Prince - Planet Earth
What a way to start a Sunday !
Talk a lovely walk through my village with my two kids, visit my local village shop, pick up a copy of the paper, which comes with the latest Prince album, free of charge !!!
And, of course, it's yet another work of genius !
So, how did this occur ? Well, when Prince announced his string of gigs in London at the O2 Arena, he also said that all ticket holders would receive a copy of his new album, Planet Earth. Nothing new here as he had already done this with Musicology in the States a few years ago. So, this was a welcome bonus for those of us lucky enough to get tickets. £31.21 for the tix and a free album. Can't be bad !
Well, a few weeks later, The Mail On Sunday announced it was to give away the Planet Earth album free with it's 15th July edition ! Not a sampler, not a teaser, but the full album !! Unprecedented and it got many people worked up into a tizz !
The Music retail industry were up in arms, saying that it was a slap in the face to all the retailers who had supported Prince throughout his career. Would these be the same retailers who couldn't be bothered to stock his last few albums (Rainbow Children, N.E.W.S., One Nite Alone, Musicology, 3121) unless on import, meaning UK fans had to fork out almost twice the price.
Yup, it was the same ones. Hypocrites.
Let's face it, retailers like Virgin or HMV have hardly supported Prince since he stuck two fingers up to the music industry back in the late 90's. He was no longer a huge commercial artist and they could make more money from conning pre-pubescent teenage girls with 50 teen boy bands a week. I've been buying my Prince material direct from his website for years now, ensuring the money goes direct to the artist and not to line some fat c*nts pocket who has no vested interest in the music, artist or fan. Funnily enough though, HMV have today decided to sell the Mail On Sunday for today only, just to make sure they don't miss out on a slice of his action !
The deal that was done with the Mail On Sunday ensured Prince earned more than if he sold his CD through the retailers anyway. All the businessmen who claim that it will drive yet another nail in the coffin of the music retail industry are plain wrong. Firstly, any artist that bypasses the established music industry is guaranteed to make more money because there is no middle man to pay. They can design their own artwork, retain complete artistic control and plough their earnings back into making more music. They can charge less for the product too, and still earn more than if they were in a restrictive deal with a label. The suits will have you believe that music is going to hell in a handcart, but in reality, they're just scared that they will no longer be able to make money from somebody elses talent.
Secondly, music buying has been going the way of the digital download for a number of years now, and it's almost at the point where it's the dominant delivery method. So, all the retailers and suppliers are having to change their business and deal with a reduced market share. The big behemoth companies are moving the slowest and are simply trying to stave off their imminent demise. It's survival of the fittest, and these fat cats are far from fit.
So, Prince has yet again pioneered a new avenue of distribution. He was a web pioneer, distributing his material in new and exciting ways years before anyone else. Now he has seen another method and shaken up the world. Let's face it, he doesn't need the money. He was the biggest grossing live show in the States for 2004/5 and continues to be the musical giant and genius he always was, but now he does it all on his own, releasing his music when he wants, to who he wants, in any way he wants. Who can deny this mans right to do that ??
So, go out and buy a Mail On Sunday (I know, it's a middle class right wing piece of junk normally, but I'm sure you can make paper fire bricks or line your litter trays with it !) and get yourself this brilliant piece of musical work.
Enjoy :o)
EDIT: Well, having listened to the album a few times now, this is instantly as accessible as 3121 & Musicology were. The title track isn't quite Gold or Purple Rain, but a decent lighter waving anthem to which I'm looking forward to hearing live. Guitar is a great romp. Mr Goodnight is playful like Strollin' from Diamonds & Pearls and the rest of the album is diverse yet typically Prince. As a fan, I'd have bought this without question, but there are almost 3 million people who got it free yesterday and I think it's safe to assume that most will be enjoyed ;o)
EDIT #2: Lots of positive press and links plus more debate in the comments section of this post. Feel free to add your thoughts :o)
Labels: Planet Earth, Prince
posted by Failed Muso at
10:43 am
10 Comments:
Bloody fair play to him, and thanks for the tip, i have tickets for the gig but didn't know about the mail giveaway :-)
By
Loonytunes, at 12:29 pm
Of course those in the cheap seats will be saying his music is so bad he has to give it away for free now. Not me though, I've bought a hundred copies of the Mail on Sunday and will be auctioning off the CD's to Americans on Ebay. God bless Prince!
