And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

Astasheiks said:

And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

He signed a milllion dollar deal with his first contract..hard to say however.

I think it was around parade .. check the lyric change .. "i aint got no money .. thats a lie" .. certainly he was a millionaire after PR but i don't think he felt it for real till parade

People mentioning Controversy and even 1999 don't have a realistic picture about the music industry.

And people mentioning his first "one million dollar contract" don't know how these kind of contracs actually work. There's no way he was going to end up with 100% of the money after having to invest in his albums etc.

Astasheiks said:

And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

1) My speculation after bankrupcty, multiple delinquish properties in and around Minneapolis, MN I would say he has about $15m in physical assets. (Paisley = $10, Houses = $5m). I would think that his cash position after the Musicology, 21 Nights in London (totally killed it in a good way) would equate to another $10m-15m in cash.

2) Cash is probably 10-15m.

3) $20 + 10-15m = $30-35m

The reality is he has made a ton of income ($200m+) over the years. He has also paid a lot of taxes 40% and piss away a lot of the reamining monies.

However, he can print money whenever he wants to release a new album, song, disc or tour.

It's good to be an artist with a worldwide brand.

I just wish he would go on my website, www.groupees.com

Prince never filed bankruptcy

tollyc said:

Astasheiks said:

And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

1) My speculation after bankrupcty, multiple delinquish properties in and around Minneapolis, MN I would say he has about $15m in physical assets. (Paisley = $10, Houses = $5m). I would think that his cash position after the Musicology, 21 Nights in London (totally killed it in a good way) would equate to another $10m-15m in cash.

2) Cash is probably 10-15m.

3) $20 + 10-15m = $30-35m

The reality is he has made a ton of income ($200m+) over the years. He has also paid a lot of taxes 40% and piss away a lot of the reamining monies.

However, he can print money whenever he wants to release a new album, song, disc or tour.

It's good to be an artist with a worldwide brand.

I just wish he would go on my website, www.groupees.com

The reality is that I would say you're probably speculating to death... maybe! Could be lower, could be higher.

It's pure speculation, but if you crate your own company whether paisley park or NPG records you don't have to shell out 40% of your gross. You get all the loop holes that companies get. Then in turn you pay your self a salary from the company. The company (Paisley Park or NPG records) can pay for the lifestyle (clothes,trips, houses, dinners etc), thus only need a modest income that could be taxed at a lower rate.

The money for the original contract was mostly to cover studio expenses and allow Prince to make a decent living until sales and royalties would pay off.

Dez Dickerson mentions in his book he was able to buy a house JUST with the royalties he got from Cool, of which he wrote the lyrics, so that says a lot about the kind of money one made at the time with record sales.

Prince's first million likely happened somewhere between the release of 1999 and the end of 1984. At the end of the Purple Rain tour, Revolution members reported that Prince gave each of them 1 million dollars as a gift, to acknowledge their role in his huge success, so if he was able to give 5 million bucks away it means he had made at least just as much and probably much more for himself at this time, which is quite logical if you add past albums sales and radio airplay royalties, all the side projects sales and radio airplay royalties, sales and radio airplay royalties from massive hits Stand Back, Sugar Walls and Chaka's I Feel For You, income generated by the Purple Rain Tour and the Purple Rain movie, let alone all the t-shirts and shit that were sold in 84.

I would guess 1999. Because of all the hits on it. He would have been able to make PR the movie if he wasn't successful...

databank said:

The money for the original contract was mostly to cover studio expenses and allow Prince to make a decent living until sales and royalties would pay off.

Dez Dickerson mentions in his book he was able to buy a house JUST with the royalties he got from Cool, of which he wrote the lyrics, so that says a lot about the kind of money one made at the time with record sales.

Prince's first million likely happened somewhere between the release of 1999 and the end of 1984. At the end of the Purple Rain tour, Revolution members reported that Prince gave each of them 1 million dollars as a gift, to acknowledge their role in his huge success, so if he was able to give 5 million bucks away it means he had made at least just as much and probably much more for himself at this time, which is quite logical if you add past albums sales and radio airplay royalties, all the side projects sales and radio airplay royalties, sales and radio airplay royalties from massive hits Stand Back, Sugar Walls and Chaka's I Feel For You, income generated by the Purple Rain Tour and the Purple Rain movie, let alone all the t-shirts and shit that were sold in 84.

Yeah, this sounds about right.

I suppose by the time Purple Rain started selling he had been receiving royalties and other type of payments from his past work for years (albums and tours).

