I was wondering lately: for years we begged Prince to have his own online store (as he did now and then but it never lasted long) and release a shitload of material straight to us fans. In recent tweets Prince rejected the idea, implying it was too much work for too little profit.

Now we're obviously going to beg Prince's estate to do the same, because there's simply too much vault material to release for regular labels to absorb on the regular market (though one can upload as much as one wishes on platforms such as iTunes or Bandcamp so it's not like Prince had to have his own store in the end).

Now I was wondering: are there any (famous) artists who handle a vast catalogue in such a way: straight to the fans without any label nor using existing legal platforms? I think some artists/bands release live shows in such a way but I believe very few do it in the end. I'm asking because I wonder: if this business model is relevant, how come so few acts use it? But maybe I'm not aware of many artists who in fact do it.

Springsteen, for one.

Pearl Jam. You know, the kind of site Prince should have had for the last 20 years.

databank said:

I was wondering lately: for years we begged Prince to have his own online store (as he did now and then but it never lasted long) and release a shitload of material straight to us fans. In recent tweets Prince rejected the idea, implying it was too much work for too little profit.

Now we're obviously going to beg Prince's estate to do the same, because there's simply too much vault material to release for regular labels to absorb on the regular market (though one can upload as much as one wishes on platforms such as iTunes or Bandcamp so it's not like Prince had to have his own store in the end).

Now I was wondering: are there any (famous) artists who handle a vast catalogue in such a way: straight to the fans without any label nor using existing legal platforms? I think some artists/bands release live shows in such a way but I believe very few do it in the end. I'm asking because I wonder: if this business model is relevant, how come so few acts use it? But maybe I'm not aware of many artists who in fact do it.

I'll handle this. Yes, Pearl Jam does, but they took a page out ogf Phish's book - who took a page out of the Grateful Deads book. However Phish perfected it early on.

Also Jack White, of White Stripes fame has his own record label and physical store named Thirdman records. - It's this model I think would've fit best for Prince, Jack not only does release his own recordings, but he records other artist that releases through his label/store

https://thirdmanrecords.com/news

http://drygoods.phish.com/

http://www.pearljam.com/goods/

[Edited 5/25/16 20:32pm]

I didn't even realize P had a store in Uptown

(Mpls, MN) until now, and I lived in Mn. then

Wish I had went there. Looks awesome.

www.fox9.com/news/136297717-story#

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Uptown has seen plenty of stores come and go, but one in particular has special meaning for Prince fans.
For 20 years, a building with a purple door, a half block from the corner of Lake & Hennepin, has been home to Go Home Furnishings. Before that, it housed New Power Generation, a store where Prince sold memorabilia and unreleased music to fans who flew in from around the world to visit.

"There was a lot of fabric. I remember it flowing in the front of the doorways. It was an homage to him. A shrine to him. Definitely had his stamp on it," said longtime Go Home employee, Jason Caldwell.

Whether it was the symbol on the floor in the basement or the life-sized mural on the second floor, Prince certainly left his mark. After the NPG store closed, fans still flocked to Go Home, looking for any signs of his Purple Majesty.

Looking back at Prince's Uptown store

"It was a daily occurrence. People would walk in, 'Is this Prince's store?' They would want to take pictures by the door. Just to be in the space that was his," said Caldwell.

Even Prince would return and go on shopping sprees at Go Home sometimes without saying a single word.

"I knew he was buying for Paisley Park, so the clipboard was always there. With him he'd say 'I'll take that, that, that.' He'd buy 10 pieces at a time. He was generous. $10,000-$20,000. It was a nice day," said Caldwell.

Since Prince died, fans have come in to reminisce about the musical icon.

"We're lucky to be here and share the stories with people and share the experiences we have with people and grieve together and collectively get through this," said Caldwell.

The New Power Generation Store only lasted for about a year in the early 90's, but Caldwell says it left a lasting impression on a generation of Prince fans.

purplethunder3121 said:

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Uptown has seen plenty of stores come and go, but one in particular has special meaning for Prince fans.
For 20 years, a building with a purple door, a half block from the corner of Lake & Hennepin, has been home to Go Home Furnishings. Before that, it housed New Power Generation, a store where Prince sold memorabilia and unreleased music to fans who flew in from around the world to visit.

"There was a lot of fabric. I remember it flowing in the front of the doorways. It was an homage to him. A shrine to him. Definitely had his stamp on it," said longtime Go Home employee, Jason Caldwell.

