Prince at Rod Laver Arena PHOTO CREDIT: NPG Records

Prince Consults Fans On His Plans For A Big Year In 2013

by Claire Hennekam on January 10, 2013

Prince orchestrated a meeting of fans online this week in order to discuss recent leaks of his music on Twitter, as well to seek their input on everything from sharing music online to reasonable ticket prices for concerts at Paisley Park.

Prince fans thought that Christmas had doubled-back late on Monday afternoon, with the mysterious appearance of a Twitter account called ’3rdeyegirl’ who proceeded to provide audio and video links to rehearsal footage, extended remixes and a new song entitled ‘Same Page Different Book’.

At the time, the account seemed to be Prince-sanctioned, with several band members directing fans to the account, along with Internet blogger Dr. Funkenberry, who’s always been an avid supporter of Prince and his music and often acts as an online mouthpiece for the elusive star.

Yesterday, ’3rdeyegirl’ posted a photo of a ‘Cease & Desist’ letter that appeared to have come from Prince’s lawyers, and a few hours later, the videos were gone from her Youtube account. Not long after that, the photos of the C&D letter were also gone from her Twitter and Facebook pages.

So today, Dr. Funkenberry was expected to clear things up when he met with Seth Everett on webcasting site Spreecast, but instead could offer no answers, seemingly spinning more stories about this so-called “international art thief” and creating more confusion amongst fans, who, for the most part, have taken this to be a fairly elaborate publicity stunt.

Funkenberry did use it as a way to bring up the issue of illegal music sharing, asking fans on Prince’s behalf if they thought they should have to pay for the material that was “leaked” online, be it officially or otherwise.

Prince has taken a strong stance against the Internet for several years now, at one point referring to it as being “dead” or over, at least with respect to its usefulness to the music industry. As such, most of his music does not exist legally online, and much of it is very hard to buy any other way.

The general opinion of fans joining the webcast was that they would happily spend money on his music if there was a way to do so online. Several fans agreed with him mostly shying away from sites like iTunes, interested to see what other options were available.

This led to discussions about the pros and cons of his previous sites, the possibility of an official site run by fans and other fan-generated ideas.

Later in the webcast, Dr. Funkenberry revealed that work was being done at Paisley Park, Prince’s studio complex just outside of Minneapolis, and that Prince is considering re-opening the site for concerts, like he has done in years gone by. Prince was interested to know what ticket prices his fans thought was reasonable and what sort of ideas they had for these celebrations, as they have been referred to in the past.

Andy Allo was also mentioned during the webcast. Prince’s protégés have received mixed reactions from his fans in the past, but there was plenty of support in the chat-room for her and her new album, Superconductor, which was reviewed by Noise11 last month.

So there is no news yet on what will become of the would-be Internet fugitive, ’3rdeyegirl’, or anything about the rumoured new album from Prince, but he promised at the start of the year that 2013 would be big and it seems that whatever he has planned, he wants his fans to be involved in shaping it, rather than just being on the receiving end.

Seth and Dr. Funkenberry confirmed that there are plans for more webcasts like this in the future.

Stay updated with your free Noise11 daily music newsletter. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here

http://www.noise11.com/ne...3-20130110

Okay - spill. Who here was in on this "online meeting"?

Not really. Funk basically asked some questions and we wayed in on the various situation he proposed. i think in general we don't know wat we want as Prince fans. How about another Sequel to Purple Rain. ( the movie) haha.

ok, i'm confused. misleading thread title for one. so P "consulted" US via Funkenberry??!! if he is feeding P information, this is potentially a good start that I'm hoping will open up the proverbial floodgates of two way communication!

i don't think we'll EVER be able to influence his artistic PROCESS and rightfully so (tho it seems quite a few others here can effortlessly produce 'hits' for him and guide him back to world dominance circa 1984 in their sleep, but I digress) but for him to HEAR us on stuff like accessing new & previous releases (his stuff and proteges), ticket prices, etc. could lead to stuff like set-list consideration, vault stuff and masters! I refuse to be made a cynic by this site!! I'ma "keep hope alive" LOL!

NouveauDance said:

^ x2 What a bust.

To add insult to injury, 3rdEyeGirl@gmail.com never replied to my email!

P did not consult anyone. It's the Doc Myarseberry who has organized this chat with fans to talk about what is going on. He does not know shit at all really.

Check his tweets today. He clearly states that this broadcast was not what some fans have understood it would be. It was just a discussion.

