"TIDAL have honored Us with a non-restrictive arrangement"

To me that sounds like a time-limited exclusivity for Tidal that would still allow Prince to sell the album as download and hardcopy after a certain timeframe.

Anyone who has ever "lost" digital content should understand the desire for physical cds. Unless someone kicks down my front door and wrestles my cd out of my hand, I know that I will always have it.

Where are my NPMC downloads? Expired DRM!

ThomasBjj said:

Anyone who has ever "lost" digital content should understand the desire for physical cds. Unless someone kicks down my front door and wrestles my cd out of my hand, I know that I will always have it.

Where are my NPMC downloads? Expired DRM!

Let's ROLL.

ThomasBjj said:

Believe me. I know about losing critical files. Anyone in business knows. From media storage devices becoming obsolete, computer crashes, corrupt files, on and on. Having them in your own place is false security. I know this too well. I have learned over many years. Right now in this fast evolving media age, I have preached cloud storage to friends for many many years. Yes I know many people are weary and scared, but I have lost far more files with me managing and securing them, and less hassle accessing them with them being in the cloud.
[Edited 8/8/15 9:27am]

tatocorcu said:

So here is my message to him: Dear Prince, on September the 7th (probably before) I will get your new music. It´s up to you whether you want my money for it or not.

Gotta say, this is where I'm at. I'm not paying for a streaming service, that's not how I listen to music and I certainly don't "rent" music. You want my $, sell me a copy, preferably CD or Vinyl but for Prince I will also pay for a download that I can listen to anytime without having to be connected to a stream.

If, down the road, he offers it for sale, even if I have already downloaded it I will buy a copy. I will NOT subscribe to Tidal to listen to a stream.

Just sayin'...

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Buddy, you passed the moon ages ago, and crash landed right in Uranus.

BobGeorge909 said:

Shannyn said:

Same here

I see what y'all saying....but.... The ONLY CD player I have is in my car...and it skips summin fierce. I have a record player...but its stuck in the house and not portable, and tbh...it gets pretty dusty. I get internet connections virtually everywhere...98 percent of the time they're free or included in my costs of having a phone/data plan. My internet connections are much more portable and reliable than ANY physical media players I have. I like to take advantage of that rather than shun it. Do they even sell discman anymore? Is there a CD slot on my phone I don't know about? No worries TBH....I just stick the audio plug from my stereo into my phone or comp and bypass all that physical bs... I don't understand why people hold on SOOOO hard to older, more difficult ways to listen to music.

Ever see one of these?

[img:$uid]http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/f2744be9-7ba0-434b-881a-aaa509ff97ff/cde4a382-4cec-430c-98a4-6e481277e50c.png[/img:$uid]

PLus, if I have the CD (or a download) I can transfer it to any format or platform I want. I also like artwork and liner notes.

BobGeorge909 said:

Shannyn said:

Same here

I see what y'all saying....but.... The ONLY CD player I have is in my car...and it skips summin fierce. I have a record player...but its stuck in the house and not portable, and tbh...it gets pretty dusty. I get internet connections virtually everywhere...98 percent of the time they're free or included in my costs of having a phone/data plan. My internet connections are much more portable and reliable than ANY physical media players I have. I like to take advantage of that rather than shun it. Do they even sell discman anymore? Is there a CD slot on my phone I don't know about? No worries TBH....I just stick the audio plug from my stereo into my phone or comp and bypass all that physical bs... I don't understand why people hold on SOOOO hard to older, more difficult ways to listen to music.

Yeah, well, the only way I can stream is in my house. I don't carry a "text machine" nor have streaming in my car. I do have an iPod classic to load rips of my CDs onto. It is not dependant on a connection and I can listen to it through my home system, my car system or on the go. For me it maybe older but is the EASIER way to listen to my music when/where I want. If I have a physical copy I am not a slave to a device, a connection, a subscription service, or future changes in what is available on a subscription service... I don't understand why people hold on SOOOO hard to newer, more dependant ways to listen to music.

And yes, they still sell discmans, they even sell cassette walkmans (thanks Guardians Of The Galaxy!!) Plus, guess what, CDs also play in every DVD, Bluray, Game System and computers with disc drives. Find me a format more versatile AND less dependant than a CD and I'll just remind you that a CD is easily ripped to that format at no additional cost.

luv4u said:

CarolineC said:

I totally agree.