By
gammagoblin, at 4:23 pm
Top idea GG !! :o)
By
Failed Muso, at 5:07 pm
Where did this myth come from that the music retailers are "fat cats" and middlemen leeching revenue from artists? Don't tar us with the same brush you're using to villify the record companies. As a record shop employee I've earned my measly keep over many years by helping my customers get the music they want. And there's plenty of life left in CD yet - downloads aren't even at ten percent of the music market yet.
For what it's worth I think the Planet Earth album is pretty good. However I reckon for Prince to distribute it this way is a dirty tactic, frankly. How does he think his loyal fanbase got hold of all his recordings thus far? Through shops like mine, that's how. Thanks a lot mate.
By
oysterfrond, at 8:51 pm
Thank you for your comment, Oysterfrond. Allow me to respond.
Firstly, having worked in retail for many years (including music & video), I know exactly how wealthy the owners of such retailers are. I have no doubt that the smaller, more independent, and sadly more rare outlets are genuine music fans and promoters of artists. However these are now extremely scarce. If you had watched the press coverage yesterday, all independent retailers who were questioned were decidedly non plussed by Prince's action and had no problem with it. It was the big boys who were spitting their dummies out. Retailers like HMV & Virgin, to name just two, are not in the market to promote, develop and encourage new music to it's customers. They are simply in the business of making money from a much sought after commodity. Their relentless promotions and price wars are more to blame for the devaluing of the product than Prince is for giving his album away for free.
If you believe that you have made, as you call it, a "measly keep" from all your years in the industry, that is your choice, and your choice alone. I got out of it for that very reason. Long hours, low pay and little gratitude for being enthusiastic about the artform and encouraging others to broaden their tastes soon took their toll, both financially and morally.
I agree that the CD still has legs, but those legs are now increasingly tired and the digital download is the new way forward. Big retailers are going to have to adapt and evolve or risk being overrun and overtaken by the more nimble businesses springing up to cater for the new demands of the consumer.
And as for Prince, well I cannot see how you can justify your accusation of it being a dirty tactic. His last album, 3121, was poorly stocked in all retail outlets, and subsequently sold only 80,000 copies. This was not due to him being unpopular, as his recent selling out of 21 nights in a 23,000 seater arena clearly shows. This was down to the retail industry focusing on the exploitation of the key markets of pre-pubescent teenage girls and anxiety ridden teenagers by stocking the latest dirge from Westlife or some U.S. wrist slashing crud. For the record, Prince's loyal fanbase haven't bought his material from your shops for years. We buy it direct from the artist via his websites. This way, the price is cheaper as he doesn't have to pay labels or conventional retailers, and he still earns more per track than he ever did before.
Artists like Prince owe you and your industry nothing. Music will always get out, as has been proved via the internet revolution. New delivery methods are replacing the old and the industry needs to adapt or die.
I accept your thanks with the sarcasm and cynicism with which they were delivered, and I would encourage you to direct your genuine thanks to your bosses for being the root cause of why the traditional music retail industry is in major decline.
By
Failed Muso, at 10:58 pm
"downloads aren't even at ten percent of the music market yet."
And the market isnt even 10% total downloads :)
I love buying music. Nothing nicer than having a shiney jewel case on the way home from the shops. The problem is, the shops are shite! Even the larger stores have pathetic variety. Virgin, in Cork, has shelves of untitled "sales" cd's. How the fuck are you meant to find anything? Then in normal CD isles, there is nothing! I don't have the most pop'ish music tastes but I rarely find anything I look for.
