Here's the part I still don't think we're still grasping: Prince is an icon. He's made his mark. What is all this talk about preserving legacies and such?

OK, so here is my opinion and thoughts towards this!

I talked about it before in a recent thread I entiled 'I know...(Preservation Of His Legacy)' I pretty much speak on my wonder and intrigue on why Prince makes the descisions he makes regarding his music and what he has done for his legacy.

Maybe he doesn't care about his legacy Well; sure he cares..But one stops to ask: Why doesn't he maximize on what he has been given?

Some Say: He just doesn't want to do it/ He's a bad businessman/ The public outside of us on the ORG doesn't care about it/ He's a control freak/Because He's Prince..etc

I just wish people could know more about him but he seems to want to fade into obscurity; he has fame, but he doesn't want to feed the fame it seems.

Maybe it's spiritual? "Too Much Fame Causes A Spiritual Decay" - No More Candy 4 U

So instead; he refuses contracts, offers large sums of money if someone suggests they would like to release his DVD (Speaking on Montreux, which I am shocked he denied..Cause it's KILLER), takes down his own websites, and abolishes if possible his name on YouTube and other social media. Forcing us (Without Saying It...) To find him. To buy boots, and to get our hands on his material. It's like he encourages us to find him; because when we like it..We get it. Because he doesn't seem to offer it to us..At least not yet..perhaps?

I don't get it totally, I just wonder why...Maybe I should just accept Prince is Just Prince...But sometimes it really does my head in; when I think about it?

At the same time; I agree with many people that 'Youtube' is not the ONLY medium where we can find him. It's not about really 'Keeping his legacy' around..Because Prince is going to always be around. I think deep down every fan wants him to get more exposure! AND while you might not think he was as awesome as before (I Do! LOL) You still want people to catch what you know, also it will bring profit for him. It's not just about the money, this concerns his image in a sense as well...because Prince is a different man. We know that from his lyrics and his wisdom; but could this be true that he's actually thinking this over? LOL

I hope so! Honestly, it's like we are beating a dead horse with the remasters..lol. I ain't really looking for him to do that. I want new music, and I could take new music any day over new remastered songs, unless the songs would be newer songs not officially released. There is a lot of assumption, feeling, and legal reasoning behind much of this. BUT it really all boils down to what Prince decides. If he wanted something, he would give it to us. It benefits him either way I think...But us who love and respect Prince already know his process. We have grown accustomed to it for years..He always has new tricks up his sleeve. AND Now..I think it's about time for that 'New funky trick up his sleeve!"

silverchild said:

Here's the part I still don't think we're still grasping: Prince is an icon. He's made his mark. What is all this talk about preserving legacies and such?

AND I agree..There is no such thing as really perserving his legacy; it has more to do with keeping it fresh and out there.

I guess the word that summarizes it is; 'Marketing' lol

silverchild said:

Here's the part I still don't think we're still grasping: Prince is an icon. He's made his mark. What is all this talk about preserving legacies and such?

Heard Sign o' the Times on cd lately? Or better yet, played it for someone who's never heard it before? The cd we have sounds like a fart in a jar.

EyeJester7 said:

OK, so here is my opinion and thoughts towards this!

I talked about it before in a recent thread I entiled 'I know...(Preservation Of His Legacy)' I pretty much speak on my wonder and intrigue on why Prince makes the descisions he makes regarding his music and what he has done for his legacy.

Maybe he doesn't care about his legacy Well; sure he cares..But one stops to ask: Why doesn't he maximize on what he has been given?

Some Say: He just doesn't want to do it/ He's a bad businessman/ The public outside of us on the ORG doesn't care about it/ He's a control freak/Because He's Prince..etc

I just wish people could know more about him but he seems to want to fade into obscurity; he has fame, but he doesn't want to feed the fame it seems.