Certainly, if Prince gave away a million for each band member that must mean he was loaded by that point.

tollyc said:

Astasheiks said:

And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

1) My speculation after bankrupcty, multiple delinquish properties in and around Minneapolis, MN I would say he has about $15m in physical assets. (Paisley = $10, Houses = $5m). I would think that his cash position after the Musicology, 21 Nights in London (totally killed it in a good way) would equate to another $10m-15m in cash.

2) Cash is probably 10-15m.

3) $20 + 10-15m = $30-35m

The reality is he has made a ton of income ($200m+) over the years. He has also paid a lot of taxes 40% and piss away a lot of the reamining monies.

However, he can print money whenever he wants to release a new album, song, disc or tour.

It's good to be an artist with a worldwide brand.

I just wish he would go on my website, www.groupees.com

He never filed for bankrupcy and the properties are not delinquent. He is listed as the biggest land owner in Eden Prairie.

I remember back in 1991, (or around that time), just before Diamonds & Pearls was going to drop and folks were still thinking that his glory days were over because of Graffiti Bridge, that Prince ranked in the top 10 of highest earners.


I forget what his assets and income were, but I remember being stunned by it. For that year alone, he grossed an enormous amount of money off of royalties, etc. I wish I could remember which magazine ran the story and the actually amount, but it was upwards of 30 or 40 million for that year (a year in which he had no hit songs). It could have actually been higher. He ranked #6 on the celebrity list that year.

My hunch is that he probably makes a great deal of money these days too, especially since he keeps the lion's share of his album sales, and he's been pretty much reusing the same damned stage and minimalist set in his live shows for well over 10 years now. His music videos are also cheap and amateurish by today's standards, so I don't think he spends a great deal of money of 'production'.

I expect that we'll never see a production on the scale of the LoveSexy shows (towards the beginning of that tour), but with Prince you just never know.

imago said:

I remember back in 1991, (or around that time), just before Diamonds & Pearls was going to drop and folks were still thinking that his glory days were over because of Graffiti Bridge, that Prince ranked in the top 10 of highest earners.


I forget what his assets and income were, but I remember being stunned by it. For that year alone, he grossed an enormous amount of money off of royalties, etc. I wish I could remember which magazine ran the story and the actually amount, but it was upwards of 30 or 40 million for that year (a year in which he had no hit songs). It could have actually been higher. He ranked #6 on the celebrity list that year.

My hunch is that he probably makes a great deal of money these days too, especially since he keeps the lion's share of his album sales, and he's been pretty much reusing the same damned stage and minimalist set in his live shows for well over 10 years now. His music videos are also cheap and amateurish by today's standards, so I don't think he spends a great deal of money of 'production'.

I expect that we'll never see a production on the scale of the LoveSexy shows (towards the beginning of that tour), but with Prince you just never know.

!990's income besides The Time CD and singles, Tevin Campbell, and Prince had there's too. He also did the Nude tour, and had heavy rotation on the radio which paid him a lot of royalities.

with repect, even at his reported burn rate of cash, I think you are way under estimating the net monies made from over 30 years in the business of someone who was a top selling artist in 80s, gets writers royalties, went independent so as to make more cash than he was when signed to WB and has toured extensively since 1982 e.g Prince quoted to saying he nets $500k per gig after costs, a reported $5m fee for Coachella Festival & again for Billioniare's private BD party

tollyc said:

Astasheiks said:

And there are three ways to be a Millionaire?

1) Million dollars assets

2) Million dollars of cash

3) Million dollars of assets and cash

Anyway think it was after Controversy album/tour in 1981 or 1999 album/tour in 1982?

1) My speculation after bankrupcty, multiple delinquish properties in and around Minneapolis, MN I would say he has about $15m in physical assets. (Paisley = $10, Houses = $5m). I would think that his cash position after the Musicology, 21 Nights in London (totally killed it in a good way) would equate to another $10m-15m in cash.

2) Cash is probably 10-15m.

3) $20 + 10-15m = $30-35m

The reality is he has made a ton of income ($200m+) over the years. He has also paid a lot of taxes 40% and piss away a lot of the reamining monies.

However, he can print money whenever he wants to release a new album, song, disc or tour.

It's good to be an artist with a worldwide brand.