The new "Justice" album is the first cd I've bought from a shop in months, but where will I be able to find that album in a few months. Probably hidden somewhere in the sales racks. I went looking for the Royksopp album I blogged about, and found nothing!
The lack of any decent selection drove me to the internet years ago. You have 3 choices with the net: online suppliers, online download stores and P2P. Buying a cd and waiting 2 weeks for it to arrive is fine for completing a collection but its hardly fun. Paying over a Euro for a single song, in a lossy DRM encrusted shitty mp3 is robbery. So rather than have those cunts steal from me I steal from them first!
There is only one solution. Buy your CD's online but after you do so you revceive an instant zip file download of all the tracks and artwork at no extra cost of the CD's face value. Thats the kind of service I'd like and pay for. In fact, I've started to buy the vinyl versions of new albums I illegally download, for the artwork, something which the CD killed off.
There's life in the CD alright, but retail stores are fucked! Rather than stock the shelves with music, they crap up the place with T-shirts, books and, *sigh* coffee kiosk's.
By
gammagoblin, at 2:59 pm
Some good points GG :o)
As I was at a loose end today, I went into Birmingham city centre and popped into both HMV & Virgin. All I saw was racks of "Sale" items, 2fers and 3fers and all sorts of bollox. Virgin were even selling Prince's last CD at £2.99 !!! Who's devaluing the product ????? I picked up a copy of Prince's Sign O' The times movie for £7, reduced from £20 !
All I could see was wall to wall price drops. Sad.
The traditional music retail industry is simply upset because an artist exercised his right to distribute his material without involving them, denying them a slice of the cash. Did they complain when Prince was giving away his stuff for free online ? Did you hear their empassioned bleating when he announced he was giving his CD away with every concert ticket ? But as soon as a deal is struck with a paper, all hell breaks loose.
In actuality, Prince has given nothing away "for free". The Mail On Sunday paid him a handsome fee (rumoured to be in the region of £500,000 + a royalty per copy sold), so Prince has got paid as he always has done. No artist has lost out here. It was the MOS that decided to give it away.
It's merely just another channel of distribution. If the MOS believes that the next "Moist Gusset" CD will increase their sales, they'll propose a similar contract and that £15 you were going to spend on it can be spent on another CD of another artist.
All we are hearing are the screams and death throes of an overweight, sluggish industry that has ripped of artists and consumers for years. There is nothing wrong with running a business of supply and demand, but they are now turning it into fear and consumption, which is simply wrong. Don't criticise artists without whom they wouldn't exist in the first place. Do you think the record retailers went out in 1978 when Prince released his first album and stocked it in their stores because they thought it was great music ? Of course not. They stocked it because they knew it would make them money. Nothing wrong with that. It's consumer driven business. But don't get all pissy when the artist decides to use other valid and legitimate forms of distribution.
Welcome to the 21st century.
P.S. I have copyrighted the name "Moist Gusset" for future use by myself ;o)
By
Failed Muso, at 3:51 pm
An interesting article in today's Daily Telegraph...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/07/19/nosplit/bmprince119.xml
Here it is in full...
How a 'free' album makes millions...
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 19/07/2007
Prince's idea of giving away his latest release is not as eccentric as it first appears, writes Neil McCormick
Did you know the Prince album given away with last week's Mail on Sunday was his 46th official release? Even given that it includes compilations (five) and live sets (two), that is a lot of albums - almost two a year since 1978. And some of them are doubles.
Prince: the smartest-working man in Pop?
There surely comes a point when the world doesn't really need another album by any artist, a notion sales figures certainly bear out. Elton John, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones are quantifiable superstars enjoying some of the best reviews of their long careers and regularly touring to sold-out stadiums, but their latterday albums only graze the upper reaches of the charts, and singles vanish without trace. The artist may feel compelled to keep creating, but for most fans even the greatest musicians are defined by a few classics and a hits compilation.
Nearly 20 million people worldwide bought Purple Rain in 1984, when Prince's intoxicating, eccentric mix of rock and funk sounded like the future of music. By 2001 the fan base willing to shell out for Rainbow Children was a hardcore 300,000. UK sales of last year's heavily promoted 3121 were just 80,000.
Mind you, at least that's 80,000 who actually wanted to listen to it, not just newspaper subscribers who might stick it on in the background while reading about the Beckham's latest adventures in Hollywood. When the market is saturated with something, people tend to say "you can't give it away". But the Mail on Sunday's distribution of three million copies of Prince's Planet Earth suggests otherwise.
Whatever the Mail's traditionally reactionary readership made of this association with a cross-dressing musical satyr who conflates sex and God into a highly personal mythology of erotic spirituality, the music business was certainly not amused. SonyBMG, the label scheduled to release the record, cancelled its commercial release. Record stores threatened to remove Prince's back catalogue: "The Artist formerly known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores," said Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association.
Prince was accused of "devaluing music". Yet he himself simply called it "direct marketing", with a view to promoting his upcoming 21 shows at London's O2 arena. The newspaper paid a rumoured £300,000 for the album, which is more than any advance Prince would receive from a record company given his current sales profile. He has also been giving away CDs to everyone who buys a live ticket. Fifteen shows have sold out. If the remaining six follow suit, the concert series will gross almost £15 million.
And that's before merchandising is factored in. Not a bad haul for someone who is devaluing music.
What Prince is doing is not really so different from U2 linking up with Apple to promote their 2004 hit Vertigo, or Paul McCartney releasing his latest album through Starbucks. The reality for most musicians, veteran or otherwise, is that pop radio won't playlist them, so they have to use a little imagination to get the message out.
Last month, London band the Crimea (recently dropped from WEA despite being hugely creative and critically lauded) opted to make their excellent new album, Secrets of the Witching Hour, available free on the internet (http://snipurl.com/crimea). More than 53,000 fans have downloaded it at the time of writing, with the counter still ticking over. The payback is that their recent tour has been their best attended and most profitable.
And this is what the music business is really worried about: the spectre of free music. CD album sales are declining, down 9 per cent in the UK so far this year and 20 per cent in America, but legal downloads are not taking up the slack. According to a recent US survey, last year fans acquired more than half their music from unpaid sources, whether that be illegal downloads, free downloads from promotional and networking sites, or covermounts stuck to the front of magazines and newspapers.
But everybody knows you can't really get something for nothing. This is an advertising-led model of music distribution, paid for exactly the same way we pay for commercial TV - by exposure to messages from sponsors.
And if Prince can make the Mail on Sunday seem funky, I expect we shall see a lot more of the same. Even after 46 albums of drifting focus and steadily declining sales, it seems the royal badass might still be capable of shaping the future of music after all.
By
Failed Muso, at 12:28 pm
Another review from Twisted Ear, which contains this very accurate statement....
"Once more into the breach, once more, and that..... . Here I go again, running the gauntlet between the uber-Prince fans looking to stamp firmly on ANY suggestion there might be a flaw in his latest masterwork ( so I'm fucked if they can count....), and those uber-alt. folks who DIDN'T COME ONTO TWISTED EAR TO READ ABOUT THE LIKES OF HIM! However, even these areas of raging controversy have been overshadowed by the anguish and bemoaning that has accompanied Prince's decision to give the record away free as a Sunday paper 'covermount' (to use the correct terminology, even though it was in a plastic bag). It's quite funny to see the record shops crying foul at Prince for forgetting how they have supported him over the years. Actually, I'D obviously forgotten that record shops were a purely altruistic concern, putting the works of stuggling artists out there for purchase with no financial reward for themselves. Or, they're just winging tossbags with a penchant for selective justification."
The whole review here...
http://www.twistedear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1027&Itemid=31
By
Failed Muso, at 10:14 am
Yet more positive press and more well argumented debate on the record companies and retail industry...
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1644427,00.html
By
Failed Muso, at 2:22 pm
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