Whether it was the symbol on the floor in the basement or the life-sized mural on the second floor, Prince certainly left his mark. After the NPG store closed, fans still flocked to Go Home, looking for any signs of his Purple Majesty.

Looking back at Prince's Uptown store

"It was a daily occurrence. People would walk in, 'Is this Prince's store?' They would want to take pictures by the door. Just to be in the space that was his," said Caldwell.

Even Prince would return and go on shopping sprees at Go Home sometimes without saying a single word.

"I knew he was buying for Paisley Park, so the clipboard was always there. With him he'd say 'I'll take that, that, that.' He'd buy 10 pieces at a time. He was generous. $10,000-$20,000. It was a nice day," said Caldwell.

Since Prince died, fans have come in to reminisce about the musical icon.

"We're lucky to be here and share the stories with people and share the experiences we have with people and grieve together and collectively get through this," said Caldwell.

The New Power Generation Store only lasted for about a year in the early 90's, but Caldwell says it left a lasting impression on a generation of Prince fans.

The store was cool. I spend many a day there. My avatar is a scan of their business card.

Nine Inch Nails did some fantastic indie distribution projects after leaving Interscope back in 2008, but then went back to a major label for "Hesitation Marks" in 2013.

Both the "Ghosts" set and "The Slip" had simple, easy pre-ordering and purchasing with different editions.


Their current online store looks good but is physical only, which I guess is because Trent works for Apple Music now on the digital side so they get the NIN digital priority.

Howard Jones:

http://www.howardjones.com/shop.html

Self produced albums, dvds and merch since 1994.

Digital releases in the past have been free. Mostly physical product.

He's been doing this online at least sine 1997/1998.

Wendy And Lisa

http://www.wendyandlisa.com/store

Been doing this with physical and digital releases since 1998.

Sadly, they just lack volume of releases!

Francis Dunnery

https://www.francisdunnery.com/shop/

Just like Howard Jones, Francis has been totally virtically integrated for a very long time. His shop has physical and digital content. All old content has been stripped out to promote the new album. He also used to sell offical 'bootlegs' of his concerts.

Thanks for all the replies.

I had kind of dismissed the artists like Ani DiFranco, Bill Laswell or John Zorn (among others) who have a fully operative label with more than their own records, because NPG records was never a proper label the way paisley park was: it's only for Prince records.

But i'm glad to see so many others do self-distribute Jah Wobble also has his own self-only label

Militant said:

Nine Inch Nails did some fantastic indie distribution projects after leaving Interscope back in 2008, but then went back to a major label for "Hesitation Marks" in 2013.

Both the "Ghosts" set and "The Slip" had simple, easy pre-ordering and purchasing with different editions.


Their current online store looks good but is physical only, which I guess is because Trent works for Apple Music now on the digital side so they get the NIN digital priority.

I was going to say NIN too. And, don't forget to mention that Ghosts and The Slip were offered as free downloads (you could order physical CDs for a price).

darkroman said:

Wendy And Lisa

http://www.wendyandlisa.com/store

Been doing this with physical and digital releases since 1998.

Sadly, they just lack volume of releases!

.

They only pressed 1000 copies of White Flags album. When I finally ordered it, Renata (Lisa's wife) sent me the last eight they had, and told me to spread the wealth. I've given away a few copies, but still have about three still sealed. Hell, I even kept the box she sent them in. I doubt they'll ever print anymore. Renata has always been a kind person to me, so it was an incredibly sweet gesture for her to send those records over. I think maybe she just wanted to be rid of them, and clear up some space in the treehouse. hahaha

Militant said:

Nine Inch Nails did some fantastic indie distribution projects after leaving Interscope back in 2008, but then went back to a major label for "Hesitation Marks" in 2013.

Didn't Trent put up links to fan made stuff? I remember there was a one-off show where they performed The Downward Spiral (I think?) in full, front to back. Fans had gotten wind of it, and quite a few conspired to film the show. The videos were amazing quality, high def. They got one with good sound and edited all the other videos together. You could download the DVD ISO or just the MP4 video.

.

The best part about it was hearing the fans roar with every song they started to play. They realized that they were hearing the album, live, front to back and what a special moment this was for everyone. "OH MY GOD! WHAT?!" over and over. It was actually rather moving. While I"m not a huge NIN fan, I fully appreciate Trent's talent, and the NIN fanbase's love for the music. It reminds me a lot of Prince fans - without the bitchiness.

.

Hashtag all T no shade.