Sir Stewart Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/1...r.ap/index.html Prince CD giveaway angers industry LONDON, England (AP) -- Prince has angered the music industry and stirred up trouble among British retailers by giving away his new album with a tabloid newspaper this weekend. "Planet Earth" will be packaged with the Mail on Sunday at a price of $2.80. The giveaway has been roundly criticized as a major blow for an industry already facing rapidly declining CD sales. It has led Sony BMG UK, Prince's local label, to pull the plug on its own sales release of the CD in Britain. International sales launch for "Planet Earth" is July 16; the U.S. launch is July 24. "The Artist formerly known as Prince should know that with behavior like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores," said Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association, referring to a period in the 1990s when the singer famously stopped using his name to protest a binding record deal. "It is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," Quirk said. A publicist for Prince's record label said the 49-year-old singer-songwriter wasn't doing interviews. Also fueling retailers' ire is what they see as a traitorous move by one of their own. After initially harshly criticizing Prince and the deal, music and books retailer HMV, which doesn't normally sell newspapers, decided to sell the Mail on Sunday in its 400-plus stores across the country. "Like it or not, selling the newspaper is the only way to make the Prince album available to our customers," HMV said. Rival retailers were outraged. "We're stunned that HMV has decided to take what appears to be a complete U-turn on their stance," said Simon Douglas, managing director of retail at Virgin Megastores. "It's not only retailers that suffer; the public will suffer in the long term by restricting choice on the high street." The use of so-called "covermounts," where free CDs or DVDs are attached to the front of a newspaper to catch the buyer's eye, is widespread in Britain where many newspapers are struggling to retain readers who are turning to online news and entertainment. Most of the giveaways are compilations of archive recordings or older films. Past giveaways by the Mail on Sunday include CDs by Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel and Dolly Parton. Prince's CD contains new tracks along with old hits such as "Purple Rain." Sony BMG UK said it decided it was "ridiculous" to go ahead with its own sales launch in light of the newspaper deal, but stood by its star singer, adding it remained "delighted" to be working with Prince. The Mail on Sunday declined to say how much it paid to secure the deal or how many copies of "Planet Earth" it planned to sell. Its average circulation is 2.3 million copies. Quirk said the deal was "yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music." Beyond the covermounts, the value of recorded music is already under widespread threat from the rapid rise of digital downloads. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimated that overall music sales worldwide fell around 3 percent last year as a doubling in digital sales failed to compensate for falls in physical CD sales and digital piracy. Prince also plans to give away a copy of "Planet Earth" with each ticket sold for his 21-date London concert later this summer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Here's an alternative perspective from something A-Man posted today (which had nothing to do with Prince, but seems apt) ..............Quite a few people are missing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 "It is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," Quirk said. You mean all those record store owners who supported Prince by selling his album to their customers? Funny, I thought they were supporting themselves by doing that. I am sorry to see cool record shops close, and I hate to see people lose their jobs, but Prince doesn't owe anyone anything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I'm pretty sure that a lot of Prince's songs are about poongoogling Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Steve Brule Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 It is funny the record stores are raising such a stink about this. I wonder how many copies of 3121 were sold in the UK shops? Probably not enough to put them out of business without those sales. Despite my store NOT carrying the new Smashing Pumpkins, we managed to have our biggest non December weekday in the 10 year history of the store. One album is not gonna cripple the major shops. Hell, the Prince giveaway may drive people to the shops to buy his classic work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imsjry Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I think this is the smartest strategy I have heard by an artist to get their music hear yet. Prince realizes no one pays for CD's anymore period. Brilliant, I say! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lizish Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 what is the deal with not carrying the Pumpkins. Best Buy/target/starbucks/Mcdonalds exclusive? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 i saw Prince @ First Ave last Sat (well early Sun) night... it was pretty much the best thing evah. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 i saw Prince @ First Ave last Sat (well early Sun) night... it was pretty much the best thing evah.Wow. I would give I don't know what to see one of those shows. I saw him in a club once in 99, but it was a regular show, not an 'after show', but it was still "pretty much the best thing evah." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Wow. I would give I don't know what to see one of those shows. I saw him in a club once in 99, but it was a regular show, not an 'after show', but it was still "pretty much the best thing evah."it was his first show at First Ave since March 1987... sure it was only like 70 minutes, since it started at 2:40 am and First Ave legally is supposed to shut down at 3am. the MPD let it run until 3:50 before they shut it down. even though this was an aftershow, it wasn't his typical "jam session" type aftershows i saw out at Paisley around '99-00, it was all songs w/ some jamming/medleys within those. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 When I saw him at that club in Worcester in '99, he opened (!) with "Uptown." Crazy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stooka Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 This new idea of giving away his CD is brilliant and I agree - loss of CD sales from one album wouldn't hurt a business, but the CONCEPT could if other artists get on that wagon. Prince has always been apart from the pack. I caught him Memorial Day '06 in a very small club in Vegas. Seems he was trying to sink a deal with The Rio for his current weekend show set-up and played Sat/Sun at the Empire Ballroom. Tickets were a steep $312.10 each and well worth it. Set-list The Show (11:30pm - 2am) Middle Eastern instrumental introStay With Me BabyEvery Little StepMilk & HoneyI Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Loved You)Love Changes When a Man Loves a WomanEmpty RoomRed-Headed Stepchild (EVERYONE leaves stage except for Prince)Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 (band comes back)Elephants & FlowersHousequakeWow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WilcoFan Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Tickets were a steep $312.10 each and well worth it. It's the extra .10 cents that would have been a deal breaker for me. Wow. That's a lot of money. I wouldn't pay that much to see the Beatles reunite. Well, maybe I would. Anyhow, good for him. It's funny to see the industry try to spin this saying that it is bad for people to get free music since they won't have someone to buy it from. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedling Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 what is the deal with not carrying the Pumpkins. Best Buy/target/starbucks/Mcdonalds exclusive?Prolly because the Pumpkins suck and no one cares about them?........I'm just throwing that out there as a guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobfrombob Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 i saw Prince @ First Ave last Sat (well early Sun) night... it was pretty much the best thing evah.OK, I hate you The Show (11:30pm - 2am) Middle Eastern instrumental introStay With Me BabyEvery Little StepMilk & HoneyI Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Loved You)Love Changes When a Man Loves a WomanEmpty RoomRed-Headed Stepchild (EVERYONE leaves stage except for Prince)Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 :snip You know, I had heard you lost your topic starting privileges. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Steve Brule Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 what is the deal with not carrying the Pumpkins. Best Buy/target/starbucks/Mcdonalds exclusive? yeah, there is no incentive for anyone to come to our store to buy it. according to our WEA rep no Chicago indies are stocking it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bobbob1313 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Prolly because the Pumpkins suck and no one cares about them?........I'm just throwing that out there as a guess. Wasn't it, like the #1 selling album of the week? Good point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 OK, I hate youOK, I don't hate Solace anymore. Now I hate you. holy hell. LUCKY BASTARDS!!@ man. fucking awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tweedling Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Wasn't it, like the #1 selling album of the week? Good point.Uh, I'm not sure what chart you speak of but I could not find that stat. However, some other chart toppers you could put with the pumpkins are: T.I., Rhianna, Fantashia, Big and Rich, Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry. Good point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stooka Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Prince called me and said that ya'll should take this discussion over to the "Bands With Only One Good Album" thread, where it belongs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Prince called me and said that ya'll should take this discussion over to the "Bands With Only One Good Album" thread, where it belongs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 My threads have not had good luck staying open this week... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 My threads have not had good luck staying open this week... it shows you locked it at 4:08pm... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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