anangellooksdown said:

What did people expect? most fans have all of his previously released tracks. That's why they should of opened the vault first. I bet the first vault release with be number one if the songs are packaged right. Especially a box set. Really most fans could care less what place Prince is on billboard. It's about the love of his music anyway.

MattyJam said:

A 32 track career-retrospective like this, with no crappy single edits, would've been so much better:

Single edits allows for more songs to be included on the CDs. And it gives casual listeners an incentive to still buy the respective albums to hear the longer versions.

Militant said:

There seems to be a lack of understanding here regarding hits compilations.

They rarely chart highly - as mentioned the Bowie one charted at a similar place.

Hits compilations are slow and steady. They maintain a steady sales pace over time, year in, year out.

This is why labels sometimes try and time them with the release of new material by the artist which may be happening on another label. When "Ultimate Prince" came out, WB tried to get it released at the same time as 3121 to capitalise on the promo of that album. This is just to give it an initial boost.

But they aren't expected to do huge numbers on their own.

I should know - Virgin/EMI issued a hits compilation for me/my band back in 2009. It's maintained a steady pace of sales ever since, although it's digital only at this point, it never had a physical re-print.

You are Swami? That's pretty awesome.

PennyPurple said:

Militant said:

There seems to be a lack of understanding here regarding hits compilations.

They rarely chart highly - as mentioned the Bowie one charted at a similar place.

Hits compilations are slow and steady. They maintain a steady sales pace over time, year in, year out.

This is why labels sometimes try and time them with the release of new material by the artist which may be happening on another label. When "Ultimate Prince" came out, WB tried to get it released at the same time as 3121 to capitalise on the promo of that album. This is just to give it an initial boost.

But they aren't expected to do huge numbers on their own.

I should know - Virgin/EMI issued a hits compilation for me/my band back in 2009. It's maintained a steady pace of sales ever since, although it's digital only at this point, it never had a physical re-print.

You are Swami? That's pretty awesome.

Yep, I'm one of the two primary songwriters along with my cousin who founded the band, and I do a lot of the vocals too We've been pretty quiet for the last year or so but are gearing up to finally release a new album soon. It's been a long time coming!

Militant said:

PennyPurple said:

You are Swami? That's pretty awesome.

Yep, I'm one of the two primary songwriters along with my cousin who founded the band, and I do a lot of the vocals too We've been pretty quiet for the last year or so but are gearing up to finally release a new album soon. It's been a long time coming!

Yay!!

Much is planned to keep his music fresh in the minds of people in general and to make new fans but this may be obsolete. Prince had a mystique and never had to prove anything. Proof isn't required that he will maintain his fan base because we're not going anywhere. They should fall back from selling the same familiar songs. We want new music. I am having a wonderful time listening to 94 East although he's not singing on it.

Well we all knew that a mid week release would mean a lower chart position. Very few albums chart highly without streaming apart from very current and high selling acts.

I don't see this as anything to be disappointed about and many acts have a greatest hist at this time of year over and over again.

Casual fans would stream this rather than buy a CD plus we have already seen a bigger seller earlier in the year with all the big hits on it.

Prince is the only act that I would buy a physical release from, I wouldn't download anything that he releases in a physical format, and sales are declining overall.

It is what it is and I can't imagine that the record company expected to much more although there have been TV adverts for the album here in the UK and the mid week chart position is no.20, full week sales will count but no streaming again.

This low place was highly predictable...In fact, HDD anounced 11.000+ copies sold for a #22 position. Strangely, Billboard reports only 7.500 sales, with a #44 position (#80 is the sales + streaming charts, see my post from two years ago : "Prince will never enter the Billboard 200 again").

The only explanation was that HDD extrapolated the sales for a complete week.

Then again, poor commercial management from WB to release 4EVER midweek.

.

WB invested 500.000 euros in the promotion in France, with tv and radio adds. That's really throwing money out of the window, because in France, in 15 years, THE VERY BEST OF sold only 120.000 copies, and maybe 20.000 more after his death. 4ever will sell maybe 30.000 ex in the first year.

.

They should have made at least one unreleased song by disc, with some other material than what was already on THE HITS. They should have replace GLAM SLAM, PAISLEY PARK, etc. (what a joke, nobody knows these songs) by TMBGITW, PARTYMAN, GOLD, LET IT GO, even THIS COULD BE US...

For this compilation to be legitimate, some songs should have been there : MUSICOLOGY, CALL MY NAME, BLACKSWEAT, TE AMO CORAZON, HOLY RIVER.

.

Of course there are right issues, but that's BS too : they even have included BATDANCE, with many samples from Keaton, Basinger, Nicholson, and it was deemed impossible for many years...So what was the problem with PARTYMAN to be included in 4EVER ? Makes no sense. Material post 1993 are out of print, so the estate and Sony, EMI, Universal, etc, would be more than happy to sell their material again in a greatest hits compilation.

The lenghts of the songs are a mistery too: there are 5 minutes left in the compilation...The order othe tracklist makes no sense, and MOONBEAM is thrown away in the middle of nowhere ( that is to say between GLAM SLAM and DIAMONDS AND PEARLS !)