Maybe it's spiritual? "Too Much Fame Causes A Spiritual Decay" - No More Candy 4 U

So instead; he refuses contracts, offers large sums of money if someone suggests they would like to release his DVD (Speaking on Montreux, which I am shocked he denied..Cause it's KILLER), takes down his own websites, and abolishes if possible his name on YouTube and other social media. Forcing us (Without Saying It...) To find him. To buy boots, and to get our hands on his material. It's like he encourages us to find him; because when we like it..We get it. Because he doesn't seem to offer it to us..At least not yet..perhaps?

I don't get it totally, I just wonder why...Maybe I should just accept Prince is Just Prince...But sometimes it really does my head in; when I think about it?

At the same time; I agree with many people that 'Youtube' is not the ONLY medium where we can find him. It's not about really 'Keeping his legacy' around..Because Prince is going to always be around. I think deep down every fan wants him to get more exposure! AND while you might not think he was as awesome as before (I Do! LOL) You still want people to catch what you know, also it will bring profit for him. It's not just about the money, this concerns his image in a sense as well...because Prince is a different man. We know that from his lyrics and his wisdom; but could this be true that he's actually thinking this over? LOL

I hope so! Honestly, it's like we are beating a dead horse with the remasters..lol. I ain't really looking for him to do that. I want new music, and I could take new music any day over new remastered songs, unless the songs would be newer songs not officially released. There is a lot of assumption, feeling, and legal reasoning behind much of this. BUT it really all boils down to what Prince decides. If he wanted something, he would give it to us. It benefits him either way I think...But us who love and respect Prince already know his process. We have grown accustomed to it for years..He always has new tricks up his sleeve. AND Now..I think it's about time for that 'New funky trick up his sleeve!"

Problem is, Prince wants to be a famous and well respected musician. He could easily just go along quietly and release albums with no hoopla and play small intimate venues. He still wants large crowds and the money that his fame/job affords. It is evident in his actions. So why not go all the way? Why not protect/promote/cement the legacy for the 21st century?

There is a difference between selling out and being a business man. Does Prince know the difference? Example: Why did we get another Prince perfume in 2007 instead of more music/art focused endeavors?

Just had a shocking thought:

I saw fans remembering Elvis' death.

When I thing about the charade funerals of some deceased stars, I fear about Prince's legacy.

I fear the endless reruns of Prince his life and music video's by ignorant editors.

Talking about his legacy:

I hope Prince has written down what he wishes for his funeral and his musical legacy.

I really don't want to listen or watch any stupid, false Prince tribute by nonmusical leaches.

I hope he cares about his loyal and crazy fans out here, and makes sure the media can't turn his legacy/funeral into an amusementpark event.

I hope he surprises and respects us and prevents some horrible media show.

Just sayin'

eyewishuheaven said:

silverchild said:

Here's the part I still don't think we're still grasping: Prince is an icon. He's made his mark. What is all this talk about preserving legacies and such?

Heard Sign o' the Times on cd lately? Or better yet, played it for someone who's never heard it before? The cd we have sounds like a fart in a jar.

Yeah but what does remasters have to do with your legacy at large. Sure, they reintroduce folks to music, but I don't find that to be a huge factor.

EyeJester7 said:

OK, so here is my opinion and thoughts towards this!

I talked about it before in a recent thread I entiled 'I know...(Preservation Of His Legacy)' I pretty much speak on my wonder and intrigue on why Prince makes the descisions he makes regarding his music and what he has done for his legacy.

Maybe he doesn't care about his legacy Well; sure he cares..But one stops to ask: Why doesn't he maximize on what he has been given?

Some Say: He just doesn't want to do it/ He's a bad businessman/ The public outside of us on the ORG doesn't care about it/ He's a control freak/Because He's Prince..etc

I just wish people could know more about him but he seems to want to fade into obscurity; he has fame, but he doesn't want to feed the fame it seems.