Everybody talks about this. I never lost ANY of my NPG Music Club songs. I bought them, burned them to CD and still have all of them.

beatz01 said:

Good catch. There will be a CD, vinyl, etc...people stop whining.

feeluupp said:

Prince's fans are all too old to understand streaming...

Not true. I UNDERSTAND it fine, I just don't like it. Like self driving cars and DOnald Trump.

V10LETBLUES said:

filthyrichyuppie said:

Back to skewl chile. You didn't mention downloads (conveniently). It's about ownership. You know, that concept Prince often talks about too.

Like mail stamps and faxes before email. People need to move on. I remember how I couldn't wait for the stragglers to to finally move on so we could get rid of useless technology. Move along because no one will stay behind with you.

Back to skewl chile. You didn't mention downloads (conveniently). It's about ownership. You know, that concept Prince often talks about too.

EroticDreamer said:

Aerogram said:

Remember in Baltimore when he said something along the lines of wanting to come back and stay in an hotel that's black-owned? Prince is supporting a venture started by Jay Z that echoes his own philosophy about artists getting a fairer deal in an industry that screws them every day?

I may not be pleased that I'd have to join Tidal to hear his album, but in terms of being true to his beliefs, this deal shows he means business. This is most likely happening with WB's full blessings with Prince emphasizing his commitment to a solution that incudes supporing black-owned businesses.

Will I be joining Tidal? Maybe if I found out all his remastered albums are now on it.

If so, that's such bs.

Not my fault more black people don't own hotels.

Maybe if they didn't buy so many gold chains they would.

Dude, seriously? No place for this shit here. Maybe FOX News comments setion is more your speed.

dadeepop said:

I'm going to write "SLAVE" on my face and when people ask why I'll say it's because I had to pay for a streaming service I didn't want just to hear Prince's new album. That's right I went there.

filthyrichyuppie said:

I will say this. If you have a narrow scope of artists and albums you listen to, and can fit it all on your Zune or stay home most of the time and you can play on your gramophone, then streaming is not a good value or option for you.

PurpleSkipper58 said:

V10LETBLUES said:

MIRvmn said: Promotion had ZERO to do with it. If there is fault with anyone over AOA, all parties involved share the blame for releasing an album with no artistic appeal, much less commercial. Comical to believe anyone involved in the music industry felt compelled to release it. Non the, the new tracks point to someone shaking someone up. Sounds like Prince woke up.feom the coma he put himself in on Artificial Age. Sounds like the autopilot is finally off.

Promotion had A LOT to do with it...

Even that ONE TV appearance he made on The Arsenio Hall Show was MONTHS before the album dropped. There was no tour. There was no real ads anywhere. No one I know knew about it, therefore whoever was in charged of promoting it did a terrible job. Maybe Prince didn't think that WB deserved the PR Remaster after they were resposible for that...

Yup! I've already heard more non-fans talk about Hit&Run more than I ever heard with AOA & PE.

If there is no physical realease, or at least a digital release elsewhere, ie. Amazon, this will be an absolute disaster for sales on this album. The only people who will spend $25 at Tidal, and then spend another 12-15 for the album to only be able to stream it, are absolutely crazy imo. I want a physical copy or at least the ability to acquire this without having to join a service. Sales of this album will be anemic if this is truly the only way he is releasing it, regular people who love music, and might even like Prince, will walk away from the thought of getting this album in a split second.

Prince is about the money plain and simple, if he was not, he would have his own site to distribute his music, but he knows there is more money in the initial payout for rights to sell, etc. What a shame, the dude is worth 500+mill, apparantly that is just not enough. They ain't turnin the lights out on ya anytime soon brother.

[Edited 8/8/15 10:21am]

leadline said:

Of course there will be a download available at some point.

V10LETBLUES said:

filthyrichyuppie said:

Back to skewl chile. You didn't mention downloads (conveniently). It's about ownership. You know, that concept Prince often talks about too.

I will say this. If you have a narrow scope of artists and albums you listen to, and can fit it all on your Zune or stay home most of the time and you can play on your gramophone, then streaming is not a good value or option for you.

Your refusal to adress the issue speaks volumes. Please, show some respect. Adults are talking here.

If only there were some way for Prince to create some sort "website" that people can "sign up for" and "join". Perhaps for a small $7.77, $19.99 or even $31.21 "membership fee". Through this a hypothetical, imaginary, pie-in-the-sky invention that has never been attempted before, Prince could perhaps allow his fans to "shop" there and he could offer the material they desire, whether streams or downloads and then maybe a separate area provides physical material, like "vinyl" or "CD's". Maybe even "DVD's of live concerts?

