I think this is pretty much what we all would like to see. Well said IstenSzek.

This one looks like it might have a proper case with artwork



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[This message was edited Mon Jan 12 6:13:05 PST 2004 by KeithyT]

Marrk, that deserves a blowjob...whip it out. I'm on my knees.

Deplorable is exactly what it is.

*The "Oh IstenSzek, you know I'd give up the chain around my waist for just 2 nights with YER face" edit.*
[This message was edited Mon Jan 12 7:40:30 PST 2004 by theblueangel]

Marrk, that deserves a blowjob...whip it out. I'm on my knees.

Deplorable is exactly what it is.

*The "Oh IstenSzek, you know I'd give up the chain around my waist for just 2 nights with YER face" edit.*
[This message was edited Mon Jan 12 7:40:30 PST 2004 by theblueangel]

theblueangel said:

blimey!

Marrk said:

Indeed.

Well after I finally have some boots I think that Prince himself is responsible for making them. They r so professional made (the Artwork, etc.) that it would b impossible 2 make them on a home PC. And there r so many of them...

KeithyT said:

Yes indeed. But when and where will we learn about it?
And how will we finally get it?

Anyway, that's not the problem.

I think I'll send this rant to npgmc or post it there.
But the sad thing is that they won't take notice.

Well, in all honesty, they don't have to either. But
I just miss the days when his albums were albums and
not a bunch of downloads or a quick photoshop cardboard
thing just cause that's easier and cheaper to ship.

I had the day off today so I decided to finally sit
down and try to make some sense of all the songs
and downloads we got from the npgmc and from
various other sources since Prince went 'interactive'.

I printed all the artwork I got from either fansites or
just made up myself and worked my way through
all the different downloads to try and create something
close to an 'album' for each series of songs I felt
fitted rather well together.

It was quite a difficult job and one I’d been putting off
for a long time now. But since the rack of Prince cds
in my collection was missing all the internet stuff I
just had to get it all together, burn in onto albums and
make some artwork.

Now, while I was doing this, I was seriously wondering
as to why a man who used to be so obsessed
about his music and where it ended up and who had a say
in it -is now just competely scattering it all toward
every obscure nook and cranny of the net.

Eventough year one of the club was rather cool with a lot
of new music, it completely lacked any sense of direction
or purpose.

There was no artwork, no tracklists, no information on the
songs or it’s players and no lyrics. It was just a grabbag
of material.

Now, if it would have contained some more old material, say
pre-namechange, that is, one would have simply been able
to throw them all together on a 3 disc set and label it the
Second Crystal Ball.

But it wasn’t. So you’re left with a shitload of songs that
don’t belong anywhere really. The one thing I still don't
understand is why he's not able to just make a new album
and get it pressed with artwork and all and then put it up
for sale in stores.

Is that so difficult? A lot of obscure indie bands do
it every year and I'm sure they have a lot less money
or resources to get it done than Prince has.

Heck, bootleg companies release albums with kick ass
artwork at a dozen a year. Surely they sell less copies
than a regular official Prince release anyway.

Plus, eventho Prince implores that his art should be
available to the public when it’s fresh and new and not
linger in some vault or pressingplant for months before
we get to hear it, he continually announces his new
endeavours 6 months before release and then pushes
it’s release back and back again due to manufacturing
problems and what have you not.

Which is also strange, since bootleg companies seem
to be able to release stuff like the Australian and
Japanese ONA shows, only weeks after they were staged.

Jewelcase, booklet, artwork, info, and photocd’s,
all done in a matter of weeks.

So despite the fact that it must be possible to get an
album Out in less than 6 months, there must also be
enough profit in it cuz otherwise these 'companies' would
not keep releasing those boots.

And it’s not like the internet filesharing has slowed them
down from releasing this stuff either.

I'm not trying to say that I know anything at all about
how this industry works, I'm simply observing what I see
happening around me and how I wonder about these things.

Despite all this, it’s still Prince’s call and his own art,
so I’m sure he [thinks] he knows best. But that still
doesn’t explain the utter lack of information or direction
in a lot of his recent output.

The internet thing is a nice novelty, but in the end, what
most people whom are really into a certain artist want
from that artist is a real album. Sure the odd one off
single or download is cool enough. But in the end,
What’s best is to just have a complete album with
artwork and all. Designed the way the artist himself
intended it. With a certain feel and a certain style
to accentuate the tracks.

And since, as I said, it seems perfectly possible to
get albums into stores, just put them there for god
sakes. One thing that would do is finally offer people
a bit more perspective on what he releases and WHERE
you can find it.

That way, if you find out about a new album, or become
interested in his back catalogue, at least you will be
able to pick it up rather easily and it will still be
available.

Instead of finding out about for example "Xpectation"
or "C-Note" early February, only to find that the albums
have been taken off the site and are now nowhere to
be found -except on fileshare.

If it wasn’t for my friends with creditcards, I would not
have been able to join the npgmc at all and thus would
have found myself in a situation where I had to either
get the songs on fileshare or –oh irony- resort to the
Bootleggers, whom download these songs and release
them to stores on cd’s. The exact same copyrighted
product.

I’ve seen the ONA piano album in stores on Bootleg.
That’s just ridiculous! And yet it’s happening.