Maybe it's spiritual? "Too Much Fame Causes A Spiritual Decay" - No More Candy 4 U

So instead; he refuses contracts, offers large sums of money if someone suggests they would like to release his DVD (Speaking on Montreux, which I am shocked he denied..Cause it's KILLER), takes down his own websites, and abolishes if possible his name on YouTube and other social media. Forcing us (Without Saying It...) To find him. To buy boots, and to get our hands on his material. It's like he encourages us to find him; because when we like it..We get it. Because he doesn't seem to offer it to us..At least not yet..perhaps?

I don't get it totally, I just wonder why...Maybe I should just accept Prince is Just Prince...But sometimes it really does my head in; when I think about it?

At the same time; I agree with many people that 'Youtube' is not the ONLY medium where we can find him. It's not about really 'Keeping his legacy' around..Because Prince is going to always be around. I think deep down every fan wants him to get more exposure! AND while you might not think he was as awesome as before (I Do! LOL) You still want people to catch what you know, also it will bring profit for him. It's not just about the money, this concerns his image in a sense as well...because Prince is a different man. We know that from his lyrics and his wisdom; but could this be true that he's actually thinking this over? LOL

I hope so! Honestly, it's like we are beating a dead horse with the remasters..lol. I ain't really looking for him to do that. I want new music, and I could take new music any day over new remastered songs, unless the songs would be newer songs not officially released. There is a lot of assumption, feeling, and legal reasoning behind much of this. BUT it really all boils down to what Prince decides. If he wanted something, he would give it to us. It benefits him either way I think...But us who love and respect Prince already know his process. We have grown accustomed to it for years..He always has new tricks up his sleeve. AND Now..I think it's about time for that 'New funky trick up his sleeve!"

thing is that Prince is NEVER gonna do what we want him 2 do, whatever that may be hes just never gonna live up to what fans now want expect from him. Its really a lost cause so though i respect Quest's opinion, again its opinion and he usually has rants like this and 2 days later hes at an aftershow with the man. Prince may have a grand plan or he may not, who knows what he wants, hes gonna do what he wants, i dont like the "legacy" talk because its not for him to preserve, its for those left after him, and i still see people that respect him, are inspired by him, influenced etc...Youtube and remasters are not going to win him new fans, fact is that he is the love or hate him type of artist, some people are never gonna get him and some will. I think we as fans always fall back on "give us a dvd, give us remasters, etc..." because its a personal want, i dont think when we ask for these things we really care if some 16 year old is getting into Prince now because he saw Prince on American Bandstand on Youtube. The reason the Beatles or stones and others have legacies has nothing to do with YOUTUBE or REMASTERS, it has to do with fans that passed it down to their kids. I learned all i knew about the Beatles from my brothers, i was born after they broke up, so i cant rightfully say they are my favorite band ever, because i never experienced them like my brothers did.

eyewishuheaven said:

silverchild said:

Here's the part I still don't think we're still grasping: Prince is an icon. He's made his mark. What is all this talk about preserving legacies and such?

Heard Sign o' the Times on cd lately? Or better yet, played it for someone who's never heard it before? The cd we have sounds like a fart in a jar.

Then why'd you buy it in the first place? When did sound quality override good music?

So it seems it is a crime to do with your music or videos e.t.c what you will. I disagree with that, if you made it should be your descision what you do with it, so long as it is not harming or killing anyone...

Why should he be frustrated? He should worry about his own carrer since he likes drumming for artists like John Legend and Frank Ocean which gets him in the spotlight. Him bitching about the typical things Prince does is no different than a person on here bitching, he's just another person who happens to be a known musician. Why care?

BETTER YET; 100 MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: How the fuck is this news?!

The remasters and the YouTube issues are driven by fan thirst for product which in most cases they've already obtained these materials over the years but now want better sounding versions of songs or HD video versions of old videos circulating. His legacy is what it will be since the general consensus is he's not supposed to change any unreleased track that we've heard as a bootleg for the past 30 years and nobody is digging his new stuff. So it all boils down to wanting better sound and video or a more advanced medium to convey the work(bluray over dvd). Essentially were saying his legacy is contingent upon technical advances made to appease the listener and not the quality of his work.

