Jon Bream:

"Prince was one of the first artists to use the internet to distribute music, but that lost momentum when it didn’t work to his satisfaction. Ever impatient when he lost control, he eventually began dissing the internet because of free streaming services for music and videos. He ended up sending countless cease-and-desist orders and pursuing other legal remedies. In 2015, he returned to an alternative system of peer-to-peer distribution by having fans sell his “Hit N Run Phase II” CDs on their own as if they were his independent sales reps.

''I think Prince was very aware that he was born decades too early,' said Joel Weinshanker, whose Graceland Holdings runs Paisley Park. (He never knew Prince personally.) 'Prince foresaw the internet. He foresaw the peer-to-peer relationship. He really shepherded that and understood that better than anyone. He understood the value in ownership before really anyone else did.'"

Link: http://www.startribune.co...420020243/ (Excerpt from Star Tribune article, 2 April 2017)

-----------------------------

Could Prince's vision for P2P distribution happen with blockchain technology?

As I was learning about what blockchain technology is and its potential applications, I thought about how artists could benefit from it to get paid without the need for middle-men like record labels or streaming service providers like Spotify that take the lion's share of the income the artist's music generates. It turns out WAY smarter people than I have already foreseen the changes this technology could bring to the music industry. Articles such as:

The blockchain will disrupt the music business and beyond:
https://www.wired.co.uk/a...ic-mycelia


and

Is Blockchain The Solution The Music Industry Is Looking For?
https://coinsutra.com/blo...c-industry:


allude to the impact that blockchain tech could have on restructuring the music business in a way that benefits the working musician.

I thought the whole model sounded strangely similiar to something Prince envisioned, but didn't have the infrastructure in place to really get off the ground. I think his idea of peer to peer distribution was dismissed by a lot of people (including myself) because they couldn't understand how selling music via a p2p network of fans could be more lucrative and effective than using a traditional music distribution company with a far wider reach to do it. Reading articles now about how the application of blockchain technology could "disrupt" the music industry model (again) by allowing artists to sell their music directly to the listener or letting listeners "invest" in artists with cryptocurrency, I can't help but wonder if this is akin to the broader concept Prince had in mind. Artists such as Imogen Heap, Bjork and Pitbull (!) have used or championed the development of this technology toward the end of giving artists more control over their copyrights and revenue (two things that Prince was also adamant about maintaining). As with any new technology, there are many significant problems that need to be addressed-- particularly how to ensure that the buyer is getting exactly what he or she paid for and how to stabilize the fluctuations in the value of cryptocurrency--before it can be used at all by the average consumer. All of this notwithstanding, could this be the beginning of a future where an equitable, efficient and reliable peer-to-peer distribution network/marketplace is available to all artists to earn a living? Has the value that people place on music declined to the point where it doesn't matter whether or not such a marketplace exists so as long as they can cop the newest Drake track for free?

[Edited 12/9/18 20:08pm]

[Edited 12/9/18 20:11pm]

[Edited 12/9/18 20:13pm]

blackmoondaughter said:

Jon Bream:

"Prince was one of the first artists to use the internet to distribute music, but that lost momentum when it didn’t work to his satisfaction. Ever impatient when he lost control, he eventually began dissing the internet because of free streaming services for music and videos. He ended up sending countless cease-and-desist orders and pursuing other legal remedies. In 2015, he returned to an alternative system of peer-to-peer distribution by having fans sell his “Hit N Run Phase II” CDs on their own as if they were his independent sales reps.

''I think Prince was very aware that he was born decades too early,' said Joel Weinshanker, whose Graceland Holdings runs Paisley Park. (He never knew Prince personally.) 'Prince foresaw the internet. He foresaw the peer-to-peer relationship. He really shepherded that and understood that better than anyone. He understood the value in ownership before really anyone else did.'"

Link: http://www.startribune.co...420020243/ (Excerpt from Star Tribune article, 2 April 2017)

-----------------------------

Could Prince's vision for P2P distribution happen with blockchain technology?

As I was learning about what blockchain technology is and its potential applications, I thought about how artists could benefit from it to get paid without the need for middle-men like record labels or streaming service providers like Spotify that take the lion's share of the income the artist's music generates. It turns out WAY smarter people than I have already foreseen the changes this technology could bring to the music industry. Articles such as:

The blockchain will disrupt the music business and beyond:
https://www.wired.co.uk/a...ic-mycelia


and

Is Blockchain The Solution The Music Industry Is Looking For?
https://coinsutra.com/blo...c-industry:


allude to the impact that blockchain tech could have on restructuring the music business in a way that benefits the working musician.

I thought the whole model sounded strangely familiar to something Prince envisioned, but didn't have the infrastructure in place to really get off the ground. I think his idea of peer to peer distribution was dismissed by a lot of people (including myself) because they couldn't understand how selling music via a p2p network of fans could be more lucrative and effective than using a traditional music distribution company with a far wider reach to do it. Reading articles now about how the application of blockchain technology could "disrupt" the music industry model (again) by allowing artists to sell their music directly to the listener or letting listeners "invest" in artists with cryptocurrency, I can't help but wonder if this is akin to the broader concept Prince had in mind. Artists such as Imogen Heap and Pitbull (!) have used or championed the development of this technology toward the end of giving artists more control over their copyrights and revenue (two things that Prince was also adamant about maintaining). As with any new technology, there are many significant problems that need to be addressed-- particularly how to ensure that the buyer is getting exactly what he or she paid for and how to stabilize the fluctuations in the value of cryptocurrency--before it can be used at all by the average consumer. All of this notwithstanding, could this be the beginning of a future where an equitable, efficient and reliable peer-to-peer distribution network/marketplace is available to all artists to make a living? Has the value that people place on music declined to the point where it doesn't matter whether or not such a marketplace exists so as long as they can cop the newest Drake track for free?

Im so on board with this...

I believe that Prince was definately exploring ways to make p2p distribution a reality....

YES..he was ahead of his time...but just wait...the world will catch on eventually

YES..he was on the way to Majorly DISRUPTING the industry as it is...

This interview with Jester Jenkins is testament...

P2P benefits not only the Creator but also the distributor..in this case

the Fans...

Prince was also a pioneer Social Entrpreneur..

WHere possible he employed the talent of LOCALS, artists, other musicians, costume makers etc..

Yeah i dunno guys. If he hadn't passed i'd imagine he'd have abandoned the peer to peer thing he was trying with HitnRun2 for the first company to hand him a few million in cash straight up. No disrespect to the guy but there was a lot of precedent for this, he truly wanted a fair distribution model for sure but money also talked.

No, really not. Ever. At all.

Firstly: crypto is totaly needlessly sucking up so much energy and at the same time contributing to Earth heating, that only morons could ever be enthousiastic and supportive about this fraud without even realising what they're doing.

Secondly: P's income would have shrunk compared to his age when records were still sold.

Thirdly: half of P's mystique would be lost. No more those big album covers where you could spend days on, etc

Fourthly: P was very partly innovative with wanting to go online, sell, a website, intercative, and so on, but most or all of that he did totally wrongly.

I hope i made my point without the need of further proof