It has been over a year since the last SDE. The estate has given us zero new music, zero plans for new music, and zero meaningful communication with the fans whatsoever. Londell and Charles have stubbornly refused to listen to any criticism or feedback, no matter how politely given. All they care about is shilling Prince's name and image for quick and easy cash, his musical legacy be damned.

Meanwhile, fan discussion sites are either dead aside from a handful of grouchy old-timers (a la this place), or full of surface level discussion about the same old handful of topics. The long time fans are shrinking in numbers, and the estate has no plan to turn newer generations onto his music to preserve Prince's artistic legacy. It feels like we're all witnessing the dying gasps of the Prince fandom in real time. It was fun while it lasted.

On the other hand, the music is still there. You can listen to it whenever you want. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of excellent music, recorded between 1977 and 2016. It's quite crazy, when you think about it.

New music will come, eventually. Don't lose hope.

party people in the crib get hyped! Let's get this party funkin' right!

MIRvmn1 said:

It's obvious by now that Londell and Spicer don't care about us and Prince's legacy.

They're padding their pockets, and we all know it. Londell's been a leech for how long now? Almost 30 years.

The Netflix documentary would bring Prince back into the public consciousness and I would certainly like to see it as it is.

Surely there must be some way to edit it to assuage some of the concerns that the estate has , I would certainly watch it if it was nothing but performance footage.

It was imagined as a biography and I am uncertain that concept could ever be realised with so little or no input from Prince (unavoidable). As it stands it is what everyone else glimpsed combined and can only be viewed though that lens.

The fandom is a strange beast and would be very difficult to come up with material that would energise and intrigue lifers like me and still tickle the interest of the "really loved purple rain, never dived deeper crowd"

[Edited 11/18/24 19:12pm]

On a small point, we got new versions of the Musicology b-sides this year.

Spot on - I feel every word of what you said in my bones, and I have to say, you’re absolutely right. This is what the slow death of a fandom looks like, and it’s excruciating to witness. Prince deserves so much more than this. He wasn’t just a musician or a cultural icon—he was a force of nature, a genius . And yet here we are, watching his legacy be fumbled, mishandled, and ignored by the very people who are supposed to be its stewards. It’s heartbreaking and incredibly frustrating - Just can't do anything about it

I mean, there's the complete radio silence from the estate. It’s not just disappointing; it’s disrespectful. Over a year since the last SDE? That’s mental, especially given that we know that LoveSymbol SDE is just sat there. Prince left us a vault—a literal treasure trove—of music that he intended to outlast him. He wanted us to hear it. He wanted his artistry to continue to inspire and challenge the world. And what have we gotten instead? A couple of half-hearted releases, endless reissues of albums we already own in every format imaginable, and some tacky merch drops. Oh, joy. How about they take some of that energy spent on slapping Prince’s face on overpriced t-shirts and focus on releasing the actual music?

Londell and Charles clearly have no idea what they’re doing. It’s like they see the vault as a goldmine for quick cash grabs instead of a living, breathing legacy that requires careful, thoughtful curation. I’m not saying every single note Prince recorded is ready for public consumption, but can we get some transparency? Some sense that there’s a plan? That someone—anyone—is thinking beyond the next fiscal quarter? Instead, we’re left in the dark, begging for scraps, while the estate seems content to milk his name dry without giving anything back to the fans who’ve been here for decades.

And don’t even get me started on the lack of effort to bring in new fans. You’re absolutely right: they’re letting Prince’s legacy wither on the vine. Where are the targeted campaigns to introduce his music to younger generations? Where are the collaborations with modern artists to show how influential he still is? Where’s the Netflix series, the biopic, the high-profile tributes that could keep his name alive in popular culture? Instead, they’ve left it up to us, the fans, to keep his memory alive—while simultaneously alienating us with their negligence.

As for the fan community itself? You hit the nail on the head. The forums are either ghost towns or echo chambers, full of the same tired debates about Purple Rain vs. Sign o’ the Times or whether Prince would’ve approved of this or that. And sure, those discussions are fine in moderation, but where’s the excitement? Where’s the sense of discovery? It’s like everyone’s either too jaded or too exhausted to even care anymore. I don’t blame them—it’s hard to stay passionate when it feels like the people in charge of Prince’s legacy couldn’t care less.

But you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. The potential for a vibrant, thriving Prince fandom is still there. The music—the core of everything—is timeless. Prince has an entire universe of songs, styles, and stories that could resonate with people of all ages if given the chance. But it’s going to take effort. It’s going to take vision. And it’s going to take people in power who actually understand and care about what Prince stood for.

We need to demand better. We need to make our voices heard—not just on forums like this, but directly to the estate, to the media, to anyone who might listen. And we need to do it now, because every day that goes by without meaningful action is another nail in the coffin of Prince’s legacy. This isn’t just about us as fans; it’s about preserving the work of one of the greatest artists of all time. It’s about ensuring that future generations can experience the magic, the audacity, and the brilliance of Prince.

So, yeah, maybe this fandom feels like it’s dying. But I refuse to let it go quietly. We owe it to Prince—and to ourselves—to fight for his legacy. Because if we don’t, who will?

I dont know what came over me... my moment of optimism and fight has gone - I give up !!!!! sigh