NeonCraxx said:

Why should he be frustrated? He should worry about his own carrer since he likes drumming for artists like John Legend and Frank Ocean which gets him in the spotlight. Him bitching about the typical things Prince does is no different than a person on here bitching, he's just another person who happens to be a known musician. Why care?

BETTER YET; 100 MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: How the fuck is this news?!

I wonder the same thing!

I would like remasters, if they were done right and were truly an improvement, with bonus material and deluxe packaging... that would be great.

But, I still enjoy what has already been released. Of course the vinyl sounds better than the CDs, but, the CDs aren't unlistenable on a good system with a good EQ. And since this is how I've been playing them since I started collecting the CD versions 25 years ago, I ain't hatin' on them. I notice the issues when I play them in the car on factory speakers with no EQ options but bass & treble, but when I play them through my EQ on my system at the house, they rock.

Get a good amp, good speakers and a nice multiband EQ, and even MP3 rips of the CDs will rock the house. Just ask my neighbors...

Zannaloaf said:

The JW thing has sucked sense out of Princes brain. He can indeed do whatever he wants, but as far as his legacy it's not just what you did it's how many people know abpout it. It will be a shame two or three decades fom now when people talk MJ, Madonna and Bruce as the defining stars of the 80s. Prince is already relegated to "lost hits" spot on the Sirius 80s station. It's a shame so few of you care if his legacy matters or not instead acting as if he will somehow pull it out in the end. In general terms he has not done so. He has had a handful of marketing wins, but a hell of a lot more failures. It's his legacy to tarnish or ignore. It's just sad to watch it happen.

Let's not slam another religion

Keep the thread on track.

naffi said:

Surely by constantly bringing up in the media the fact that Prince has his stuff on YouTube removed, is just creating more interest in it, free publicity, as when people read articles like that they tend to search Youtube to see what is there, kind of like touching to see if the Wet Paint sign is right.

The problem is it is not constantly being brought up in the media. By not having a You Tube identity, he has shut his music out of a hugely popular public forum. I discover all kinds of music by simply clicking on suggested videos after listening to a song. Like someone else said, Prince has many great business moves and ideas, but the failures are starting to overwhelm the success. If he doesn't change his current touring strategy, fans will soon tire of Shelby shouting "Put Your Hands Up," 1,000 times a night.

stillwaiting said:

naffi said:

Surely by constantly bringing up in the media the fact that Prince has his stuff on YouTube removed, is just creating more interest in it, free publicity, as when people read articles like that they tend to search Youtube to see what is there, kind of like touching to see if the Wet Paint sign is right.

The problem is it is not constantly being brought up in the media. By not having a You Tube identity, he has shut his music out of a hugely popular public forum. I discover all kinds of music by simply clicking on suggested videos after listening to a song. Like someone else said, Prince has many great business moves and ideas, but the failures are starting to overwhelm the success. If he doesn't change his current touring strategy, fans will soon tire of Shelby shouting "Put Your Hands Up," 1,000 times a night.

Yeah then people will only splurge on 5 of the 6 shows in their area.

djThunderfunk said:

I would like remasters, if they were done right and were truly an improvement, with bonus material and deluxe packaging... that would be great.

But, I still enjoy what has already been released. Of course the vinyl sounds better than the CDs, but, the CDs aren't unlistenable on a good system with a good EQ. And since this is how I've been playing them since I started collecting the CD versions 25 years ago, I ain't hatin' on them. I notice the issues when I play them in the car on factory speakers with no EQ options but bass & treble, but when I play them through my EQ on my system at the house, they rock.

Get a good amp, good speakers and a nice multiband EQ, and even MP3 rips of the CDs will rock the house. Just ask my neighbors...