He says that he does not know what the future holds.

RodeoSchro said:

To add insult to injury, 3rdEyeGirl@gmail.com never replied to my email!

Probably because there are hundreds of fans like you who have filled in her inbox with junk mail.

Moreover what do you expect? It's Prince behind all this 3rdEyeGirl thingy. You expect him or her to tell you what the plans are for 2013?

Honestly...

RodeoSchro said:

To add insult to injury, 3rdEyeGirl@gmail.com never replied to my email!

Now that's cold!!! What did you say in the email, btw?

Prince, thanks for consulting this fan. Here's my 3 step plan for a big 2013. Sorry for sounding presumptious.

-Set up an easy to use, riddle free, official website geared toward hardcore and new fans.

Many legendary musicians of your caliber have websites and they are quite successful in promoting and selling their work. U2 has a good one, you could copy that model, but make yours purple. Provide fans with a way to easily access and purchase your work. Sure, some fans are going to be there just to a quality version of Kiss for $1 and bootleg it. That said, some would still pay upwards of $100 for things like sound quality unreleased material, concert dvds, and preferred seating at your shows. You don't even have to throw in a free t-shirt. You can open a store to sell all kinds of retro hip clothing, gaudy candles, and symbol jewlery. I have a 8 month old and would totally buy a "baby, I'm a star" onesie. Smart move would be to tie the site to social media, but it's not necessary. I get my Prince fan talk fix here.

-Release a new album in traditional and non traditional way. Promote it like you promoted "Musicology" and then tour.

Fans have been divided on the quality of your music since 1985. However, if you promote it properly that won't matter much. Look at Diamonds and Pearls, or Batman. Point is, you have to play/promote and believe in the stuff.

Either tour big and do a hits filled set (with hits you have ignored for awhile) or do a small venue, One Nite Alone style, fan favorite tour that allows you to stretch and get obscure with material and performance. This hardcore fan is the type that would pay a bunch (with preferred seating) to see you do an entire album from start to finish.

-Figure out your recording legacy and start re releasing previous albums asap. Let someone like Alan Leeds be in charge of organizing it.

Listen, you are losing money, future fans, and opportunity to shape how you are remembered.

You think I discovered The Beatles, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix, through semi hazy memories my mother passed to me about seeing them live? Scratchy old records? Nope.

I fell in love with these musicians because I had access to beautifully remastered albums/cds, concert footage/videos. All were easily purchased on itunes. They were comprehensive, complete with era appropriate photos/album art/videos/live footage/etc. MOST IMPORTANTLY, they sounded impeccable. They were vibrant, new, and moving. They made me appreciate the art and become a fans and student of it all.

It is 2013 (or is it?) Do you want a 15 year old to have their first experience listening to a Prince album to be to to a hissing, lossy, mp3 rip of Controversy that was from a CD mastered in the mid to late 80's? What about your masterpiece The Gold Experience? People cannot even find that save for used copies on ebay.

Honor yourself by honoring your fans. Cater to them, sell to them. I promise you will earn money and, in the process, new generations of fans.

Make ...it...stop.......

skywalker said:

Honor yourself by honoring your fans. Cater to them, sell to them. I promise you will earn money and, in the process, new generations of fans.

Agreed! New people need to hear his stuff, people need to know he's still actually releasing albums.

skywalker said:

Prince, thanks for consulting this fan. Here's my 3 step plan for a big 2013. Sorry for sounding presumptious.

-Set up an easy to use, riddle free, official website geared toward hardcore and new fans.

Many legendary musicians of your caliber have websites and they are quite successful in promoting and selling their work. U2 has a good one, you could copy that model, but make yours purple. Provide fans with a way to easily access and purchase your work. Sure, some fans are going to be there just to a quality version of Kiss for $1 and bootleg it. That said, some would still pay upwards of $100 for things like sound quality unreleased material, concert dvds, and preferred seating at your shows. You don't even have to throw in a free t-shirt. You can open a store to sell all kinds of retro hip clothing, gaudy candles, and symbol jewlery. I have a 8 month old and would totally buy a "baby, I'm a star" onesie. Smart move would be to tie the site to social media, but it's not necessary. I get my Prince fan talk fix here.

-Release a new album in traditional and non traditional way. Promote it like you promoted "Musicology" and then tour.

Fans have been divided on the quality of yopur music since 1985. However, if you promote it properly that won't matter much. Look at Diamonds and Pearls, or Batman. Point is, you have to play/promote and believe in the stuff.