I just wish he would go on my website, www.groupees.com

tree fitty

How is he going to afford guitar lessons?

mattosgood said:

with repect, even at his reported burn rate of cash, I think you are way under estimating the net monies made from over 30 years in the business of someone who was a top selling artist in 80s, gets writers royalties, went independent so as to make more cash than he was when signed to WB and has toured extensively since 1982 e.g Prince quoted to saying he nets $500k per gig after costs, a reported $5m fee for Coachella Festival & again for Billioniare's private BD party

tollyc said:

1) My speculation after bankrupcty, multiple delinquish properties in and around Minneapolis, MN I would say he has about $15m in physical assets. (Paisley = $10, Houses = $5m). I would think that his cash position after the Musicology, 21 Nights in London (totally killed it in a good way) would equate to another $10m-15m in cash.

2) Cash is probably 10-15m.

3) $20 + 10-15m = $30-35m

The reality is he has made a ton of income ($200m+) over the years. He has also paid a lot of taxes 40% and piss away a lot of the reamining monies.

However, he can print money whenever he wants to release a new album, song, disc or tour.

It's good to be an artist with a worldwide brand.

I just wish he would go on my website, www.groupees.com

mattosgood I see how u tried to answer tollyc reply; (thread was originally when did P first become a millionaire not his net worth today).

[Edited 5/11/13 22:15pm]

kewlschool said:

tollyc said:

He does not own any property in Eden Prairie and yes he is delinquent on his taxes once again. Go to carver county and you can see his late on paying taxes on Paisley Park.

-------- Yes he does own property in Eden Prairie and other areas in Minn. See the link and the excert below. You really do not know what you are talking about so please stop. This article is from last summer so he may have paid up by this time but he does have 15 properties. I have two and it is handful managing. I cannot imagine what 15 would be like.

http://www.startribune.co...ml?refer=y

The Regan family isn't the only property owner to make repeated appearances on the tax delinquent list. The rock star Prince owes Hennepin County $50,316 in taxes for two properties in Eden Prairie and Golden Valley, including $41,544 in unpaid taxes from 2009 to 2011.

In Carver County, Prince isn't delinquent for previous years but hasn't yet paid in full on the first half of his 2012 taxes. Records last week showed that he owed $302,815 for 15 parcels, along with a $24,225 late fee for missing the May 15 deadline.

kduchschere@startribune.com 612-673-4455 jfriedmann@startribune.com 612-673

sfinky1 said:

kewlschool said:

!990's income besides The Time CD and singles, Tevin Campbell, and Prince had there's too. He also did the Nude tour, and had heavy rotation on the radio which paid him a lot of royalities.

Around that time Sinead's Nothing Compares 2 U must have saved his ass in a big way too

Alan Leeds said when he left Paisley Park in 1992 the studio was bring in 20million a year. I wish some of you would give P a little credit when it comes to making money. He has made a foutune and lost a foutune and made more again and again You guys seemed more concerned then he is.

Astasheiks said:

mattosgood said:

with repect, even at his reported burn rate of cash, I think you are way under estimating the net monies made from over 30 years in the business of someone who was a top selling artist in 80s, gets writers royalties, went independent so as to make more cash than he was when signed to WB and has toured extensively since 1982 e.g Prince quoted to saying he nets $500k per gig after costs, a reported $5m fee for Coachella Festival & again for Billioniare's private BD party

mattosgood I see how u tried to answer tollyc reply; (thread was originally when did P first become a millionaire not his net worth today).

[Edited 5/11/13 22:15pm]

I agree, Prince has made a fortune....My recollection is that he NETTED in excess of $100M for the musicology tour alone....

I've actually considered this question before of when P. first made real money in the music biz and my best guess is that he made his first million on sales and airplay of "I Wanna Be Your Lover". Perhaps he didn't have quite $1M in the bank by 1980 as these royalties take time to accrue, but I'm fairly certain he was well on the way towards it and feeling financially blessed/free when he had the audacity to submit Dirty Mind as his third album. This is nothing but my own speculation, based on an interview with P. I read once where he said he that he knew he was on the hotseat to deliver hits for his second album b/c the first had gone over budget and didn't recoup. That he knew he needed to prove to WB that he understood the game. So I'm speculating that the relative success of "Prince" provided him the confidence to submit a rawer, more arty album as the follow up. Which, if you think about it -- -and not to get too far off topic - - has been P.'s pattern throughout his career: after PR he makes ATWIAD, after DAP he makes the symbol album, after musicology he makes 3121. inside then out seems to be his pattern, and it seems to me that he stretches his creative wings every time his pocket gets fat.

very informative, jilljones.