Music industry attacks Sunday newspaper’s free Prince CD
Katie Allen, media business correspondent
Friday June 29, 2007
The GuardianThe 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.
Huzzah to Prince! I was a beneficiary of his CD with concert ticket deal on the Musicology tour, and this is just one more step further. Prince makes music. He doesn’t make CDs. Record companies make CDs and that’s where they make most of their profit. Artists reap the most profit form concert revenues and other avenues – not shiny discs of optical storage media.
The Entertainment Retailers Association can cry me a river. Prince does not make music for their benefit. When will trade groups like you and the ‘music industry’ that’s been crying that the sky is falling for the past 5-7 years wake up to the fact that the old business model is obsolete. I’m all for musicians making a living from their art and for the ‘music industry’ to continue to thrive, but there’s a dinosaur in the room inconveniently ignoring the fact that all of its food disappeared long ago and now it’s but a ghost of what it used to be.
I agree. He does not owe the record stores a damn thing. Since when do they have the right to tell him how to distribute music that is, wait for it, HIS.
Spot on, Matt!