But why is it only a half hour show? How they gonna fit all that into them tight jeans? Hopefully we'll see different performances and interview clips on the different channels.

asg said:

Keep on smokin that Endo.

Are we going to be able to see this in the UK?

Does anyone know if part of the clips from what they're showing of the Hall of Fame

performance at the end includes the tribute to George Harrison when he did the "While my

Guitar Gently Weeps" solo? I recorded his performance and Alicia's speech and all but

for some reason didn't record the end of the show on vh1 so I have never seen it.

From what I heard it was great and now i'm bummed because it seems as if VH1 is not

gonna show it again.

This is what I would call "making some serious deposits into the bank of good karma", on both the networks' part, and on Prince's part in general, just for being so open and willing to work with just about anyone. Sure he will make the request to open a show, but I don't think folks would dispute the fact that after all this time, he's earned the privelege to make such requests.

When it rains, it pours.

Eric

ya gotta hope for prince's sake this super saturation of musicology on tv will translate into album sales...so far it hasn't. wait and see i guess.good luck p

Jasziah said:

I was also thinking of the same thing. It'll be a short show, especially if they plan on showing commercials. And as someone else pointed out, will this translate into album sales for him? Remains to be seen....

KeLo07 said:

Lawd.....BET was playing Prince videos before MTV.....ya'll tripping.....hell....BET was the first place I saw the "I wanna be your lover" video. And the last 30 minute video special they did wasn't the first time for them doing that either..... If anything, MTV had its nose up in the air about Prince.
[This message was edited Tue Apr 27 4:52:05 2004 by Rhondab]

alexnvrmnd said:

It's amazing how suddenly all these companies are kissing his ass - but of course he's had to play ball with them to achieve it, getting involved with Sony an'all. But at the same time you don't really feel like he's compromised himself.

Half an hour seems very short - didn't he play 4 full songs at the release party plus the acoustic set? At 5 minutes a song, and with interviews and adverts, clearly they are going to have to cut a lot out. An hour would have been more reasonable.

And I thought the album sales were going great anyway? But this will definately push it further on - along with the 'best of', ha! I think that's what a lot of people are doing, you know, they're buying his new album along with 'the best of' so they have the best of both worlds.

FutureShock said:

Well, Prince is doing the exact same thing, except when it comes to marketing himself. He's done the best job of it in the past year than he has since his heyday. P had plenty of songs that could have been hits if he'd marketed them right, but he just didn't (sometimes this was his fault, sometimes it was the fault of whatever label he was partnering with). Now, he's doing it, with the added bonus of a major to back him.

Think of it this way, in some ways Prince has won. He predicted the direction that the music industry was headed would bring about its downfall. A decade later, and Prince appears to be some sort of purple prophet. The industry is looking to artists like Prince to get them out of the tight spot they're in. The industry is also just starting to wake up to the fact that all those kids from the 80s are now in their thirties, with disposable income. This is why Duran Duran is selling out every venue they play. This is why Prince is every single place you turn, and has a hit album for the first time in ten years. This is why "comeback" albums are on the way for George Michael and Tears For Fears. The industry is desperate, and they are looking to their "elder statesmen" to guide them. THIS is why you are seeing all the "asskissing" going on. Personally, I kinda enjoy watching these folks who declared him a "has-been" now proclaiming him a "legend". To me its like "Hey, does that crow your eating need any salt?"

JediMaster said:

I must agree - the industry actually needs Prince more than he needs them. The concept of Musicology is most timely as the industry has found itself wrought with minimal musical talent, lagging sales and the onslaught of technology. Prince is bringing back real music for real musicians. THis will broaden the music buying market to older fans that can remember when there WAS real music by real musicians like Prince. It is not the pre teen to young adult segment buying his album - its mostly old heads in their late 30s and up to their 50s.

Prince was making his money and being Prince without them even though he wasnt on the radio or the charts. He proved it could be done. Now he is proving - again - that he is the baddest mofo on the planet. And the industry has to show respect.
[This message was edited Tue Apr 27 6:26:07 2004 by oldschoolfunkmaster]

Back 2 BET 4 a second... I know this is the station NPGMC mentions, but...

