...except the will to release his new music?

just watched (no, I wasn't there) his surprise appearance at a Nile Rodgers concert, he seemed confident, motivated, healthy and cool

seems like the perfect time for the new album already?

but he still prefers the shadows...

why?

[Edited 7/7/14 10:23am]

I'm not too sure what you mean? He mentioned a couple of weeks back at these listening parties that he is trying to get new music out but it's taking too long to get WB to do so?

It's a strange time in the industry. The labels aren't offering much these days. My band and I are talking to Sony and Universal right now, and have been for the last year........ Let's just say the music business ain't what it used to be. That affects everyone. Artists who used to be offered a great deal are now being offered a fraction, and the label wants more out of you.... Artists who used to be offered just enough to make a living are now being offered jack shit.

Some very big artists that I know through my management company and shared collaborators are having to fund their projects through alternative means.... venture capitalists..... gig money......merch sales....sync deals.....And yet the label still wants a slice of those revenue streams on top of everything else, just for distribution and marketing.

Sales are virtually non-existent for most. Streaming revenue is paltry. The labels are at an impasse with the streaming companies. Nobody wants to pay for shit. Beats Music spent hundreds of millions on their launch and their paid subscriber base is an absolute joke, in the low six figures.

Something has to give. And the artists are the ones who are getting shafted.

Militant said:

It's a strange time in the industry. The labels aren't offering much these days. My band and I are talking to Sony and Universal right now, and have been for the last year........ Let's just say the music business ain't what it used to be. That affects everyone. Artists who used to be offered a great deal are now being offered a fraction, and the label wants more out of you.... Artists who used to be offered just enough to make a living are now being offered jack shit.

Some very big artists that I know through my management company and shared collaborators are having to fund their projects through alternative means.... venture capitalists..... gig money......merch sales....sync deals.....And yet the label still wants a slice of those revenue streams on top of everything else, just for distribution and marketing.

Sales are virtually non-existent for most. Streaming revenue is paltry. The labels are at an impasse with the streaming companies. Nobody wants to pay for shit. Beats Music spent hundreds of millions on their launch and their paid subscriber base is an absolute joke, in the low six figures.

Something has to give. And the artists are the ones who are getting shafted.

good post; bleak times indeed

Militant said:

It's a strange time in the industry. The labels aren't offering much these days. My band and I are talking to Sony and Universal right now, and have been for the last year........ Let's just say the music business ain't what it used to be. That affects everyone. Artists who used to be offered a great deal are now being offered a fraction, and the label wants more out of you.... Artists who used to be offered just enough to make a living are now being offered jack shit.

Some very big artists that I know through my management company and shared collaborators are having to fund their projects through alternative means.... venture capitalists..... gig money......merch sales....sync deals.....And yet the label still wants a slice of those revenue streams on top of everything else, just for distribution and marketing.

Sales are virtually non-existent for most. Streaming revenue is paltry. The labels are at an impasse with the streaming companies. Nobody wants to pay for shit. Beats Music spent hundreds of millions on their launch and their paid subscriber base is an absolute joke, in the low six figures.

Something has to give. And the artists are the ones who are getting shafted.

Thanks for the insight I find it hard to believe that people are blaming Prince for the delays without taking a look at the state of the industry. I think P wants this CD to get the proper marketing and promotion he is getting old and maybe wants to go out with a bang. What is wrong with taking his time and making sure WB does not fuck it up. What would people have him do sell the CD out of his car.

laurarichardson said:

Thanks for the insight I find it hard to believe that people are blaming Prince for the delays without taking a look at the state of the industry.

.

Prince is to blame because he forced WB to take on his latest drivel as part of his remasters deal. Nobody forced him to do so.

.

Nothing came from the Kobalt deal.

.

Why does Prince keep shopping his albums around? Why doesn''t mr independence bite the bullet and simply handle everything himself? Why does he require the involvement of large entities like record companies or media groups?

.

What would people have him do sell the CD out of his car.

.

Nice strawman you got there. How about this: he's had since 1996 to come up with a solution. But everything he did on his own was underfunded and manned by incompetents, almost as if they were set up to fail. And when something was running fairly OK, Prince himself screwed the pooch. Example: NPGMC year two? Promised a handful of CDs, shafted everyone with a lame live box set that was also in shops.

.

Prince started bitching about the record industry two decades ago, and hasn't stopped yet. Where's his solution? Where's his grand plan? Why is he NOW bitching about WB, when he himself has failed to release a 3EG record during all of 2013 and the first months of 2014? How come he's NOW bitching about things going slow, when he himself failed to release the 3EG record after promoting it early this year and getting a magazine cover + an interview? Why is it never HIS fault, according to you -- yet HE is the ONLY constant in all of those failures.

BALANCE is a good word

JoeTyler said:

...except the will to release his new music?

just watched (no, I wasn't there) his surprise appearance at a Nile Rodgers concert, he seemed confident, motivated, healthy and cool

seems like the perfect time for the new album already?

but he still prefers the shadows...

why?

[Edited 7/7/14 10:23am]

Militant said:

It's a strange time in the industry. The labels aren't offering much these days. My band and I are talking to Sony and Universal right now, and have been for the last year........ Let's just say the music business ain't what it used to be. That affects everyone. Artists who used to be offered a great deal are now being offered a fraction, and the label wants more out of you.... Artists who used to be offered just enough to make a living are now being offered jack shit.

Some very big artists that I know through my management company and shared collaborators are having to fund their projects through alternative means.... venture capitalists..... gig money......merch sales....sync deals.....And yet the label still wants a slice of those revenue streams on top of everything else, just for distribution and marketing.

Sales are virtually non-existent for most. Streaming revenue is paltry. The labels are at an impasse with the streaming companies. Nobody wants to pay for shit. Beats Music spent hundreds of millions on their launch and their paid subscriber base is an absolute joke, in the low six figures.

Something has to give. And the artists are the ones who are getting shafted.

"The music business ain't what it used to be" because music ain't what it used to be. Actually, I don't blame the labels for not offering much these days, because let's face it, neither are the artists. Today's music is straight up garbage (at least that's how my son and daughter describes it). I'm from the old school, when music was at it's best! Those artists are the ones that were totally ripped off financially, and who should have been paid the big bucks that today's artists are paid, they really deserved it! Prince is a rare commodity, not many like him left around.

BartVanHemelen said:

laurarichardson said:

Thanks for the insight I find it hard to believe that people are blaming Prince for the delays without taking a look at the state of the industry.

.

Prince is to blame because he forced WB to take on his latest drivel as part of his remasters deal. Nobody forced him to do so.

.

Nothing came from the Kobalt deal.

.

Why does Prince keep shopping his albums around? Why doesn''t mr independence bite the bullet and simply handle everything himself? Why does he require the involvement of large entities like record companies or media groups?

.

What would people have him do sell the CD out of his car.

.

Nice strawman you got there. How about this: he's had since 1996 to come up with a solution. But everything he did on his own was underfunded and manned by incompetents, almost as if they were set up to fail. And when something was running fairly OK, Prince himself screwed the pooch. Example: NPGMC year two? Promised a handful of CDs, shafted everyone with a lame live box set that was also in shops.

.

Prince started bitching about the record industry two decades ago, and hasn't stopped yet. Where's his solution? Where's his grand plan? Why is he NOW bitching about WB, when he himself has failed to release a 3EG record during all of 2013 and the first months of 2014? How come he's NOW bitching about things going slow, when he himself failed to release the 3EG record after promoting it early this year and getting a magazine cover + an interview? Why is it never HIS fault, according to you -- yet HE is the ONLY constant in all of those failures.

what the hell happened?