The artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince has been accused of some seriously cutthroat business tactics in a book deal gone sour. According to a lawsuit filed in LA County Superior Court, a literary agency claims that Prince chose them as his “exclusive agent with respect to the negotiations of a publishing deal” for a book called ’21 Nights’ and a special limited edition version. In the documents, the agency claims in the final stages of the deal, the singer stopped calling them back and then went behind their back to finish the negotiations, thus screwing the company out of its 15% commission.
The singer who is apparently famous for recording a cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” didn’t quite get along with the artist. Sinead O’Connor relates her first encounter with the pop legend: “I didn’t hit it off with Prince. I met him after I’d recorded ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ and he said he didn’t appreciate how I used bad language in my interviews. I told him to go fuck himself and he wasn’t very happy.” Of course Prince wasn’t happy about it. Sinead O’Connor might have reminded him of some unsavory moments of his past. Whatever the case, I’m sure they’ll patch things up if Sinead O’Connor records another cover and stops reminding Prince of his darker side.
When you know that people are suffering in the middle of an economic crisis, what do you do? Prince knows. The artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince has announced that he will be releasing a three-disc CD package exclusively through Target for only $11.99. The triple disc set will include two new albums from Prince, ‘LOtUSFLOW3R’ and ‘MPLSoUND’ as well as a full length album from his latest protégé Bria Valente. The set is scheduled to hit Target shelves on March 29th. Let’s buy it! If it turns out to be great then we got one heck of a bargain. If it’s not so good, we still got a bargain.
Prince is once again in the headlines but this time not for his eccentricities but for his unfulfilled legal obligations. Instead of seeing adoring fans after he stepped out from a concert at Los Angeles’ Avalon nightclub, Prince was instead greeted by a lawyer who slapped him with summons. The lawyer reportedly came all the way from New York just to serve the papers to Prince. Apparently, Prince was supposed to play at the Dublin Croke Park last year but he reneged on the deal resulting to losses for the producer. MCD Productions is now running after him for compensation.
Prince may be some sort of a legend in the American music industry but his magic seems to be waning. This is evident with the slow ticket sales of his Oscar’s party gig last week. Tickets were being sold at a price tag of $200 but only half were sold. In November last year, Prince was also the recipient of a $100,000 suit filed by a perfume company after he and his record label “Universal” allegedly failed an agreement to promote a new fragrance. The case ensued from a licensing agreement between Prince and Universal Music where they allowed the perfume company to use not only Prince’s name and likeness but also the number 3121 which is also the title of his previous album. Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics said there was no attempt to communicate with them despite their continuous efforts since July 2007 to contact Prince to coordinate the promotions.
Prince has a lot in store for us this 2009. The diminutive purple one is set to release three albums this year! According to the LA Times, Prince is in negotiations with a major retailer to distribute the albums. He will also be selling them on a new interactive website. Prince commented on why he wasn’t working with a record label this time saying “The gatekeepers have to change.” The first of the three albums to be released is tentatively called ‘MPLSOUND’ for which the style is described to go back to the sound of ‘When Doves Cry’. The second album is called ‘Lotus Flower’ and is described as “a varied album, featuring cuts recorded over the course of two years, but standout tracks include some heavy rockers.” I can’t wait to hear the new music!
The new issue of the New Yorker has a short but very revealing interview with the purple one, Prince. His Jehovah’s Witness beliefs appear to be what guides him these days. He also talked about politics and even gay marriage. He said “Here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this [Bible]. But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”
Video editor Ian C. Lewis sued Prince and his company, Paisley Park Enterprises for the amount of $1,000,000 in exemplary damages. Apparently, Lewis says that Prince never paid him for editing work and never returned some of his equipment. Last month, a trial was held that included a testimony from Lewis saying that he deserved to be paid. However, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued an order last week that Prince would only have to pay about $58,000. Lewis had also claimed that Prince and his company broke a $25,000 computer but the judge denied the claim since no receipts were provided.
As the pop legend Michael Jackson’s 1982 music album “Thriller” has sky rocketed to number one position on the US Charts – the Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart, he has found another employment opportunity.
The promoters, who arranged the reunion tour of Sexy Spice girls and the recent concert of Prince to London, are trying their best to lure in the King of Pop Music to the British capital for a string of concerts.
The promoters have announced “a standing offer with no expiration” to the pop guru to perform at the O2 arena.
The “Thriller” is 2008’s top-selling catalogue album in America, according to Billboard.com.
Prince is a music icon and a consummate performer. It’s quite understandable that he doesn’t come cheap. The purple majesty was recently added to the lineup of the Coachella Music Festival near the Palm Springs later this month and it’s been made clear how and why his addition came to be. A source says that “Prince was a late late addition to the line-up. The promoters added him to try and sell more tickets and make up for a less than stellar – in comparison to years past – roster of performers.” And it reportedly cost them. Another source says that “The exact amount Prince is getting paid for his Coachella performance is $4.8 million.”
Prince is set to have a secret hip replacement. Not much of a secret though if I’m writing about it is it?
The ‘Purple Rain’ singer, who released his first album in 1978, is being forced to undergo the surgery at just 49-years-old after suffering excruciating pain as a result of years of blistering performances.
A source said, “For months Prince, who always puts on the most energetic shows, has been complaining of pain every time he moves. He is totally crushed because he knows he will never be the same again.”
The surgery will involve removing the ball and socket of Prince’s damaged hip and replacing it with a titanium joint. The diminutive star is allegedly booking into a private hospital and aides have reportedly cleared two months from his diary to allow him time to recover from the operation.
Meanwhile, Prince put his health worries aside to host a special exclusive post Oscar-party last night. A-list names reportedly invited to the extravagant bash at his new Los Angeles home included Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Will Smith, Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz.
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