Prince fought for control of his music that for years he called himself The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Now less than a year after his death, it appears his family has turned over the keys to his kingdom back to Warner Brothers. The music label sent out a press release proudly proclaiming that by this evening all of his music in their catalog will be available via streaming networks.
“But after inking a new deal in the early 1990s, Prince chafed under the company’s rigid production schedule. A prolific songwriter, he wanted to release material as soon as it was ready – he had 500 unreleased songs in his famous studio vault. But Warner Bros refused, believing it would saturate the market and dilute demand for the artist’s music.
“He felt the contracts at the time were onerous and burdensome,” says John Kellogg, assistant chair of the music business management department at Berklee College of Music. “He rebelled against that.”
Prince compared his contractual obligations to slavery, and began performing with the word “SLAVE” on his cheek. He saw his own name as a part of his contractual entrapment.
“Warner Bros took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing took to promote all of the music I wrote,” Prince once said in a press release. ‘The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros.'”
At the end of the day, it is another reminder of two things: you can’t take it with you, but you should at least write a will.