I'm thinking WAY outside the box here, but that LAST area could "Ship" these materials via a process called "The United States Postal Service" or something called "United Parcel Service", perhaps for an additional and nominal fee. Further, if a given fan is impatient, they could pay a sort of "express fee" or "overnight delivery charge" to expidite the delivery of said product.

I know this all sounds crazy and that technology hasn't caught up to this level of service and unique approach to delivering product to willing consumers, but a man can dream can't he?

....

Kidding aside, fuck everyone saying "you old farts don't know about streamin". I know about it fine and I'm 48. Also a bit of a tech hound who knows my way around computers.

Streaming is OK for some things but it is often fickle and unreliable. Ever had a slow night on Netflix or YouTube? Ever been camping or somewhere more remote and gotten shitty signal service? It also forces you to "upgrade" your technology every fucking year it seems and it gets slower and worse every time you do so until you utlimately feel compelled to by a new "state of the art device" to replace the one you just bought 2 or 3 years ago.

It's a fucking pain in the ass a lot of times too. Having to remember 100 different passwords, update your firmware and software every five minutes, security breaches and holes that let people hack into your shit unless you spend hours a month changing the channels on your router, setting WPA, WPS and WTF passwords and all sorts of other shit.

People are also forgetting that the telecoms gouge the ever loving shit of you, choke your service, provide NO customer service, raise their rates all the time, suffer outages and maintain a monopoly, so don't forget about the prohibitive cost that YOU'RE ALREADY PAYING just to get these awesome devices to consistently. Even forgetting about the TIDAL membership fee or what have you.

Being online all the time also has its disadvantages. If you drive an older model car (which is where I liste to MOST of my music) and you don't have the "latest and newest" tech installed in your vehicle. I have a 2008 and a 2007 car. Neither has all this new shit and, being middle class with a kid and all that, I'm not paying to have it put in. Telecoms and websites also track you online, fill your e-mail or message box with spam, share your information with others and tailor unwanted advertising at you based on your online activity.

Lastly, my Ipad and my laptop are not joined up to my sound system which is not THAT old. My Ipad goes on a charging station that has decent sound but not great and not surround. My desktop has a couple of nice speakers but sits in my office where I use it for work. As the number of wireless devices in my home increases (Xbox, Ipad, 2 phones, laptop, desktop, visitor's devices, etc.), my service chokes and sputters sometimes. I guess I can just PAY MORE for Super Duper High Speed - TURBO Version Xtreme!!!!

There are a lot of reasons people are indifferent or don't care for streaming services, the latest tech and prefer physical media. I've listed several, but this smartass "hahahah. You stupid OLD PEOPLE just don't UNDERSTAND streaming" may be true for some, but not all, and probably not most. I won't be using my phone to pay for stuff anytime soon either but that doesn't mean I don't UNDERSTAND how it works.

Here's a funny thing too. I can pay $10 - $15 JUST for the CD and make it work across ALL of those platforms. How novel and antiquated of me.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

If U were a real fan like most here aren't, U would support 's endeavors. It's not many ways that a artist as successful as is can release muziq without it being leaked.

This is the only way it can't be....

BullSHIT! This will be available illegally on September 7 or SOONER. This is no safer yet far less accessible than selling the album as lossless downloads from his own site like he did with the tracks on 3rdeyegirl.com.

The funny thing is: this is no joke...

This would have been and still would be the easiest way to have all the material together and drop new songs the second they're ready, just as he wants it.

His failure at this is unforgiveable and amazingly stupid.

Hopefully, after Tidal, no-one will offer him a deal/money EVER again, and he HAS to do this and do this right. Or let WB take care of it.

herb4 said:

If only there were some way for Prince to create some sort "website" that people can "sign up for" and "join". Perhaps for a small $7.77, $19.99 or even $31.21 "membership fee". Through this a hypothetical, imaginary, pie-in-the-sky invention that has never been attempted before, Prince could perhaps allow his fans to "shop" there and he could offer the material they desire, whether streams or downloads and then maybe a separate area provides physical material, like "vinyl" or "CD's". Maybe even "DVD's of live concerts?

I'm thinking WAY outside the box here, but that LAST area could "Ship" these materials via a process called "The United States Postal Service" or something called "United Parcel Service", perhaps for an additional and nominal fee. Further, if a given fan is impatient, they could pay a sort of "express fee" or "overnight delivery charge" to expidite the delivery of said product.

I know this all sounds crazy and that technology hasn't caught up to this level of service and unique approach to delivering product to willing consumers, but a man can dream can't he?

....

Kidding aside...

djThunderfunk said:

dadeepop said:

I'm going to write "SLAVE" on my face and when people ask why I'll say it's because I had to pay for a streaming service I didn't want just to hear Prince's new album. That's right I went there.

Haven't read through this entire thread yet, so maybe someone else has brought this up but... I wish Prince (or Josh, or whoever came up with the idea) would move past the RUNNINGEVERYTHINGTOGETHERINTOONEWORD kick. It's lame and it's tired.

*

*

*

THANKSPRINCEANDJOSHIHOPEYOUTAKEMYOPINIONUNDERCONSIDERATIONSIGNEDALONGTIMEPRINCEFAN

peedub said:

i ain't streaming shit. gimme a record. damn, i'm 'bout outta patience with this dude.

Yep.

STARE is NOT on HITNRUN according to the latest PRINCE3EG tweet.

I am glad its not on there, nothing experiemental about this song, it could be an outake from chocolate invasion or slaughterhouse. Not sayin I don't dig it, would just rather something else in its place on HITNRUN.

djThunderfunk said:

BobGeorge909 said:

Shannyn said: I see what y'all saying....but.... The ONLY CD player I have is in my car...and it skips summin fierce. I have a record player...but its stuck in the house and not portable, and tbh...it gets pretty dusty. I get internet connections virtually everywhere...98 percent of the time they're free or included in my costs of having a phone/data plan. My internet connections are much more portable and reliable than ANY physical media players I have. I like to take advantage of that rather than shun it. Do they even sell discman anymore? Is there a CD slot on my phone I don't know about? No worries TBH....I just stick the audio plug from my stereo into my phone or comp and bypass all that physical bs... I don't understand why people hold on SOOOO hard to older, more difficult ways to listen to music.

Yeah, well, the only way I can stream is in my house. I don't carry a "text machine" nor have streaming in my car. I do have an iPod classic to load rips of my CDs onto. It is not dependant on a connection and I can listen to it through my home system, my car system or on the go. For me it maybe older but is the EASIER way to listen to my music when/where I want. If I have a physical copy I am not a slave to a device, a connection, a subscription service, or future changes in what is available on a subscription service... I don't understand why people hold on SOOOO hard to newer, more dependant ways to listen to music.

And yes, they still sell discmans, they even sell cassette walkmans (thanks Guardians Of The Galaxy!!) Plus, guess what, CDs also play in every DVD, Bluray, Game System and computers with disc drives. Find me a format more versatile AND less dependant than a CD and I'll just remind you that a CD is easily ripped to that format at no additional cost.

Great post!

RobotDevil said:

Sounds like someone doesn't know that computers been getting rid of their disk drives gorgeous years, and Blu-ray is on the verge of obsolescence. Things change.

herb4 said:

BobGeorge909 said:

Ever see one of these?

[img:$uid]http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/f2744be9-7ba0-434b-881a-aaa509ff97ff/cde4a382-4cec-430c-98a4-6e481277e50c.png[/img:$uid]

PLus, if I have the CD (or a download) I can transfer it to any format or platform I want. I also like artwork and liner notes.

Omg, I know how you feel! I see that almost everyday! My internet is bipolar! one minute it's fast, the other it's like Dial Up! lol

BartVanHemelen said:

inspireof said:

Being a multi millionnare doesn't mean anything anymore these days... Prince has bills just like anyone else and cutting deals like this one entitles him the freedom to create more music at his on pace...

.

I just love how famz continue to defend Prince's shitty business decisions with the most ludicrous reasons.

.

Lemme get started on debunking your nonsense by givign a couple of links. This and this and this and this etc. That's just a small selection of upcoming releases. You might notice that these are box sets and deluxe releases for artists that have sold a fraction of what Prince has sold. Yet somehow it is economically viable for those releases to exist, but Prince cannot release his albums on CD (or heaven forbid, vinyl).

.

Sure, PP costs a lot to run. Wanna know how you can fund that? With a steady stream of income. Not by searching for ad-hoc deals that pay you millions if you're lucky.

.

But apparently I'm an "armchair manager" who doesn't know anything, while Prince is obviously a business genius who for some reason now has struck a deal with a desperate and rapidly failing streaming service.

I think this is where it's at.

box sets and remasters,even his laughable new albums deserve

real releases.

Prince is ONLY in it for the money but does not see where the money

and respect is.