If they support him soooo much, why isn't there any mention of the show on their site, www.bet.com ???

NOW... I used 2 watch BET back in the days of Donnie Simpson's Video Soul. BET is not the same as it used 2 B, people.

My only wonder is how will each of the Viacom channels differ in the special.

Peace.

G.

oldschoolfunkmaster said:

Could not have said it better myself "oldschoolfunkmaster"... you hit the nail on the head. Prince proved to others in the industry (and perhaps to himself) that ultimately even though he would have to endure a much smaller fanbase to support him, he could still do it on his own. Musicology was all set to be released (at least via the internet) whether Sony gave him a manufacturing and distribution deal or not. Now with that being said, there's no questioin in my mind that Prince probably missed all the publicity and fanfare of being in the limelight. But I think that Prince had reached a point where he was going to do "his thing" with or without the backing of a major label.

So fans can come to whatever conclusions they want, but it's pretty clear to me that for a change, the industry needed Prince more than he needed the industry.

Rhondab said:

hmmm, all the video/appearance specials i remember are from mtv or vh1. the love 4 one another special was on vh1, emancipation special was vh1. there was some kinda rave special on vh1. i'm not saying he is never on BET...of course he is...but it seems like they have even MORE selective than vh1 or mtv. i dunno...

SassyBritches said:

No, trust Rhonda because I remember also. BET has usually always supported Prince, especially Donnie. Before MTV and VH1 came into the picture, for sure. They used to have ALL-day marathons of Prince videos back in the late 80s & early 90s! Never heard MTV or VH1 supporting him like that!!
[This message was edited Wed Apr 28 5:57:12 2004 by alexnvrmnd]

Remember that Prince was a black artist before he became an internationa super star. That means that only 20 years ago MTV and many top forty radio stations would not play him. Only black (urban) radio and BET backed Prince. I am old enough to have seen it. No rock or pop stations played Prince until Purple Rain. A few got on early with Little Red Corvette but it want until the world wide victory of Prince in 1984. I can remember hearing Let's Work, Uptown, I Wanna Be your Lover, and Soft and Wet on the small black stations. At night, some courageous and extra hip DJ might even air Head or the album version of Do Me, Baby. The mainstream (white media) missed the first 5 albums.

Yeah, yeah, we're all happy that Prince is getting all this exposure, but what if you don't like Prince? Wouldn't you be upset if some artist you didn't like was blocking five video channels at the same time for 30 minutes or whatever? How does Rick James feel about this?

sextonseven said:

It's a travesty, if you think about it.

alexnvrmnd said:

That's true. Back in the late 80s/early 90s in every June (Black Music Month), one of BET's afternoon video shows would show only Prince videos for the entire two-hour duration. I still have a videocassette of one these taped broadcasts.

alexnvrmnd said:

Well I wuzn't back then so I wouldn't know. As a matta fact I'ma l8 80's kid reppin'. & as I read this I decided 2 ask sum pplz that watched BET back in the day. They said they recall seeing many of his vids & I've done sum research & Yeah BACK THEN he wuz shown b4 da PR. & that's good 4 BET 2 do that ya know it's the station's main job/purpose 2 show music 4 the Black culture. But afda awhile they stopped showin' so much of him..& from what I rememba I haven't seen him much on there..rarely catch Musicology(his new stuff) on BET. That's what I'm sayin' yeah I'm sure back then he wuz supported by BET strongly..but now his vids are rarely on BET.

VH1 EVERY morning I see Musicology @ near or goin' on 6 'o clock/8 'o clock(days when I'm off I see it @ 8). Da otha night I seen it @ 4am(left da tv on). I watched it as always..but VH1 has been showin' him rapidly I mean BWE had him 4 havin' "The Best Week Ever",& VH1 News. VH1 shows his "2day" stuff,I know if I wanted 2 see sum his ol'school stuff BET would be my 1st choice 2 go 2('Grown Folks Music' & 'Midnight Love')--are good choices 2 show'em. 2night I plan 2 watch a lil bit of ML 2 see if they'll show 1 his vids(preferrable ol'school). Otha than that VH1 is where I see him the most,on the account of his new stuff.

MTV..I dunno what 2 say about that station. I dun even be watchin' it,so no comment on them.