Comments on: Prince: The artist who formerly liked the Internet

Once considered a pioneer in online music distribution, the musician has since turned testy about fan sites and file-sharing networks. What happened?

[stockyjoe]

Lol I knew this would happen

I knew this would happen. First, he embrace's the give away culture because its rebellious in spirit and makes the kiddies happy. Then reality settles in. You cant pay for the million dollar mortgage, in house chef, flashy clothes and lavish vacations if you're giving things away for free and allowing for unleashed pirating. At least bands like Metallica understood the reality behind the give it away free attitude and what it can lead to.

[WebGlue]

Give away is not piracy

Giving songs away you own is not piracy or opening up your entire catalog of work to all of a sudden be free.

If you created a work of art and then gave it away for promotion does that mean all your art is now to be given away.

You are an idiot.

[Chaku01]

Adapt or die

I understand the arguments put forward by Prince and Lars on their respective rights on what they produce. I have as well no sympathy for people making money stealing somebody elses work, although I do not put people downloading music only for themselves in the same cathegory. What is needed is for the mechanics of the music business to adapt to this trend, the internet is staying, people will download, control has shifted and so should the music business practises. Protect your rights, but not at all costs, suing a single woman sharing 20 songs, posting 20 sec of your music or a bad picture of you is not relevant. Start by lowering your prices to a reasonable level, put out quality music and do not only look for music appreciated by the largest number of people, it just dilutes the quality, think hard how to use the internet in an innovative way, not in terms of direct return on investment...

[WebGlue]

Songs IP too

Music is no different then any other art intellectual property. Your bizzare logic (and spelling) is absurd.

"I understand the arguments put forward by Prince and Lars on their respective rights on what they produce. I have as well no sympathy for people making money stealing somebody elses work, although I do not put people downloading music only for themselves in the same cathegory"

So if you steal a painting from museum only for your own use is that ok?

If you steal pack of cigarettes from the store just for yourself is that ok?

Theft is theft bonehead. Property and art belongs to the person creating it and saying that music is different then any other property is wrong.

If you want to change prices of music you don't accomplish that by stealing it...

Imagine if someone stole something you owned how you would feel?

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE... and get a dictionary...

[jillriter]

I appreciate your comments

I understand most of what you are writing here and appreciate it. My goal personally is to "get my message across" by getting my music heard. Part of the way to do this is to use the massive amounts of exposure one gets by individually employing the internet and its manifold sites/spaces. Eventually, some money may be made. There is, of course, a learning curve we all must traverse as we adapt to changes in our environments. As marketing trends continue to change, we must all embrace the #2 mode of transportation, namely, the web. #1 mode is God, Himself, Navigator Extraordinaire. He always gets you where He wants you to go. Please visit me at jillriter.com and I hope you enjoy the music.

[veggiedude--2008]

I don't see any contradiction

Prince simply wanted the artist to have control and freedom from
external forces, be it the record company or pirates.

I f an artist wants to put their stuff out for free on the internet,
then it should be on their terms, and no one else's. Whats so
hard to understand about that?

Look at Radiohead. They offered their latest album for anything
you wanted to pay for it (the minimum to pay was for the
transaction fee) but still it was circulated to piratebay and other
free sites. That is not right.

[sadchild]

proof that prince is a hypocrite

isn't this the same guy (i use the term 'guy' loosely here) who gave an album away FOR FREE as a newspaper insert? why yes it is. here is the article, with a GREAT QUOTE proving his hypocrisy at the end of it.

Friday June 29, 2007

The Guardian

The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.

The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album. Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.

"It's all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible," said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron.

WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN?

It's all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible??

[rapier1]

I'm not sure you understand

When prince gave away that album he was still compensated by
the newspaper for it. Its would be more accurate to say that the
newspaper paid for a copy of prince's album for every
subscriber.

Whatever the terms of the deal were they were terms that prince
agreed to in advance of the distribution - in other words he
maintained control over the way his music would be distributed.
When someone takes that same album (or any other album) and
posts it on Pirate Bay they are removing that element of control.
They are usurping his rights as a creator of that work.

[jillriter]

we really don't know

unless we talk to him-- about the ins and outs of his deal/gift of song to everyone. I imagine he gave away these inserts as a promo as well as just a 'here you go, enjoy, on the house!' but I also imagine that he wants to define when his music is given and when it is purchased. It's not unreasonable to ask that your copyright not be violated, is it? It's also alright to give something away when you want to... afterall, it is his music. Now he must feel infringed upon. I think many artists must. I haven't made money on my music yet, but, it has cost something to get it recorded. I've given some away, and very gladly, but would also welcome earning something down the road. But I would like to be the one to say, go ahead, download, or, purchase by clicking here... I don't think he is a hypocrite, from what I've heard so far-- maybe he could explain himself more clearly, however, and then people might not act so indignant toward him. But does he owe that to anyone? If he is unseemly about it, that may just be him. But spreading and/or giving the music for the masses and earning a buck on it are not mutually exclusive.

[disco-legend-zeke]

He probably had to reverse his stance to get a contract renewal.

What is really sad is that music theft has given a bad name to a really great technology.

It's time for the record companies to go after the ADVERTISERS on pirate bay.

I did a test and founr K & N air filters, for example through some media network.

Since the pirates hide in obscure countries, thay may be untouchable. However, their sponsors will drop Pirate Bay like a hot potato(e) ot hot e-potato if challanged..

I can't imagine a fine company like K&N responding to a cease and desist in any other manner than to drop their ads.

[rapier1]

The 'new' model is bad for music

Some people have said that the rampant piracy of music is just
something artists must adapt to. They have to look towards
making all of their money from concert and merchandise sales.
Great idea if you are in a band that tours constantly. Its a really
*bad* idea if you happen to be in a studio only band, a band
that needs to spend some time developing new music, or just a
band that can't tour long enough or at large enough venues to
make a living entirely from it.

Look, you have to pay for things you care about otherwise they
go away. If you like music then buy the music - if you don't want
to support major labels and the RIAA then at least figures out a
way to send the artist a few bucks to show your appreciation of
their hard work.

[The_Decider]

Perhaps you are not aware of this

"They have to look towards making all of their money from concert and merchandise sales. "

That is the reality today.

People signed to a major label get 20 cents per CD sale, if they are lucky.

[thenet411]

Prince is no longer...Prince

Prince has literally lost his mind. He has lost touch with reality. He doesn't get why he can't have a camel brought to his hotel room in Minnesota at 2:30am. The idiots around him that refuse to slap him across the face and say "Snap out of it!" are also to blame. In many ways, he is becoming the next Howard Hughes.

[tetsuyo]

Prince is wrong.

Prince as a recording artist has made the most of the money that his talent earns him. Right now he is wrong to start going after fans and expecting more from the internet which is a whole new dynamic medium that is changing the music business as we know it.
So it is silly to fans of the internet to see him trying to impose old school ways onto the internet culture.
People love the internet because it allows them to get stuff for free. That is not stealing, but taking advantage of the opportunity that the internet provides. It is like you cant steal water from the ocean.

Recording artist who make great music will continue to make good money. But not as much as they could in the old days when the record companies controlled the distribution of music. On the other hand some recording artist who make great music will find that they can end up making more money by taking advantage of the internet than what they would make if they were signed to a major label. So things will balance themselves out.
What you see with Prince comes across as greed. One would hope that Prince has invested his money wisely so that he can retire comfortably. In the music business there is no guarantee that your cash cow will continue making cash for you. And that is if you treat her right. Imagine what happens if you treat her wrong like Prince is doing.

[Michael Bird]

More Yellow Journalism

A startling number of people who downloaded the Radiohead album received the download for free as a complimentary aside from buying the physical box set which comes out in a couple of weeks. That's the reason the numbers look so skewed. It is rather Yellow Jounlism of cnet to characterize the venture as disappointing when not only do admit that the they don't have accurate data, but don' recognize that the downloads were only 160 kbs (less than iTunes) and most Radiohead fans will be buying the physical release come January anyway.

Prince has been suing his fans for years, dating back when he tried to shut down fan sites that weren't affiliated with him, what 10 years ago? The only thing I can guess is that the Jehova's Witnesses needed some more money to print Watchtowers and goaded Prince into suing a website that neither the RIAA or MPAA has been able to legally contain. But he's gonna pull it off, right, because his name is Prince. And he is funky.

[gumsmug]

I?m always flabbergasted at the insensitivity, shortsightedness and ignorance of those cheapskates that insist on getting as much of their music as possible free, as if the artists don?t deserve to make a living off of what they spend the bulk of their time doing. Oh, I know the thinking: artists like Prince, who are multi-millionaires, don?t need any more money, so why are they so greedy? Isn?t that the same mentality of the shoplifter who feels that [insert favorite department store] makes plenty of money, so they can afford me stealing some of their stuff, and after all, I deserve it? When you download, copy, and/or distribute music from someone who does not want you to do that, you are STEALING from them, plain and simple, regardless of how much money that person has.

If you still disagree, please follow this logic:

Suppose that all artists receive 50 cents per song sold (they don?t, but just suppose). That means that a struggling artist who sells 10,000 copies makes all of $5,000, just enough to starve on. 100,000 copies, $50,000, and so on. Obviously, if an artist sells enough songs, he/she can make a handsome living. And just as obviously, artists who are more popular make more money, even if they are making the SAME amount per unit. Don?t you think the artist who sells just 10,000 copies deserves his $5,000? How about the 100,000 seller and his $50,000? So where does it end? Should a massively successful artist like Prince have to spend his time making his music for free, just because he?s successful? If he does give his music away for free, who in his right mind is going to spend 99 cents for a song by someone not nearly as successful and well known? So bands like Radiohead, who give away music for free, are actually hurting struggling artists very deeply, although their intentions are probably good and noble. On the other hand, artists like Prince, who has every right to protect what are his own ?intellectual property rights?, is doing a big favor for EVERYBODY in the entertainment business, including the strugglers at the bottom of the food chain. He is , in fact, leveling the playing field, hence greatly increasing the chances of success for the strugglers.

Nothing in this world is free, not sandwiches from your local deli, not a glass of lemonade from a local kid perched in front of his/her house, not baseball games, not even music. Think about it, people. If you?re too darn cheap to cough up 99 cents for a song that you?ll never have to pay for again, yet will entertain you for endless hours, stay home and contemplate your navels for entertainment. There?s no charge for that, I?m told.

[Jaggerick]

Just received this email and wanted to let the other fans know about it:

"Dear fans

We are very excited to give you the opportunity to let you interview Prince!

Get your questions out and add them as comment on our blog post (link below):
http://www.fanshake.com/m_prince

On October 11th, we will select the best questions and ask them directly to the music legend.
Don't forget to check Prince's profile on Fanshake, become a fan and demand a concert near you!

Yours fan-ly!

Fanshake"

[rude67]

my biggest issue is that you cant watch the videos the albums i own i go out and buy them but there is no where to watch the videos mtv dont play videos any more and his concerts are way to expencive for a normal person to buy and most of the time they are in another country anyway i have been a huge prince fan since the 70's but this is insane if he is gonna pull all internet stuff he can at least sell his videos on a disc that fans can buy or do concerts for people other than the millionares you would have to be to see him in concert holy crap prince get a grip man give your loyal fans somthing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!