.

I blame WB for cannibalizing the others greatest hits already released, and for not trying to make a real compilation from Prince's carreer. I really don't what is their strategy, but from an artistic and commercial point of view that's a failure.

.

They also lied, because this compilation wasn't approved at all by Prince.

[Edited 12/1/16 2:28am]

RODSERLING said:

The order othe tracklist makes no sense, and MOONBEAM is thrown away in the middle of nowhere ( that is to say between GLAM SLAM and DIAMONDS AND PEARLS !)

[Edited 12/1/16 2:28am]

Isn't it there due to Moonbeam being considered for inclusion on the Rave album before it was aborted? So in terms of cinsdered release, it's not a million miles away from the right place.

I hope there will be a Volume Two of this release that chronicles his post-Warners output. I'd buy that collection. I'd also like to see an album of just unreleased music becasue it's Prince right? All this mystery about the vault - exploit that ish.

Having said that, it would have been cool to see a single release attached the 4Ever.

Militant said:

There seems to be a lack of understanding here regarding hits compilations.

They rarely chart highly - as mentioned the Bowie one charted at a similar place.

Hits compilations are slow and steady. They maintain a steady sales pace over time, year in, year out.

This is why labels sometimes try and time them with the release of new material by the artist which may be happening on another label. When "Ultimate Prince" came out, WB tried to get it released at the same time as 3121 to capitalise on the promo of that album. This is just to give it an initial boost.

But they aren't expected to do huge numbers on their own.

I should know - Virgin/EMI issued a hits compilation for me/my band back in 2009. It's maintained a steady pace of sales ever since, although it's digital only at this point, it never had a physical re-print.

His previous hits collection all cracked the top 10?

When Prince died, news outlets around the world reported that the estate could put out an album a year for the next hundred years... the first release was another hits package.

Bowie has 8 albums charted in the UK in 2016. Prince has 6. People are/were buying the music.

I could understand the Greatest Hits if they'd just released the PR remaster - if you enjoyed PR at all then you might be interested in these songs...

If an album of hit songs isn't selling well... WB (I'd imagine) would be more cautious with future releases?

[Edited 12/4/16 10:27am]

Noodled24 said:

Militant said:

There seems to be a lack of understanding here regarding hits compilations.

They rarely chart highly - as mentioned the Bowie one charted at a similar place.

Hits compilations are slow and steady. They maintain a steady sales pace over time, year in, year out.

This is why labels sometimes try and time them with the release of new material by the artist which may be happening on another label. When "Ultimate Prince" came out, WB tried to get it released at the same time as 3121 to capitalise on the promo of that album. This is just to give it an initial boost.

But they aren't expected to do huge numbers on their own.

I should know - Virgin/EMI issued a hits compilation for me/my band back in 2009. It's maintained a steady pace of sales ever since, although it's digital only at this point, it never had a physical re-print.

His previous hits collection all cracked the top 10?

When Prince died, news outlets around the world reported that the estate could put out an album a year for the next hundred years... the first release was another hits package.

Bowie has 8 albums charted in the UK in 2016. Prince has 6. People are/were buying the music.

I could understand the Greatest Hits if they'd just released the PR remaster - if you enjoyed PR at all then you might be interested in these songs...

If an album of hit songs isn't selling well... WB (I'd imagine) would be more cautious with future releases?

[Edited 12/4/16 10:27am]

Yeah, they should have accompanied this collection with a dvd release of his video clips. At least it would have made some sense, and by promoting the CD with tv adds, it would have also promoted the dvd.

.

Very bad and strange marketing move from Warner.

RODSERLING said:

Noodled24 said:

His previous hits collection all cracked the top 10?

When Prince died, news outlets around the world reported that the estate could put out an album a year for the next hundred years... the first release was another hits package.

Bowie has 8 albums charted in the UK in 2016. Prince has 6. People are/were buying the music.

I could understand the Greatest Hits if they'd just released the PR remaster - if you enjoyed PR at all then you might be interested in these songs...

If an album of hit songs isn't selling well... WB (I'd imagine) would be more cautious with future releases?

[Edited 12/4/16 10:27am]

Yeah, they should have accompanied this collection with a dvd release of his video clips. At least it would have made some sense, and by promoting the CD with tv adds, it would have also promoted the dvd.

.

Very bad and strange marketing move from Warner.

I don't think anyone buys DVDs anymore. But I can't think of a reason they wouldn't have the Rave DVD (at least) up on Netflix/Amazon. Not to mention the music videos up on YouTube.

Up to #35 on this week's chart, with another 13,751 copies sold.

I think these figures are quite respectable for a new greatest hits, in the streaming age, when there's also three other hits compilations available (The Hits/B-Sides, Ultimate Prince, The Very Best of Prince).

Was it even available in stores for the Black Friday sales?

I know target didn't have it.

I just went on Amazon to look at Prince CDs and such; always interesting. When I clicked on Prince 4ever (no intention to buy it just like to read the comments) it says "usually ships within 1 to 2 MONTHS."

There seems to be a LOT of problems with getting this release out to the masses.

sro100 said: