on radios. Period.

But that is not going to happen. Honestly, what planet are some of you on. If you are not with a major label you do not get on the radio and an artist P's age has a even harder chance if they do have a record deal.

He is keeping it real and some of you need to try it.

Right.. Who really listens to the radio?.... I'd much rather have Prince do what he loves doing and sticking to the formula he has been doing, it works.. REAL Prince fans can appreciate his art for what it is and dont need mainstream media to tell us what is good or bad prince music...

ParanoidAndroid said:

I wouldn't play his new songs either.

Amen to that!

oh yes prince's new music is horrible in comparison to the geniuses dominating radio like britney, rihanna, black eyed peas

hhhhdmt said:

oh yes prince's new music is horrible in comparison to the geniuses dominating radio like britney, rihanna, black eyed peas

Hahahaha, you got a point, this is so right!

i'll say this, Black sweat alone is better than 99.9 percent of rubbish i have heard on the radio over the past 5-6 years.

Spinlight said:

Well I hope he isn't too wrapped up in the business side of the music business and sees albums as vehicles for radio airplay. Still confused why he is doing 20TEN songs on this tour given nobody in the US is going to know the tracks except people on the org.

I thought about that too, why play songs very few have heard...but it's probably the same reason he played songs off the Black Album during the Lovesexy Tour. They're great songs, and most of the diehard fans have heard them. Arguably, he's played more to us, than to the average concert goer.

I guess THE REAL QUESTION is why record new stuff at all!? Why not only PLAY IT LIVE instead, new songs as well as old ones...

That's how they did it in the old day, it was all about the live music until the records came, but even those would be a rarity often. Maybe that's what it's all about: Not making the music too accessible, and thereby keeping the experience CLEAN without too many expectations and fixed ideas of how it should be!?

hhhhdmt said:

oh yes prince's new music is horrible in comparison to the geniuses dominating radio like britney, rihanna, black eyed peas

girl7 said:

I guess THE REAL QUESTION is why record new stuff at all!? Why not only PLAY IT LIVE instead, new songs as well as old ones...

That's how they did it in the old day, it was all about the live music until the records came, but even those would be a rarity often. Maybe that's what it's all about: Not making the music too accessible, and thereby keeping the experience CLEAN without too many expectations and fixed ideas of how it should be!?

Well, isn't a bad idea at all.

Just jamming with the band, and see what happen.. is also cool. But the mainstream concert audience is coming for the greatest hits. If Prince didn't do that, I don't know if people will come.. maybe die-hard and the real music lovers, casual fans and mainstream people wouldn't like it, I guess.

I think it maybe time for Prince to do a small venue tour, just with the band and just making music, and a concert were everything can happen, sort of aftershow, but as a concert-tour.. I would love to see Prince in a small venue and jamming a bit with his band, it's a bit as an aftershow but not after 2 at midnight..

[Edited 4/27/11 10:49am]

xLiberiangirl said:

I think it maybe time for Prince to do a small venue tour, just with the band and just making music, and a concert were everything can happen, sort of aftershow, but as a concert-tour.. I would love to see Prince in a small venue and jamming a bit with his band, it's a bit as an aftershow but not after 2 at midnight..

[Edited 4/27/11 10:49am]

NOW we're talking! Smaller venues definitely! He could even do it as an artist-in-residence program, allowing him to play the same club for a longer period, changing the band structure in between or inviting special guests...

I regret I never got to experience the 3121 Las Vegas concerts... (but I live in Europe )

hhhhdmt said:

i'll say this, Black sweat alone is better than 99.9 percent of rubbish i have heard on the radio over the past 5-6 years.

But it sent dogs all over the world mental.

hhhhdmt said:

oh yes prince's new music is horrible in comparison to the geniuses dominating radio like britney, rihanna, black eyed peas

I disagree: Prince's new music is horrible without comparing to anything.

paisleypark4 said:

Spinlight said:

Huh? Wrong. Today's mainstream acts outsell Prince at retailers in about 12 hours.

They also cant afford to stay at a venue for 21 days either, or sing live dance and play an instrument.

come on now... lets not act like Prince is the only artist capable of doing that.

unless you mean all at the same time... then the number dwindles... but if not....

[Edited 4/27/11 13:21pm]

Haven't heard a Prince song after 1995 on the radio here in Europe

The re -released 1999 doesn't count

[Edited 4/27/11 13:23pm]

vitriol said:

hhhhdmt said:

oh yes prince's new music is horrible in comparison to the geniuses dominating radio like britney, rihanna, black eyed peas

I disagree: Prince's new music is horrible without comparing to anything.

then maybe its time to stop being a fan. If you really think his new music is worse than that on the radio. There is no point complaining about it since the 80's are never coming back

laurarichardson said:

vitriol said:

He would kill for being constantly on radios. Period.

But that is not going to happen. Honestly, what planet are some of you on. If you are not with a major label you do not get on the radio and an artist P's age has a even harder chance if they do have a record deal.

He is keeping it real and some of you need to try it.

Prince was on a major label for at least some of the last few albums and he was still not played so what planet are you on? And if you really believe Prince doesn't care about being on the radio, you are as delusional as he is.

prince likely does care about being on the radio but probably not nearly as much as he did 20 years ago, he's been there, done that. Besides no one seems to answer me, what the f--k is so special about radio when no talents like britney, rihanna, and black eyed peas? If you really believe that that music is better than say Lotus or 3121 then you need help. It doesnt matter whether prince is on the radio or not. What matters is that he puts out good songs.

[Edited 4/27/11 20:04pm]