Katie Allen, media business correspondent
Friday June 29, 2007
The Guardian
The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.
The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album. Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.
"It's all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible," said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron. "This is the biggest innovation in newspaper promotions in recent times."
The paper, which sells more than 2m copies a week, will be ramping up its print run in anticipation of a huge spike in circulation but would not reveal how much the deal with Prince would cost.
One music store executive described the plan as "madness" while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores. Prince's label has cut its ties with the album in the UK to try to appease music stores.
The Entertainment Retailers Association said the giveaway "beggars belief". "It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," ERA co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. "It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.
"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."
High street music giant HMV was similarly scathing about the plans. Speaking before rumours of a giveaway were confirmed, HMV chief executive Simon Fox said: "I think it would be absolutely nuts. 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."
Prince, whose Purple Rain sold more than 11m copies, also plans to give away a free copy of his latest album with tickets for his forthcoming concerts in London. The singer had signed a global deal for the promotion and distribution of Planet Earth in partnership with Columbia Records, a division of music company Sony BMG. A spokesman for the group said last night that the UK arm of Sony BMG had withdrawn from Prince's global deal and would not distribute the album to UK stores.
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Retail, generally speaking, in the music world are the weakest link... they take or took so much and gave so little. Great at complaining though.
Once upon a time walking into a music store was like a religious experience, the staff were cool, the shelves had music you wanted to hear, wanted to buy and the stores themselves didn't resemble a badly set up two dollar shop as so many do today.
The fact is Prince doesn't need to sell his music, he needs to sell tickets to his shows, get radio adn video play, thats his reality, his means of making the filthy lucre, not by sales generated in the old manner of physical music sales.
In the past and no doubt future Prince has shown, he won't be tied to the old models and outmoded constraints.
All power to Prince, for he is in control of his own career.
As for retail, well its quite simple, make the purchase of music something special, something one will make the effort for and maybe, just maybe your world will not be doomed - which i believe it is for all but those many (but also few) great stores scattered around the globe, those stores that music fans talked about in awe!
Meanwhile if you're quick you can get the single here legally for free :)
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