laurarichardson said:

funksterr said:

There is literally nothing in that article that merits a click.

I can distill it for you:

1) Prince didn't understand that the overwhelming majority of his albums, and general direction of his artistic output was not popular with the general public, blamed racism for his troubles and thinks he should be paid more than The Beatles for streaming, but was only offered a fraction of that.

2) Journalist talks about Journalist a lot and believes her race allows her to understand Prince in a way others may not, yet the article is no more insightful than any other Prince interview since , regardless of anyone's race.

I think that covers it.

--- Maybe while you are so busy being a smart ass you might mention the vast majority of his music was not popular with the masses because he was an independent artist who struggled to get his music on the radio which had drastic effects on sales. Oh and I am pretty sure people will singing "Purple Rain" into the next century while no one walks around singing "I am the egg man". He deserves as much money and accolades as the Beatles.

Exactly. That was the biggest problem: He never developed the marketing machine to allow his brand to mature to the level of The Beatles. Quality of music aside (because at his best, nobody was better than Prince), the biggest issue was that he couldn't develop a long-term marketing strategy and stick by it. He didn't trust business professionals enough to get that done. It was not racism holding him down, per se. It was the price he paid to be "independent" and "truly free" from the industry by kicking out all the managers, agents and lawyers.

You can't run your entire career on a whim, but then go all black-lives-matter when an act controlled by business pros running a tighter plan, cuts a deal for more money than you.

funksterr said:

Exactly. That was the biggest problem: He never developed the marketing machine to allow his brand to mature to the level of The Beatles. Quality of music aside (because at his best, nobody was better than Prince), the biggest issue was that he couldn't develop a long-term marketing strategy and stick by it. He didn't trust business professionals enough to get that done. It was not racism holding him down, per se. It was the price he paid to be "independent" and "truly free" from the industry by kicking out all the managers, agents and lawyers.

You can't run your entire career on a whim, but then go all black-lives-matter when an act controlled by business pros running a tighter plan, cuts a deal for more money than you.

someone who gets it! he had gained so much momentum in the first decade of his career and then spent the last 3 decades screwing it all up and being sanctimonious about it. that whole "i can't be played!" comment and state of mind did him far more harm than any half decent management would have.

--

it's fine to bite the hand that feeds you, sometimes even necesarry, but it seemed to me he started that shit w/ WB just to have something to do. there was absolutely no reason for him to sign the deal if he didn't want to or be such a shit about honoring it after it was signed. from then on he appeared to be in "i'll show them!" mode. Why? just get on with your career. too much of the james brown model of business management,imo.

PurpleDiamonds1 said:

Mumio said:

I'm onboard with this. I don't get it at all, nor do I get people who are here that continuously argue with everyone else. It feels like people wait on the sidelines, looking for someone to jump on about whatever it is they might say. Sad that people are that angry and nasty.

Agree. I stopped coming on here so frequently because of that. Would be nice if people could keep his positive memory alive. Just feel that is what he deserves

I have to say I find the negativity of Prince's own fans towards him (and each other) on here bizarre. I can't help but think of the Tavis interview where Prince talked about being critiqued in ways that were not constructive and that it hurts sometimes. I'm not saying we have to pretend like he was perfect but discuss with the knowledge that we only have how things appeared to us and not the full picture.

It's depressing to say but there's been too much negativity since he passed, from media and fans alike. I find it very upsetting, there's no peace. We should be celebrating the music, not bitching about how crap he was in the 90s or whenever, how he was only good in the 80s (total BS imo!!) or how poorly he did this that and the other (especially when we only have the perception of things - his book would've cleared up a lot ).

wavesofbliss said:

funksterr said:

Exactly. That was the biggest problem: He never developed the marketing machine to allow his brand to mature to the level of The Beatles. Quality of music aside (because at his best, nobody was better than Prince), the biggest issue was that he couldn't develop a long-term marketing strategy and stick by it. He didn't trust business professionals enough to get that done. It was not racism holding him down, per se. It was the price he paid to be "independent" and "truly free" from the industry by kicking out all the managers, agents and lawyers.

You can't run your entire career on a whim, but then go all black-lives-matter when an act controlled by business pros running a tighter plan, cuts a deal for more money than you.

someone who gets it! he had gained so much momentum in the first decade of his career and then spent the last 3 decades screwing it all up and being sanctimonious about it. that whole "i can't be played!" comment and state of mind did him far more harm than any half decent management would have.

--

it's fine to bite the hand that feeds you, sometimes even necesarry, but it seemed to me he started that shit w/ WB just to have something to do. there was absolutely no reason for him to sign the deal if he didn't want to or be such a shit about honoring it after it was signed. from then on he appeared to be in "i'll show them!" mode. Why? just get on with your career. too much of the james brown model of business management,imo.

I dont think you guys get it. All this talk about marketing and branding and at the end of the day, the Beatles brand may be stronger but neither member own any of their songs and the fight over who gets MJ's portion is one hot mess. If I was to follow your line of thinking, Paul McCaurtney should just sit and be quiet, not bite the hand that fed him, and hold himself to the contract he signed as a baby when he probably, like Prince, did not fully grasp what he was signing at the time.

Yes there is a price to pay as an independent artist and I think for Prince, did well for himself, I dont see what it is that he screwed up. He is a cultural icon and should be paid for what he is worth, but he was fighting a battle in an industry that to me is screwed up.

That's just my two cents. Im not proficient in the music business and even I can admit that there were things that Prince could have done better promoting his later music as an independent artist. But everything thing cost money and I can only assume that he knew what he was doing cuz he sure didnt die broke. Prince was brave and artists for centuries to come will thank him for the stance that he took. That's how I will choose to remember and appreciate him.

[Edited 7/31/16 8:57am]

wonder505 said:

Prince was brave and artists for centuries to come will thank him for the stance that he took. That's how I will choose to remember and appreciate him.

[Edited 7/31/16 8:57am]

i completely agree with this. he was a renegade legend in his own time. and my comments don't negate any of it. can we not take in the more problematic and contradictory aspects of prince's life and business affairs w/out people crying foul or feeling as though we're trying to shame in some way.

wavesofbliss said:

wonder505 said:

Prince was brave and artists for centuries to come will thank him for the stance that he took. That's how I will choose to remember and appreciate him.

[Edited 7/31/16 8:57am]

i completely agree with this. he was a renegade legend in his own time. and my comments don't negate any of it. can we not take in the more problematic and contradictory aspects of prince's life and business affairs w/out people crying foul or feeling as though we're trying to shame in some way.

No shame here or given and apologies if it came off that way. Just think Prince was on to something significant for artists even in ways we may not understand.