WB doesn't need to sue. They got what they wanted: the distribution rights to all the best Prince music, and none of the costs associated with his weaker new material. They secured those rights so tight, they stopped taking Prince's phone calls remember? They are probably just waiting Prince out on the remasters knowing at some point, his circumstances will change and perhaps then, he will get with the program. Until then, they no longer have to worry about Prince selling the rights one album at at time to various parts of their competition. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Stop the Prince Apologists ™ | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Part of me refuses to believe that they are not working on this as we type...
They must be. They've got to be. They've just got to. They said they would Just somewhere in the middle,
Not too good and not too bad. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
there is no need following Prince around like a rabbit & carrot..
he's too unperdictable, which was cool in the 80's, but it aint now..
This game aint fun anymore..
Hoping, wishing, & getting nothing..
That's old..
Let's face it, Prince is only interesting when you're bored..
Real real bored, & it still aint fun..
watch the Parade concert..
Now that is fun!!
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
right..
sad thang is(and I hope it doesn't)that the circumstance may be so drastic that he won't be able to change & get with the program..
It may be too late..
Anythang could happen to any of us at any time, he sings about it, & talks about it, but it does not appear like he lives like it. It's just lip service, to help mask his image..
Prince needs true humility, & he must understand, that like the rest of us, he is not God... | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
By Prince standards this sold very well. A greatest hits is often the best selling album of an artist ( Madonna, Beatles, Eagles, Sly Stone, Abba, Billy Joel, QUEEN etc). It should have worked more with Prince, because he released many albums and even casual fans have not them all. Plus there are unreleased tracks... DIAMONDS AND PEARLS was certified at 900 k in the UK. Promotion form LOVESYMBOL ended on spring 1993 (with the release of MORNING PAPERS on april). That's the problem. By 1993, physical copies sold well, this is not the case anymore. That's why they are so shy about releasing PR deluxe.
Prince has never been a huge seller I can't agree on that
Pope" was never going to be a hit.
Prince had been involved it could have sold more but WB did pretty well off this album Pretty well ? Even if you add the 3 best of, CD by CD, there is not even 10 millions of CD sold worldwide off this collection. Pretty weak for a best of, even if we counted them as one release instead of three. Most artist who sold as much as Prince don't need 3 greatest hits to make ten millions of copies. Their recordhouse doesn't need to pay them 6 millions. They don't even need to put unreleased tracks.
Elvis Presley, 2Pac, Michael Jackson... Mj is clearly the wrong exemple. MICHAEL was a flop ( 3.2 millions copies printed, but only two millions sold !) and XSCAPE they needed to make an hologram and JT to appear on a virtual duet to sell it at only 1.5 millions worldwide... 2PAC, these are new productors who record the music to stay up to date. And they are all dead when they were young, and/or at the top.
You keep saying the Movie isn't part of it See that with WB. Maybe a copyright issue ?
It likely wasn't released in 2014 because 2 other Prince albums were released Nonsense. Nobody ever gave any fuck about AOA or PLEC ELEC. AOA spent 7 weeks on the BB 200 (and only one week on the top 20) and PLEC only 3 weeks on the BB 200. We are talking about PR deluxe, an album that could have easily be #1 on the BB 200 and relauching Prince's career in front of a larger audience. They could have released PR one week later, nobody would have seen the difference. Of course, like I said since august, it's a terrible marketing mistake to release 2 albums the same day, instead of PR. I'm still amazed that a big recordhouse such as WB made such a terrible mistake.
Pushing a PR remaster back 6 months/12 months - 3 years. It doesn't matter. It's not going to have any effect on sales. People aren't going to reject it based on a release date not being precise. In 3 years, albums sales would have decreased dramatically. The later they release it, the less copies they will sell. Last year, 100 k american people already bought it for the anniversary. That's already 100 k less who would buy the re-release. And I'm not even talking about the others WB albums (1978/1999). They are losing hundred of thousand copies sold every six months. I bet on a only digital release of PR this year, and that would be all. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
There is no possible way in the world that the movies could be part of the deal, the 35 years law that gave P an edge to negociate masters reversal is a law about music not movies or anything else, and movies belong to a completely different juridiction, + WB music and WB films aren't even the same company anymore. There is no debate about whether the movies may now belong to Prince. They don't. They can't. They won't ever. A COMPREHENSIVE PRINCE DISCOGRAPHY (work in progress ^^): https://sites.google.com/...scography/ | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I tend to think they are working on the remasters now. Prince can easily get some easy press by saying WB will not take his calls. Much of this controversy may be made up just to generate some press headlines.
I think PE and AOA would have performed better if Prince had done some traditional promotion for the records, gone on Jimmy Fallon, or something similar. Some artist's have used The Voce, or American Idol, or even Dancing with the Stars to promote their records. Maybe a spot or two on those shows could have helped those records as well.
