Prince compares record contracts to slavery, defends TIDAL

[Morphine Prince 107,595]

Prince condemned the state of the music industry in a rare media event on Saturday.

"Record contracts are just like — I'm gonna say the word – slavery," the artist told a group of journalists at Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis, according to NPR. "I would tell any young artist...don't sign."

The artist invited a group of press to his studio to promote his new partnership with TIDAL, the Jay Z-backed streaming service.

TIDAL will exclusively stream Prince's new album, HITNRUN, on Sept. 7. The album will also see a physical release, Prince said.

Prince praised Jay Z's work with TIDAL as an artist-controlled alternative to traditional record labels.

"Once we have our own resources, we can provide what we need for ourselves," he said. "Jay Z spent $100 million of his own money to build his own service. We have to show support for artists who are trying to own things for themselves."

The artist compared record label signees to indentured servants with little control over their own music, comparing that with his deal with TIDAL, where he controls more revenue from his work and has more freedom to collaborate with other artists.

He also criticized streaming services, saying artists should profit directly from streams instead of being paid through record companies and middlemen, and took shots at Clear Channel's domination over the radio industry.

The only remaining streaming service with Prince's catalog is TIDAL, after the artist removed his music from Spotify and other competitors in July.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/08/10/prince-record-contracts-slavery/31401429/

 

[Sister 9,907]

He has always had that state of mind, for a long long time now. I only can't believe that he believes and has joined Tidal though.

[Jjang 2,262]

 It's not going to happen, move on. 

[darkchylde 14,857]

Well, tell that to people struggling to pay the rent.

[Zsolti 2,688]

here comes the race card

[SISTERV 3,887]

Well, tell that to people struggling to pay the rent.

this tbh

[Alien Tulip 12,428]

Rich people and their a--logies  

[Tove Lo 2,481]

Okay Madonna. 

 

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

The thing that really irks me when Prince talks out like this  ( he also said something about commercialism of music, forget what exactly) on his moral high horse, is that he was apart of all of this in the 80's and early 90's. Like he was SUPER COMMERCIAL. Funny how he has an issue with it all now that he's not a commercially successful artist. Hypocrisy is alive. 

[LePetitGAGABLover 21,234]

What an ARTPOP-ish explanation 

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

Also, when older artists talk out about the "state of the music industry" it's very similar to older conversative people who always talk about how much our country is in trouble, just because things are different then when they were growing up. (I.e. Gays, trans people, technology, immigrants, a black president)  

ACCEPT CHANGE, especially if you claim to be liberal.

[Brooke Candy 3,970]

Being a slave is Not a choice tho.. 

[DemeLarell 931]

I understand and agree with what he is saying ..... Somewhat , but I don't think TIDAL is the best "soapbox" for him stand on. It makes him sound like he's just desperate for people to subscribe to TIDAL instead of actually caring about the music. 

[lego 44,165]

The thing that really irks me when Prince talks out like this  ( he also said something about commercialism of music, forget what exactly) on his moral high horse, is that he was apart of all of this in the 80's and early 90's. Like he was SUPER COMMERCIAL. Funny how he has an issue with it all now that he's not a commercially successful artist. Hypocrisy is alive. 

How old are you?

Prince has been having battles with record companies for ages.

Same as George Michael.

Same as Michael Jackson. And many others.

Being a slave is Not a choice tho.. 

It's exaggeration but some of these artists were signed young and were unable to get out of it.

 

"In 1993, during negotiations regarding the release of The Gold Experience, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of his musical output. During the lawsuit, he appeared in public with the word "slave" written on his cheek. Prince explained his name change as follows:

 

The first step I have taken toward the ultimate goal of emancipation from the chains that bind me to Warner Bros. was to change my name from Prince to the Love Symbol. Prince is the name that my mother gave me at birth. Warner Bros. took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing tool to promote all of the music that I wrote. The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros...

 

I was born Prince and did not want to adopt another conventional name. The only acceptable replacement for my name, and my identity, was the Love Symbol, a symbol with no pronunciation, that is a representation of me and what my music is about. This symbol is present in my work over the years; it is a concept that has evolved from my frustration; it is who I am. It is my name.[144]

 

Prince has used pseudonyms to separate himself from the music (either his own or that of others) for which he has had input; "I was just getting tired of seeing my name," he said, "If you give away an idea, you still own that idea. In fact, giving it away strengthens it. Why do people feel they have to take credit for everything they do? Ego, that's the only reason."[145] These pseudonyms include: Jamie Starr and The Starr Company (for the songs he wrote for the Time and many other artists from 1981–1984),[146][147] Joey Coco (for many unreleased Prince songs in the late 1980s, as well as songs written for Sheena Easton & Kenny Rogers),[148] Paisley Park (occasionally used in the early 1990s for his production credits on songs, including those written for Martika and Kid Creole),[149] Alexander Nevermind (for writing the 1984 song "Sugar Walls" by Sheena Easton),[150] and Christopher (used for his song writing credit of "Manic Monday" for the Bangles)."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)

 

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/22/arts/george-michael-loses-lawsuit-against-sony.html

 

 

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/6b/e7/6be73d0e355908563173c00e00d8f1c2.JPG?itok=RcRe9pDD

 

 

 

 

[DemeLarell 931]

Being a slave is Not a choice tho.. 

Yea. I agree with you, but on the other hand there are a lot of aspiring artist that signs contracts to corrupted record labels and they don't know exactly what they're getting themselves into.