Perhaps it makes sense. Artists will soon make their money via concerts. Prince has a series of concerts coming up. He has a huge old-school fan base, so does not need to get his songs out there (people already know him).
His new songs then are more 'rare' among his core demographic (not teens) -> driving more people to his concerts, where he makes the money.
Remember that prince, back in 2001 ALREADY jumped on the internet bandwagon. He offered his songs for download then - he is not anti-internet, he has tried it and has changed his model.
Remember, this dude makes 50million USD a year, more that most of you will make if your startup sells for a huge amount of money. He knows what he's doing.
There is some truth in this however a few things bother me
1. Of all the newspapers he is associating his brand with a cheap tabloid. Under no circumstances would I ever give money to a newspaper like this so he has lost my me already. As there are no other ways of getting this legally - I am only left with the pirating option
2. 'In Rainbows' by Radiohead was profitable for the group (and they have somethings in common with Prince - like an established fan base) using the internet model of 'pay what you want' for the download. This made the band look good and still provided them with a profit.
Prince is doing himself no favours by acting in this way.
If Prince can make more money doing deals with newspapers than online music distributors, then he is making a smart business decision.
Prince already has a legion of die hard fans. He doesn't need the internet to build an audience or distribute his music. He, like everyone else, also knows that his music will end up on the internet through unofficial channels. So why bend-over and do a suboptimal deal?
He does however need it to maintain buzz, hype and notoriety. Telling everyone the internet "is over" has spread his message about his new album and his own brand to the least likely places. I mean... he's on the front page of Hacker News and Ars Technica. I'm pretty sure I first saw this story on Reddit too. I bet if I read Digg I would see it there too.
If anything Prince has demonstrated his understanding of the internet audience. He's told the cool kids they aren't cool and that their favourite toy is out of fashion. Needless to say they are pissed and talking about it.
The last time I heard anything about Prince was.... when he released his last album via a newspaper deal.
As jeb said earlier: Prince knows what he is doing.
Prince will call his own bluff when he doesn't use internet sales for his upcoming concert series. Yep, phone and on-site sales only, just like waiting for Jethro Tull back in '76. Given that the internet's washed up, how else to get tix into people's hands?
Given that on-line sales usually equals Ticketmaster sales, this might not be a bad thing...
I find it weird that he said that the internet was once 'cool and hip', yet filed lawsuits against anyone and their grandmother for putting his content online without license.
Um, prince, what made (makes) the internet cool is the free flow of content and information. Many 'modern' bands use this to launch their careers.
What advice? To shutter the 30+ year old global information network upon which entire economies now depend and that at least a third of our species participates in because Prince doesn't like it anymore?
Hagelin|15 years ago
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy_cLJ19HMg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9O130NYr_4
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCm4Jxo3ltE
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo0LbQzdz1A
jeb|15 years ago
His new songs then are more 'rare' among his core demographic (not teens) -> driving more people to his concerts, where he makes the money.
Remember that prince, back in 2001 ALREADY jumped on the internet bandwagon. He offered his songs for download then - he is not anti-internet, he has tried it and has changed his model.
Remember, this dude makes 50million USD a year, more that most of you will make if your startup sells for a huge amount of money. He knows what he's doing.
chunkyslink|15 years ago
1. Of all the newspapers he is associating his brand with a cheap tabloid. Under no circumstances would I ever give money to a newspaper like this so he has lost my me already. As there are no other ways of getting this legally - I am only left with the pirating option
2. 'In Rainbows' by Radiohead was profitable for the group (and they have somethings in common with Prince - like an established fan base) using the internet model of 'pay what you want' for the download. This made the band look good and still provided them with a profit.
Prince is doing himself no favours by acting in this way.
erikstarck|15 years ago
So Prince is giving away his CD via a newspaper. Kids everywhere are saying - "Who is doing what with a what via a what?"
Original: http://twitter.com/andres_sehr/status/17929286252
kenshi|15 years ago
Prince already has a legion of die hard fans. He doesn't need the internet to build an audience or distribute his music. He, like everyone else, also knows that his music will end up on the internet through unofficial channels. So why bend-over and do a suboptimal deal?
He does however need it to maintain buzz, hype and notoriety. Telling everyone the internet "is over" has spread his message about his new album and his own brand to the least likely places. I mean... he's on the front page of Hacker News and Ars Technica. I'm pretty sure I first saw this story on Reddit too. I bet if I read Digg I would see it there too.
If anything Prince has demonstrated his understanding of the internet audience. He's told the cool kids they aren't cool and that their favourite toy is out of fashion. Needless to say they are pissed and talking about it.
The last time I heard anything about Prince was.... when he released his last album via a newspaper deal.
As jeb said earlier: Prince knows what he is doing.
keefe|15 years ago
jleyank|15 years ago
Given that on-line sales usually equals Ticketmaster sales, this might not be a bad thing...
paulnelligan|15 years ago
Um, prince, what made (makes) the internet cool is the free flow of content and information. Many 'modern' bands use this to launch their careers.
confuzatron|15 years ago
DjDarkman|15 years ago
vvatsa|15 years ago
tfh|15 years ago
lurkinggrue|15 years ago
zephyrfalcon|15 years ago
vvatsa|15 years ago
erikstarck|15 years ago
mikecane|15 years ago
[typo edit]
zandorg|15 years ago
unknown|15 years ago
[deleted]
openfly|15 years ago
blueben|15 years ago
lurkinggrue|15 years ago