I am sure the remasters will come out some day. The problem will be that Prince will not please everyone with these releases. Prince has so much material from each album era that it probably would not be financially viable to release all the material. Some of these albums would have multiple hours of music. I guess they could do Super Deluxe versions but that can get expensive.
Some of these comments are getting pretty nasty and I would hope Prince does not read them because he may get offended by them. I am not sure that would inspire him to release the remasters any faster. We just need to be patient. It takes alot of work to produce these records and get them rolled out properly and I would rather wait and get a good product than a series of remasters that were poorly made. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Is the best selling Madonna "hits" collection a triple set at almost 4 time the price of a regular album? Also in the UK - he'd yet to have a #1 selling single.
Only 2 Prince albums have sold 10 million, and he doesn't have as many #1s as Jackson or Madonna. The Lovesexy tour was one of the biggest of his career and the "Lovesexy" album wasn't huge.
3.2 million in this day and age isn't bad. I know they are dead. Thats why I used them as examples of the record companies not needing the artist to promote a record.
You're making up numbers again. You don't have monthy US sales figures for any album. Turning up at the Golden Globe and The Grammys both likely caused a spike in sales.
They obviously have Prince under contract and part of the contract is a PR remaster. With or without him it'll come. It wont be digital-only because that would instantly slash the size of the market. Especially in older demographics where customers tend to enjoy tangible ownership. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
It doesn't really matter whether he is up for promoting the album with more singles (whatever that means these days, since any track on iTunes is a single if people start buyin it).
Also, it's a mis-take on what happened with WB last year to imagine that WB had any genuine interest in reacquiring Prince. The deal may have pitched out for publicity that way but they were in the middle of evading monopolies and mergers legislation in a number of countries (particularly the UK) over business deals in construction.
But as per McCartney, you need the artist to be actively involved in seizing opportunities to reinsert their legacy into present time. I think Prince gets some wildfire moments of that but has some kind of resistance to the idea that he might be looking backwards. Understandable as his rep has been about going forward, cutting new turf but, again, there are project management visionaries around who can recontextualise reissues within that. It's the 'difficult to work with' rep that's gonna keep them away IS THE PROBLEM [Edited 2/10/15 15:45pm] “I don't believe anything, but I have many suspicions.”
-Robert Anton Wilson | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Is the best selling Madonna "hits" collection a triple set at almost 4 time the price of a regular album? Also in the UK - he'd yet to have a #1 selling single. NO, but as I told you, even if you add all the discs of this collection there is about 10 millions sold worldwide in maybe twenty years. How can I make myself clear ? With 3 separates releases of 5 disc (GH 1 + GH 2 + 3 CD of the boxset) covering 15 years and 13 albums, with unreleased tracks, b faces...He can't even reach one third of what Madonna sold with IMMACULATE COLLECTION (30 millions) with no unreleased tracks and with only 1 release, and covering only 6 years of career. Whatever, I bought the 3 CD collection set at 8 euros in the 00's, in a supermarket lol.
Also in the UK - he'd yet to have a #1 selling single. he's no Madonna or MJ, but in the US he had the best chartrunner of singles 1980/2005. He beats MJ, madonna, whoever you want on this era. Even in the UK he is one of the best selling artist in term of singles.
You don't have monthy US sales figures for any album You'd be amazed.
WB have in the past released albums with little or no support from Prince
We can name this albums : COME BLACK ALBUM GOLD CHAOS AND DISORDER THE VAULT AOA PLECTRUM ELECTRUM
All horrible failures on charts.
They obviously have Prince under contract and part of the contract is a PR remaster They already got what they wanted. Prince got what he wanted. And if they wanted to release PR, they would already have done it. That is a nonsense commercially speaking to wait. An only-digital release is their only way to be sure to not lose money in the printing, the marketing, etc.
It wont be digital-only because that would instantly slash the size of the market Remember the BAD 25 failure ? And I'm pretty sure there is more unreleased stuff on BAD 25 that what was ever planned for PR 30. Spike lee directed a documentary that was only released on the Sony site. Maybe physical copies of PR could be ordered on the WB site, in 2019, for the 35 th anniversary. [Edited 2/11/15 2:15am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
And I made clear that the 3.2 millions copies of MICHAEL were shipments of the 1st day. 1 month later, it was already on sales, and years after there is still more than one million of copies printed the first day unsold. That's maybe the greatest failure of the music industry ever. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
For all we know, WB has "Purple Rain 30" delivered to them. They had the "contractual obligation" albums, plus the right to release VBOP- and released them on their own timetable. You all are going to drive yourselves crazy with guessing. It will get released. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i think in an interview about 2 months back in record collector u.k magazine 3rdeyegirl said purple rain cd had been remasterd. Probably they are waiting for Prince to get behind project. I can not imagine it being release without outtakes and extended versions etc as it would be pretty pointless. I still think it would be a success without Princes promotion as he does not much anyway and if warners got behind it with a big promotion. it would do fine without him.