That's what I'm saying. Gotta work with those EQ settings with a good setup. Even if you were to listen to those CDs on your portable media player, such as an iPod, go into iTunes or whatever you do and tweak some stuff. I just recently got some SHM-CDs and they sound significantly better, but some of those original discs don't sound that bad. Actually, they have better dynamics than those badly compressed discs he had post-Emancipation. Guy has some average engineers working on his albums as of recent.

Some of you are forgetting that it was NOT ?uestlove who turned this into a story. It was Drfunkenberry who made this into an issue. ?uestlove is a longtime Prince fan who simply posted his frustrations like many fans do on the Org all the time. Who among us wouldn't like easier access to all of Prince's music, videos and live performances etc.??? Having said that, it should be clear to ANY Prince fan by now that Prince is all about maintaining control of his work. For better of for worse, that's just the way it's going to be with him. The sooner you accept that it's Prince's work and he can do whatever he wants to do with it, the better off you'll be.

jojackson said:

how do we know for sure that there are young people who dont know who Prince? Fine, many of us may comes across teenagers that dont' know him or his songs but you'll be surprised at how many do know him. At the 16 concerts Ive been I see both young and old fans. Its hard for us to quantify the impact of Prince's legacy without really doing a signficant poll which is kind of impossible.

I believe that people who seek out good music will know who he is and know about his music. You can pretty much find any Prince song, bside unreleased stuff somewhere on the web. These kids know how to find it. I also think that there are young fans who have been exposed to Prince through through family and friends. I got my ex into Prince's music and my brother when he came with me to the 3121 concerts in Vegas.

jojackson said:

Quest is thinking from a fan perspective, u have to think from a business perspective. YouTube and google never asked for permission for usage of his material, it's basically plaigerism in the form of music. Using information that's not yours and forgetting to cite the original owner or author of that material. Put that in music and you have successfully performed Copyright Infringement! And if you think Prince is riding high and sitting on a mountain of money without a bill to pay......think again, brotha's got bills. Ask TLC they've been through this, they sold 10 million albums back in 96, won Grammy's that year and were broke as hell!

I was shocked to see how easy it is to convert a youtube video to an mp3 and put it in your ipod. Why pay for music ever again?

wonder505 said:

how do we know for sure that there are young people who dont know who Prince? Fine, many of us may comes across teenagers that dont' know him or his songs but you'll be surprised at how many do know him. At the 16 concerts Ive been I see both young and old fans. Its hard for us to quantify the impact of Prince's legacy without really doing a signficant poll which is kind of impossible.

I believe that people who seek out good music will know who he is and know about his music. You can pretty much find any Prince song, bside unreleased stuff somewhere on the web. These kids know how to find it. I also think that there are young fans who have been exposed to Prince through through family and friends. I got my ex into Prince's music and my brother when he came with me to the 3121 concerts in Vegas.

If you look at the audience at his shows, they are gradually getting older and older. There is not some huge influx of young fans, where everybody is amazed. Sure, young people will continue to look for real music, but there are drastically lower amounts of fans under 25 then there were in 2004.

Since Prince is trying to do whatever he can do to keep young people from discovering his music, by 2017, if he continues his quest, 90% of his audience will be over 30.

As someone who goes to multiple Prince and U2 concerts, The Prince shows had nowhere near the percentage of under 25 fans that U2 had.

In comparison, Guns N' Roses (Or the Axl Rose Band) had tons of young people at the 2011 and 2012 shows I went to, even a higher percentage than U2, and there are tons of full length GNR shows all over You Tube.

Prince will always have a cash stream, so even though he is hurting his earning potential, this cat has a strong will with things he believes in. I am convinced he is against remasters no matter how shitty his back catalog sounds, unless he gets ridiculous money. Sad thing is , after years of battles with Warners about masters ownership, they are simply not worth as much as either Prince or Warners thought.

stillwaiting said:

wonder505 said:

how do we know for sure that there are young people who dont know who Prince? Fine, many of us may comes across teenagers that dont' know him or his songs but you'll be surprised at how many do know him. At the 16 concerts Ive been I see both young and old fans. Its hard for us to quantify the impact of Prince's legacy without really doing a signficant poll which is kind of impossible.