And then the npgmc complain about people who try
to get their hands onto that material. What they fail to
understand is that I’d gladly go into a story and put up
the money for a new Prince album. No matter how many cds
he’d release in one year.

The club could have a decent discography with info on
the tracks released and such and perhaps even the
occasional live download or obscure things but please
just release new music in good soundquality on a disc
and with artwork.

The way things are now, his entire output is being
reduced to a handfull of songs here, an obscure single
release there. And mp3 album that's up for 2 weeks,
an official album, then some more downloads that don't
belong to any album or can't be specified to any era.

It's all just so muddled now.

If he feels the need to have occasional songs out that
don't go on a complete album, than why not resign to
a sort of anthology series where he releases songs
that come from different eras or from projects that are
and were aborted.

Throw in a few different takes or mixes, and a smattering
of old tracks he feels comfortable about and turn it into
a series.

SELL them through the npgmc for all I care, but please,
just put some more direction and focus on it all because
this way, in a few years from now no one is going to be
able to discern what should go where.

I'm done rambling now



and i hope i'm done editing as well now
[This message was edited Mon Jan 12 6:06:36 PST 2004 by IstenSzek]

I'll post the tracklists tomorrow, but don't expect too
much from them

IstenSzek said:

Ok, looking forward to seeing what you put down!

seanski said:

Well, how could I resist a smile like your's eh?

Yes indeed. But when and where will we learn about it?
And how will we finally get it?

Anyway, that's not the problem.

I think I'll send this rant to npgmc or post it there.
But the sad thing is that they won't take notice.

Well, in all honesty, they don't have to either. But
I just miss the days when his albums were albums and
not a bunch of downloads or a quick photoshop cardboard
thing just cause that's easier and cheaper to ship.

Eventough year one of the club was rather cool with a lot
of new music, it completely lacked any sense of direction
or purpose.

There was no artwork, no tracklists, no information on the
songs or it’s players and no lyrics. It was just a grabbag
of material.

Now, if it would have contained some more old material, say
pre-namechange, that is, one would have simply been able
to throw them all together on a 3 disc set and label it the
Second Crystal Ball.

But it wasn’t. So you’re left with a shitload of songs that
don’t belong anywhere really.

The one thing I still don't
understand is why he's not able to just make a new album
and get it pressed with artwork and all and then put it up
for sale in stores.

Is that so difficult? A lot of obscure indie bands do
it every year and I'm sure they have a lot less money
or resources to get it done than Prince has.

Heck, bootleg companies release albums with kick ass
artwork at a dozen a year. Surely they sell less copies
than a regular official Prince release anyway.

IstenSzek said:

I am not trying to be a naysayer here, but why do you honestly think these songs were released this way in year 1 on mp3 only?

I say it's because he had no real serious interest in giving these songs a proper CD release. Just look at the 'Chocalate Invasion' bs. This set was supposed to contain the songs from year 1 of the club, but it was withdrawn, like so many other projects (AFTER they had managed to seduce the remaining hesitating members to "join").

There obviously isn't enough (financial) interest in releasing these songs on CD in stores worldwide. Hell, he didn't even have enough interest to accompany the songs with info on the names of the musicians, a date of creation and some decent artwork in the club release. Not only is this disrespectfull to the collabaorating musicans, it's also a gesture of "We don't give a fuck what you want" to the paying members.

I say that year 1 were songs which would have been collecting dust in the vault if they wouldn't have been released by the club on mp3. And since you know how much the club respects its members and how bad it conducts its business the answer is right there for you. They care very little.



This is a different matter. Bootleg companies may be able to release a CD within a few weeks, but they don't have to make and pay for the music first and then distribute it to thousands of stores worldwide.

Bootlegged records usually can only be found in certain small stores. A proper offical Prince release dserves more than that and for that Prince needs a major distributor.

Since he is working with Universal again you can bet that Universal isn't willing to release more than a couple of albums each year.

Prince and his minions at the club could then of course fill up the vacuum with release through the club only, but you also know how that goes: They make the money by promising an 'exclusive'/club only release, which is much more expensive than a CD in store, then deliver way too late to the paying members and with the money they made from that finance a proper offical release, leaving you as a paying member baffled with your so-called exclusive CD that hasn't even arrived in your mailbox yet.

And that's quite alarming. Because everytime the club pulls
a stunt like this, they're driving away more of the ever
decreasing number of loyal fans who're still hanging on at
this stage.

And for what? To release stuff to the general public? What
general public?

PEACE, great tracklist but where's VanGough???
CARMY

Me! I'm one of the general public who would gladly see him release everything, you know, the way musicicans do when they want their music to be heard. I disagree with the exclusivity of the club thing anyway, but that's another matter.

What was all that shit Prince wittered on about during the Slave era. Free the music? My Arse.

To illustrate my point I haven't heard any of the songs on either of your CD's. I'm sure they're all great songs but how the fuck am I ever gonna find out?

Sorry, slightly off the point I know, but it does show that NPGMC, Prince, and the distribution of his music is totally fucked up.

I completely agree.I really wish Prince would just sign some kind of long-term distribution deal with a record company.That way,he could go back to releasing one complete album a year,sold in stores with the proper artwork,lyrics,etc.I kinda miss the Warner years,when everything was done in a more orderly fashion (single,then video,then the CD,and finally the tour).