Category: Editorial
Doing the unexpected is exactly what we expect Prince to do, and rebellious artists who have fully embraced the new music economy don't tend to fall on the same side with the major labels. Prince has fought the absurdities of the record business at every turn, and even changing his name to an unpronouncable symbol to get around a clause that limited the amount of music he could produce. He released music of his own website without the help of the major label marketing machine. His antics are not popular among record label executives, so it would be easy to assume that Prince wouldn't been on the same side of the copyright battle as the label supported efforts of the RIAA.
So Prince's recent plans to sue YouTube, Pirate Bay and others for unauthorized use of his music would seem a little out of character for the quirky 49 year old artist. After all, it's only been a couple months since the London Times gave away his latest album as part of a promo.
But it's not out of character. He just has a different perspective.
Above everything else, Prince has always been an artist who fully respects his craft. Like his music or not, you can't deny his talent and success. In a statement released by Prince:
U.S. pop star Prince plans to sue YouTube and other major Web sites for unauthorized use of his music in a bid to reclaim his art on the Internet. "YouTube ... are clearly able (to) filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content which is core to their business success," a statement released on his behalf said.Reuters
So is courtroom Prince the next version of courtroom Metallica? Is one artist going to make a difference in what seems to be a lost battle against pop culture?
Metallica took a lot of heat in their fight against Napster. Some fans may have sympathized with the millionaire metal heads, but their arguments didn't fly with most people. Napster flourished and then collapsed as the poster child for piracy, but it forever changed the face of the music business. Now YouTube is changing the way people experience the "art", and Prince seems ready to take one for the team.
No one is overly sympathic. Or at least they haven't spoken out yet. Check out Digg to see an overwhelming backlash against him. Even the legal team behind this effort have admitted it's a bit futile. They could remove hundreds, and the next day more would appear. But I believe that Prince isn't really looking for a victory. Like his name change stunt, this is as much about making a point to the business as it is the removal of content.
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