I believe that people who seek out good music will know who he is and know about his music. You can pretty much find any Prince song, bside unreleased stuff somewhere on the web. These kids know how to find it. I also think that there are young fans who have been exposed to Prince through through family and friends. I got my ex into Prince's music and my brother when he came with me to the 3121 concerts in Vegas.

If you look at the audience at his shows, they are gradually getting older and older. There is not some huge influx of young fans, where everybody is amazed. Sure, young people will continue to look for real music, but there are drastically lower amounts of fans under 25 then there were in 2004.

Since Prince is trying to do whatever he can do to keep young people from discovering his music, by 2017, if he continues his quest, 90% of his audience will be over 30.

As someone who goes to multiple Prince and U2 concerts, The Prince shows had nowhere near the percentage of under 25 fans that U2 had.

In comparison, Guns N' Roses (Or the Axl Rose Band) had tons of young people at the 2011 and 2012 shows I went to, even a higher percentage than U2, and there are tons of full length GNR shows all over You Tube.

Prince will always have a cash stream, so even though he is hurting his earning potential, this cat has a strong will with things he believes in. I am convinced he is against remasters no matter how shitty his back catalog sounds, unless he gets ridiculous money. Sad thing is , after years of battles with Warners about masters ownership, they are simply not worth as much as either Prince or Warners thought.

You make some valid points. I guess only time will tell.

The only thing I think Prince is really missing the boat on is DVDs. He needs to have one single freaking DVD of a great concert with him playing his hits....or five of them. It's the only thing missing from his catalog.

As for the other things, let's compare him to the best marketed band ever. The Beatles also block their stuff on youtube. And they only released their remasters a year ago. They only got on iTunes a year ago. None of that ever hurt them. Their records continued to sell because they are great. And people continue to discover them because they are great.

Prince may release the remasters tomorrow, we don't know. But 1999 still sounds good to me, even on a new sound system. A great record is a great record.

The only thing that hurts Prince is the same thing that has hurt him forever. He is too weird for the mainstream. He'll always have a big audience because of his hits, and a smaller one that goes deeper into the vaults & bootlegs. But he will always be a fringe artist, because he is weird and challenging--even when he is being simple.

NDRU said:

The only thing I think Prince is really missing the boat on is DVDs. He needs to have one single freaking DVD of a great concert with him playing his hits....or five of them. It's the only thing missing from his catalog.

As for the other things, let's compare him to the best marketed band ever. The Beatles also block their stuff on youtube. And they only released their remasters a year ago. They only got on iTunes a year ago. None of that ever hurt them. Their records continued to sell because they are great. And people continue to discover them because they are great.

Prince may release the remasters tomorrow, we don't know. But 1999 still sounds good to me, even on a new sound system. A great record is a great record.

The only thing that hurts Prince is the same thing that has hurt him forever. He is too weird for the mainstream. He'll always have a big audience because of his hits, and a smaller one that goes deeper into the vaults & bootlegs. But he will always be a fringe artist, because he is weird and challenging--even when he is being simple.

Exactly! Everybody whining about no prince on utube is plain stupid. In this country I can't listen to about 80% of music on that said channel, cause not only musical labels block that shit but also the national copyright company, so even if U were nobody of importance, they'd block that shit if U were registered as an author of film/music, currently hundrends of thousands and thousands...

The only think that I enjoyed were unreleased tracks, jamming sessions etc. that were obviously posted by who? Probably orgers etc. - and all hits of Prince are still on utube, he is not taking them down.

Lastly, who cares about legacy? No teenager that I know cares about MJ either, it is even not their target group, and Elivs is dead anyway.

NDRU; He isn't really weird, he used to be but he has aged, he can't do no more SOTT etc..

[Edited 8/18/12 12:29pm]

Prince is Prince I guess. He does what he wants to.