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
. Nope, they got two out of the three Prince owed them. Warner execs accepted them because they were sick of him; basically this was a deal Russ Thyret insisted upon. Of coruse, that was before they received the albums and saw the artwork... . Ultimate was delayed because Prince requested it, and its contents were altered at his request. Neither was required, yet they still did so. © Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights. It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for your use. All rights reserved. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Why would they release another very best of ? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
You can't make big promotion without the artist. Promotion would be paid by Prince, because he owns the masters. And of course, promotion is refund by money made on a worldwide tour. Remastered with the loudness war means low dynamic. It will sound worst than what was ALREADY released on CD. Even vinyls released today, most of the time, don't reach the dynamics of CD released in the early 90's. That's a fact. They could put on it extented versions that have already been released on a form or on another, but it's obvious that Prince doesn't want to give them unreleased songs (like ELECTRIC INTERCOURSE). He made clear that they are not finished until he released them. These songs could be used, in a reworked form, on future albums (if somebody is crazy enough to make a deal with him, I bet that these times are over). Even outtakes of well-known songs could present some instrumental, lyrical or vocal stuff that he could use elsewhere. And of course the material that Prince gave them is pointless, that's surely another reason why they are not in a hurry to release PR 31. I've got a question for those who still thinks the deal is happening : when do you believe WB will release it ? 2015 ? 2016 ? 2019 for the 35 th anniversary when the Cd format will be dead ? What are they waiting for ? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I do not believe it was or will be remastered in the traditional analog manner as the Led Zeppelin catalog has been (over and over and over). But then again at my age and hearing: MP3s sound fine for the most part. "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
The good time to release the remasters would have been from 2004 and so on. Prince and WB lost dozens of millions $ they could have make with this kind of deal. And I'm not even talking about the music video released on a good quality, and of course, live. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
http://www.startribune.co...18897.html .
. I'm still hoping Prince reconsidered this. © Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights. It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for your use. All rights reserved. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
. Don't pretend there's only one option. Plenty of current remasters improve on the original and previous remasters. There's even a "flat remaster" movement of sorts. © Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights. It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for your use. All rights reserved. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
. WBR are utterly blameless. Prince is the SOLE reason for the lack of such things. © Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights. It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for your use. All rights reserved. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Stop the Prince Apologists ™ | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
The only option considered in the case of Prince, would be the cheaper one. Each time they released a greatest hit from Prince (1993, 2001, 2006), the dynamic was lower than the previous one. Of course, it's not really remasters, but the goal was clearly to sound "louder". No doubt PR 30 was intented to sound that way too. [Edited 2/11/15 5:27am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
WB didn't believe in Musicology, at a time when the remasters were discussed in 2003. But of course, he is the one to blame. I just pointed out that P is not the only one who could profit from such a deal. [Edited 2/11/15 5:28am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
So, where's a Warner Bros Records insider when you need one...? Just somewhere in the middle,
Not too good and not too bad. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
As far as the record company is concerned they shipped 3.2 million units day one at which point they'd already made tens of millions from the album.
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i do not recall prince doing much promotion in 80s no interview etc. surely it would be up to warner brothers to promote. Sony can promote jackson cds without him so possible i think. Just put alot of adverts etc and album is that good people will buy it. I like you think the cd will just be louder. All he needs to do is 6 unreleased tracks like wednesday, electric intercourse Demos like maybe original baby i'm a star that was supposedly better, adding version of purple rain song with extra verse. Associated artist put the time tracks. apollonia dez dickensen etc on it, B-sides, extended versions Like computer blue. beautiful ones, and dance mixs. I think at most that is all we will get but i can still see it selling well. The first avenue benefit show dvd obviously should be added but that is unlikely. i think if he gave them that i think majority would be happy. Announcing it a year ago and making us wait without any knowledge of whether this project is scrapped is abit unfair.
[Edited 2/13/15 7:49am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
No, because shops are returning shipments unsold to Sony. That is millions of dollars lost. And printing 3 millions albums so fast, cost money too. Sony made the choice to print this album, instead of others, to monopolize factories for an album that is not selling, and to pay overwork for the workers. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i do not recall prince doing much promotion in 80s no interview etc. You've got short memories so, because in the 80's Prince was doing music video, and toured all around the world. Just put alot of adverts etc and album is that good people will buy it. It's not enough to make money. All he needs to do is 6 unreleased tracks like wednesday, electric intercourse Not happening, Prince won't give unreleased songs The first avenue benefit show dvd obviously The deal doesn't cover video, so not happening. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |