As right as you are, unfortunately the responses to this are most likely gonna be hostile

I wish Prince understood the power of Youtube and streaming.

A bit double-edged really isn't it.

I remember at school not even seeing an interview with him from when I first heard DM to Parade - apart from some wierd tape-thing.

Then he did the Parade interview - the first thing I saw of him as a person - and it was "mysterious".

But then, that was part of the whole thing with Prince - less is more...

Now, in the disposable age... sorry I meant digital age... I guess he keeps that mystery by controlling accessibility to his music/craft/art.

I kinda dig that.

But, the flip side is - the legacy is not as widespread as it could be...

So back to double-edged sword

As a Prince fan you have to maintain your Own collection.. It's rather intersting keeping him as a selfish indulgance.. its kinda makes your own relationship with his music semi-intimate and rewarding.

It's interesting from an old dude like me.. lol.. How in the hell did we ever survive the 80's with no Youtube or streaming services.. LOL.. we saved our babysitting money and built a collection!!

sovembol said:

sovembol said:

It's interesting from an old dude like me.. lol.. How in the hell did we ever survive the 80's with no Youtube or streaming services.. LOL.. we saved our babysitting money and built a collection!!

Yep...and the anticipation of a new album project dropping was all part of the experience.

It gave that emotional investment to the music/style/scene.

And we tended to savour the latest release and having to wait for little sniippets, tv appearances, tours, b-sides to keep in touch.

Getting home from the wrecka - putting on the album and then reading the lyric sheet and liner-notes.

Built Prince's mystique and following - not to mention hunting down boots at Camden Market/Soho etc...

Nowadays - a click of an anonymous button and bang! - you got the lot...with a skip button on your ipod to boot!

Prince loves mystique - and that is something he finds challenging in the disposable/digital age...which may explain his reticence to legally put everything in his library on-line.

Plus, the commercials suck!

sovembol said:

It's interesting from an old dude like me.. lol.. How in the hell did we ever survive the 80's with no Youtube or streaming services.. LOL.. we saved our babysitting money and built a collection!!

...

At least we knew where to get the music in the 80s. I've totally lost track of where you can even hear his latest albums. I'm not on Tidal, and don't like the idea of it. There's a few tracks on Spotify, but what happens when they get taken down?

How do we keep a collection anymore?

He is one paranoid fuck. He is the Barack Obama of culture.

how dare he keep his music off of services that rip off artists.

sovembol said:

It's interesting from an old dude like me.. lol.. How in the hell did we ever survive the 80's with no Youtube or streaming services.. LOL.. we saved our babysitting money and built a collection!!

.

right? we actually had to spend some money on the stuff. im tired of people bitching about how they cant listen to every song ever recorded for free.

Alexandernvrmind said:

So I am setting up my new AppleTV and download Pandora. I'm listening to my "When Doves Cry" station and I hear no WDC or Prince. I then realize Prince in all his brilliance removed his music from other streaming services. I cancelled my Tidal service back in December or so. For me this is not a big deal because I have so much in the iCloud that I paid for...but it hit me when I realized that Prince is one self destructive dude. These kids know who Mike Jackson is. His music and image on video is accessible Prince makes you have to jump through hoops to have access to his art and in addition to that he puts most off with his outright strange appearance and actions What a train wreck... Cmon we all love the dude. His music was the soundtrack to high school and college for me....but man P is just really a difficult person. His legacy is not nearly what it should be. Smh

.

puts people off with his strange appearance and actions? his so called weirdness (screw normal) is made most of us fans.

[Edited 2/29/16 19:09pm]

Connected said:

A bit double-edged really isn't it.

I remember at school not even seeing an interview with him from when I first heard DM to Parade - apart from some wierd tape-thing.

Then he did the Parade interview - the first thing I saw of him as a person - and it was "mysterious".

But then, that was part of the whole thing with Prince - less is more...

Now, in the disposable age... sorry I meant digital age... I guess he keeps that mystery by controlling accessibility to his music/craft/art.

I kinda dig that.

But, the flip side is - the legacy is not as widespread as it could be...

So back to double-edged sword

I agree. I wish there were more videos on youtube to watch, especially some of his live performances. The superbowl halftime for example or his better videos, ie "Kiss".

That said, I like the fact that he's taking his music off of streaming sites(unless they pay him a fair share). They make a shitload of money - but how much does the artist make?

Next to nothing is my best guess.

They want it? Pay up. Otherwise, you get nothing in return.

--Here's the only solution I see: Prince or his publisher of the moment - produces ads for youtube with a link to a website to watch or purchase or download his videos for a fee. I would jump at the chance to buy or download his live/tv performances/videos with higher quality(my Beautiful Experience vhs is worn out )) -- aint gonna happen but we can dream right?

savagedreams said:

Sigh, the last few years as a fan for me have been tough. I don't ever want to pay for "Tidal" (they seem to have a nasty habit of ripping off lesser known artists and hence the recent class action lawsuit)....now he's not on Pandora anymore?? WTF! This is ridiculous. I want to see the videos from the old days. Enjoy the new music as well. But, this is getting out of hand. Being a Prince fan in the 2010s is a chore...

SeventeenDayze said:

Sigh, the last few years as a fan for me have been tough. I don't ever want to pay for "Tidal" (they seem to have a nasty habit of ripping off lesser known artists and hence the recent class action lawsuit)....now he's not on Pandora anymore?? WTF! This is ridiculous. I want to see the videos from the old days. Enjoy the new music as well. But, this is getting out of hand. Being a Prince fan in the 2010s is a chore...

yeah I hear you

The thing is I don't mind paying... but the issue is accessibility. He alienates himself by making things so difficult to hear his legacy music. Not to mention that he was (and still is) an incredible live performer rivaled only by MJ live in his generation

Its a damn shame

SeventeenDayze said:

Sigh, the last few years as a fan for me have been tough. I don't ever want to pay for "Tidal" (they seem to have a nasty habit of ripping off lesser known artists and hence the recent class action lawsuit)....now he's not on Pandora anymore?? WTF! This is ridiculous. I want to see the videos from the old days. Enjoy the new music as well. But, this is getting out of hand. Being a Prince fan in the 2010s is a chore...

As a Prince fan, what really concerns me is nothing recent has come out of his “agreement” with WB. I fear that there will be some serious consequences for P if this deal falls through. He escaped by the skin of his narrow backside without a lawsuit before. I seriously doubt that will happen again.

If Prince's music was more widely available,many of the young people would start getting into him.They know who he is,but it's hard for them to find his music and videos.No one should have to jump through hoops just to find an old album or music video.

savagedreams said:

how dare he keep his music off of services that rip off artists.

Prince is a multi-millionaire,so this a lame excuse.Throughout his career,he has made a ton of money and continues to do so.Let's stop being paranoid and acting like everyone and everything is "ripping" him off.