In the past years, one of the main musicians that has sought to fight the rampant piracy in today's world is Prince (or The Artist Formerly Known As Prince). He is a multi-talented, versatile artist that's know for hits like "Purple Rain", "When Doves Cry", and "Little Red Corvette". Want to listen to any of these songs? You'll have to buy it (...or by some chance hear it on the radio)! That's right. you won't be able to look up his music on YouTube or any other site for that matter.
Prince has made it very clear over the years that he takes his music being pirated very seriously and feels that no one should be able to own (or apparently listen to) his works without proper compensation. He sees the piracy of his music like "carjacking". As far as ownership of the music, I agree. Yes, Prince is a self-proclaimed "artist", but clearly he sees his art as a product as well. He SHOULD reap the financial rewards of work that he worked hard to create. I understand that completely.
However......I still think he's a bit extreme. In a campaign called "Reclaim The Internet," he threatened to sue sites like YouTube, Pirate Bay, and eBay, which allow people to listen to, make unauthorized copies of, and buy his music at cheaper prices. He won't even allow fans of his music to dance to or cover his music on camera without proper permission. Trust me...this man doesn't play any games! In one case, Prince even sued the mother of a toddler that was dancing in a video to a snippet of his music.
Prince seems to be against the digital age and the Internet altogether. In one interview he was quoted saying that the Internet was "unhip" and "outdated". He claims that digital media "affects a different place in your brain" and he believes that music needs to go back to the analog sound. He also refuses to release any new material until the problem of piracy is stopped.
As I said before, I believe that he should be paid for the ownership of his music, but when he won't even allow his fans to pay homage to him, has he gone a little too far? One thing's for sure--Prince has a big ego! He believes that his music is worth more than "Diamonds and Pearls" and anything in this entire world.
Clearly he's a from a different time in music. Today's artists are dependent on the Internet to publicize their music and hear from the fans. With his music not being available on the Internet, he won't be able to reach brand new generations of fans, as artists like Michael Jackson managed to do. True...he's a legend; however, in this day and age, can his legacy live on without his music being available online? Has he gone too far? Is he asking too much?
I think Prince's decision is probably hurting himself in the long-run. I compare his perspective that that of some artists, such as Phish, who have been known to actually encourage fans to record live concerts and bootleg the recordings. In return, Phish has one of the most adoring fan bases in the industry. While they may not see monetary returns on their art, they are generating more publicity and bigger fans as a result. It's all in what you want out of your art.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with what you said. Yes, his music is his propriety and he should reap the benefits but suing a mother because her toddler was dancing to his music is just to extreme. I believe that unless you are making money of his music you should be able to use it.
ReplyDeleteDaniel,
ReplyDeleteI agree in some ways with you comment, but on the other hand, Phish also sells the ability to watch their shows live on a site called lifePHISH.com, and I'm sure the band would not be pleased if people were bootlegging it. I'm not saying i think it's that bad, but I'm sure if it was my money on the line I would be. It is easy for us to say it doesn't matter, because we will likely never been in the shoes of those artists.
“”he's a legend however, in this day and age, can his legacy live on without his music being available online? Has he gone too far? Is he asking too much?” I like the end, you point out the the age of the Internet. He is a legend, but without the music available online, he would be less famous. But for him, it may doesn't matter. He loves music and want to protect music from his ways.
ReplyDeleteI think he is putting a little to much energy into himself. He sued a mother for dancing to his music? So if they play his music at a party and someone happens to video tape me and put it online he is going to sue? He thinks his music is worth diamonds and pearls, really?? That's just to cocky for me.
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ReplyDeleteHow did Prince sue a mother's toddler for listening and dancing to his music? Did he investigate the issue and found out that it was illegally downloaded? That is ludacris. I think his time should be spent somewhere else, like creating more music or continue to negotiate putting his music on the internet. However, I can see why he wouldn't want his music on the internet only because of all the illegal downloading that is happening this day in age.
ReplyDeleteWhile this does sound a bit extreme, I also agree with him. Artists like Prince worked hard to make their songs, and even harder to build their reputation and fan base. It only makes sense to protect what is his. What I can say is there are many differences between musicians back during his time, and the ones around now; most present day musicians are awful. I don't know how some of the music I hear on the radio can even be considered music and its because of this thought that I do not feel bad if I download the newest Lil Wayne or TI song. I don't know if its true or not but I have also heard of situations where artists have people purposely leek their own music to build hipe for when the full albums actually release, so it sounds counter productive for present day musicians to be aiding what is also taking away their sales.
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