Prince Shocks Music Retailers by Giving Away Album

If you live in the UK, you will not be able to purchase Prince's upcoming ten-track album, "Planet Earth." But if you buy the Mail on Sunday newspaper (in an "imminent" edition) or a ticket to a Prince show, you'll get the CD for free. Apparently Prince's representatives made a deal with the national paper directly, doing an end-run around label Sony BMG UK's objections. As a result, the label has decided not to sell the album in the UK at all.

Mail on Sunday managing editor Stephen Miron said, "It's all about giving musicfor the masses and [Prince] believes in spreading the music he produces to as manypeople as possible."

Music retailers don't see it that way. Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the U.K.'s Entertainment Retailers Association, told attendees of a conference that the popstar's latest gambit "beggars belief," and then proceeded into a near conniption fit regarding Prince's decision:

"It would be an insult to all those recordstores who have supported Prince throughout his career... It would be yetanother example of the damaging covermount culture [huh?] which is destroyingany perception of value around recorded music. The ArtistFormerly Known as Prince should know that with behavior like this hewill soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. AndI say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally withthe Mail on Sunday."

So there!

HMV chief executive Simon Fox said, "I think it would be absolutelynuts... I can't believe the music industry would do it to itself.
I simply can't believe it would happen, it would be absolute madness." The Guardian wrote that "others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fiercecompetition from supermarkets and online stores."

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, His Purpleness laughed and wondered what all the fuss was about.

(via billboard)