Either tour big and do a hits filled set (with hits you have ignored for awhile) or do a small venue, One Nite Alone style, fan favorite tour that allows you to stretch and get obscure with material and performance. This hardcore fan is the type that would pay a bunch (with preferred seating) to see you do an entire album from start to finish.

-Figure out your recording legacy and start re releasing previous albums asap. Let someone like Alan Leeds be in charge of organizing it.

Listen, you are losing money, future fans, and opportunity to shape how you are remembered.

You think I discovered The Beatles, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix, through semi hazy memories my mother passed to me about seeing them live? Scratchy old records? Nope.

I fell in love with these musicians because I had access to beautifully remastered albums/cds, concert footage/videos. All were easily purchased on itunes. They were comprehensive, complete with era appropriate photos/album art/videos/live footage/etc. MOST IMPORTANTLY, they sounded impeccable. They were vibrant, new, and moving. They made me appreciate the art and become a fans and student of it all.

It is 2013 (or is it?) Do you want a 15 year old to have their first experience listening to a Prince album to be to to a hissing, lossy, mp3 rip of Controversy that was from a CD in the late 80's? What about your masterpiece The Gold Experience? People cannot even find that save for used copies on ebay.

Honor yourself by honoring your fans. Cater to them, sell to them. I promise you will earn money and, in the process, new generations of fans.

If Prince doesn't have a manager, you become his manager. These are suggestions that most managers of legendary artists have and execute. You're totally on point. I bought John Coltrane, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield reissue albums for the improved sound quality, liner notes, glossy photos and outtakes. Alan Leeds would be the perfect executive producer: someone who can coordinate these tasks and shape the project with the interests of Prince and fans alike.

skywalker said:

Prince, thanks for consulting this fan. Here's my 3 step plan for a big 2013. Sorry for sounding presumptious.

-Set up an easy to use, riddle free, official website geared toward hardcore and new fans.

Many legendary musicians of your caliber have websites and they are quite successful in promoting and selling their work. U2 has a good one, you could copy that model, but make yours purple. Provide fans with a way to easily access and purchase your work. Sure, some fans are going to be there just to a quality version of Kiss for $1 and bootleg it. That said, some would still pay upwards of $100 for things like sound quality unreleased material, concert dvds, and preferred seating at your shows. You don't even have to throw in a free t-shirt. You can open a store to sell all kinds of retro hip clothing, gaudy candles, and symbol jewlery. I have a 8 month old and would totally buy a "baby, I'm a star" onesie. Smart move would be to tie the site to social media, but it's not necessary. I get my Prince fan talk fix here.

-Release a new album in traditional and non traditional way. Promote it like you promoted "Musicology" and then tour.

Fans have been divided on the quality of your music since 1985. However, if you promote it properly that won't matter much. Look at Diamonds and Pearls, or Batman. Point is, you have to play/promote and believe in the stuff.

Either tour big and do a hits filled set (with hits you have ignored for awhile) or do a small venue, One Nite Alone style, fan favorite tour that allows you to stretch and get obscure with material and performance. This hardcore fan is the type that would pay a bunch (with preferred seating) to see you do an entire album from start to finish.

-Figure out your recording legacy and start re releasing previous albums asap. Let someone like Alan Leeds be in charge of organizing it.

Listen, you are losing money, future fans, and opportunity to shape how you are remembered.

You think I discovered The Beatles, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix, through semi hazy memories my mother passed to me about seeing them live? Scratchy old records? Nope.

I fell in love with these musicians because I had access to beautifully remastered albums/cds, concert footage/videos. All were easily purchased on itunes. They were comprehensive, complete with era appropriate photos/album art/videos/live footage/etc. MOST IMPORTANTLY, they sounded impeccable. They were vibrant, new, and moving. They made me appreciate the art and become a fans and student of it all.

It is 2013 (or is it?) Do you want a 15 year old to have their first experience listening to a Prince album to be to to a hissing, lossy, mp3 rip of Controversy that was from a CD mastered in the mid to late 80's? What about your masterpiece The Gold Experience? People cannot even find that save for used copies on ebay.

Honor yourself by honoring your fans. Cater to them, sell to them. I promise you will earn money and, in the process, new generations of fans.

I'd like to make a fool out of myself too!!!

DEAR PRINCE,

PLEASE STOP RELEASING MUSIC THAT BORES ME!

THANK YOU

rdhull said:

Make ...it...stop.......