So many things look like pointing to what could be a very big year for Prince in 2004.

It will be the 20th anniversary of Purple Rain, it seems a new album is in the works which if Prince plays his cards will be accessible to a general audience, he's doing a video for the new single, signing a publishing deal with music giant Universal definately gives him access to the mass market.

The new tour, playing his hits "for the last time" in preparation for a new commercial onslaught.

Yes this all can be taken with a grain of salt but it's looking a lot better Prince-wise than it has in a while (from a commercial perspective).

Or maybe he'll release NEWS Pt. II and F**K it all up

Bottem line: He'll do something that causes half the org to bitch and moan and keep this wonderful forum alive for another year...

derek said:

I think this is the only thing we can be sure of...

I would say no, he won't have a comeback, I would say nothing will happen for Purple Rain, I would say nothing at all will change for Prince, and his music will continue down the same path. And that's fine by me.

I may be biting my tongue, but I doubt it.

i actually do think something will happen with purple rain. previously, i said just the opposite, but i've started to think the other way. princ ehas signed on to do some mainstream commercial projects (including this tour) and he is nominated for a spot in the hall of fame. prince is many things but he is not stupid. getting into the hall of fame would be very lucrative, not to mention respectable. lucrative because it is bound to emphasize his recent work and website on a major commercial level. suddenly, with purple rain in the mix, people have a dose of nostalgia. couple that with him being in the media for a tour and hall of fame noise, well, it seems obvious that some (maybe not many, but more than in the recent past) may be interested enough to check out whatever release he has with universal. he'll also have the marketing team of universal behind him and clear channel on his side for radio play. i do not think it is coincidence that he is touring the hits, joining with clear channel, and signed with a major label at the same time of his nomination and purple rain's anniversary. you know, clear channel does own over 50% of commercial radio stations in this country...an agreement only makes sense. perhaps this is why prince did nothing for the 15th anniversary of PR...maybe he saved up for this...just a thought. but certainly, een in the worst case scenario, you need to mke some cash in order to continue doing what you love. maybe this is all an attempt to make some quick cash in order to maintain that freedom which he loves.

you know, freedom ain't cheap...

I think the best thing that could happen next year for Prince is releasing that 3cd set Anji spoke of.

it may be a big year for him. it's certainly shping up to look like something good will happen for him.

His deal with unnervesial, "greatest hits" tour, shooting a video that's a semi-big deal (I don't think they'd be asking for extras if this were simply gonna end up in the vault), pr's 20th ann. coming up, family jamm
it certainly looks like a successful year is in store fo him

And something will be done for PR,something, anything will be done. mark my words on that
Plus he seems to be getting a lot of attentiion lately, being talked about/having excerpts from the dvd being played on BET, that thing with mtv, hearing him on the radio alot, even a show on vh1 talking about "1999" (the song) in dept
Certainly seems like some sort of "wake" is starting to happen


btw: I was flippin thru radio stations on my way to work earlier today and heard something about a contest where you could fly to mpls. to meet him-something like that, and at the end of the commercial it said something like "sponsored by universial", anyone know anything about this?
[This message was edited Fri Oct 10 23:41:27 PDT 2003 by lovebizzare]

derek said:

I just hope he continues down the path he is heading at the moment. We don't need another commercial onslaught. Recent history suggests that would be an utter disaster.
[This message was edited Sat Oct 11 0:29:51 PDT 2003 by fairmoan]

fairmoan said:

The past does not equal the future, especially when it comes to Prince.

derek said:

perhaps not, but it amazes me that people are so keen for Prince to re-enter the mainstream when his recent attempts to do so have been such miserable failures. if he produces a good hit record then we'll all be happy but i think i'll just settle for a good record. and if he continues in his current vein without thinking about record deals and video clips i think that's just what he will deliver.

fairmoan said:

I have to agree with you "fairmoan". I mean, if I had a nickle for every time a fan said "This could be the year for Prince!..." I'd be a wealthy man. I always wish Prince the best in whatever he does concerning his music. But, I think his best work is always the result of doing what he feels in heart and soul. And NOT just doing something to become popular or commerically successful again.

I think that a lot of fans forget that way back when Prince was really popular and commerically successful, it wasn't because he was necessarily trying to be commercially successful. I'm sure that commercial success may have factored in to some of the things he was doing back in the day. But for the most part, I think Prince was just being "Prince" and the rest of the world simply caught on to what he was doing at that particular time. But it wasn't as if he was catering to the commercial audience. Now, that wave of commercial success and popularity has come and gone. If another wave comes... then great. But I just hope that from my own personal point of view that Prince remains true to his artistic vision first and foremost.

abucah said:

I totally agree...I just like to think that Prince's vision and the mainstream see eye-to-eye this time round.

derek said:

It'll blow up in his face no matter what he does, nobody's interested in him anymore as a commercial cash-cow, he simply can't rake in the money and become some "new" or "reborn" popmaestro that the masses will dig, he'll be neglected just like he was when the whole machine was working on promoting "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic"...
Prince can't become a commercial superstar anymore... He burnt all of his bridges...

Neversin.

don't forget Glastonbury and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

All I know is I ain't holding my breath.

shit, if i hear a new song in the radio just once it'll be cool!

Maybe, but he had two huge deals with EMI and Arista and they did everything. Music has changed quite a bit since his peak.

He's at his best when he's not chartchasing.

I don't think anything will happen with "Purple Rain" and the whatever anniversary. Warner Bros. owns all the rights to it, movie and music, and they probably won't want to do anything that's going to promote Prince in anyway now that he's no longer with them.

And honestly, does anyone really care about "Purple Rain"? What's so special about a 20th anniversary anyway? The movie sucks. It's poorly made and poorly acted. The only thing that saves it is the music. And the only reason the movie is "important" is in the context of black cinema in the early 80s.