Sounds like he has hit that time when all musical geniuses lose their minds…

Just Prince being Prince. Does this really shock anyone? What is shocking is that people probably struggled with the “riddle” or whatever, and THEN gladly shelled out 77 beans to get three cd’s that will be available at Target for about 12 bucks.

Good thing the new music is so good. It’s truly the most inspired and creative stuff he’s recorded in at least 15 years. During that time, he’s had some pretty incredible songs, and I could definitely put together a good 5 albums worth of great stuff that covers the last decade-and-a-half (so that ain’t too shabby). But these albums are on another level for him. Great guitar work, trippy, experimental moments, great vocals in all his registers (low, high, Camille), just right production that for once doesn’t drown out the guitar, thoughtful arrangements, great melodies, and did I mention the otherworldly guitar?

oh–whatever…Prince is a genuis. either subscribe to it or quit yer whinin…

I don’t understand why everyone is having such a difficult time with the Prince’s new website. Just use the HTML version of the site instead of the Flash version.

@Schultz:

NOW he’s hit that time when all musical geniuses lose their minds? To that, I have 1 non-word for you: O(+>

Anyway, $77 is too steep for me; I’ll be shopping at Target on Sunday.

i feel like Prince wasted a huge opportunity, following his successful Musicology album/tour, in 2004.

After that tour, which temporarily revived him as a relevant contemporary artist, he went right back to the weirdness that plagued him from around 1989-2003.

I am not saying the guy doesn’t still kick major ass, cuz he does…Like Cleveland said – $77 bucks to get $12 worth of CDs is whack!

I know you can get other member privileges for the money, but really, access to $200 presale concert tickets is not what I call a deal.

I think everyone needs to quit bein so darn negative.Technical difficulties…big whoop!Like it was planned!!!PLEEEAASSEEE!Ya’ll quit your whining and stop acting like 2 yr olds!

Does like one person update this site? It is horrible at how slow the news rolls in here.

I used to love Prince… although I don’t find his music to be “timeless.” For me, the vast majority of his stuff has a very short shelf life. I never consudered him to be a genius; I leave that title for people liike Jimi, Stevie Wonder & Sly – people who REALLY changed music, and whose music sounds relevant even today. No coincidence that those three (along with James Brown) are ther most transparent influences on Prince’s music. Also, the man never learned that an artist doesn’t need (and shouldn’t) release EVERYTHING they’ve recorded – there is a LOT of badf Prince music out there…

That being said, he IS a terrific performer… and that doesn’t make him a genius.

Prince was my idol growing up. I loved everything he did. His records were solid all the way through. Batman being the last real Prince record, Prince has done nothing but disappoint in the recording side of his career. It’s quite sad. He’s great live, but only when he plays full songs and doesn’t give you an annoying 2 hours of flipping through radio stations style of playing his hits. His website is an egotistical nightmare. No fan should have to pay $77 just to check out an artists website, pictures and videos. If he want’s to charge people he should release a compilation DVD. In this day and age people want to have choices on the internet and freedom. Prince takes that away and he alienates himself from the rest of the world. He made his site exclusively for fans only. So that means there’s no room to grow for him. Which means his music is going to continue to sound dated and cheesy if all he has to impress are his die hards because that’s the only people who are going to pay the price. I think it was a marketing failure on all levels. People should have been allowed to preview snippets of the songs and have the freedom of choice to purchase what they like and leave the rest. Prince is the only artist I know who thinks his fart is a marketable item and will stop and no length to make sure we pay to listen. It’s really really sad and pathetic. Shame on you Prince. You disgust me.

NPGMusicClub tempt me to pay x amount of $ (Too far back to remember what I paid) for a lifetime membership. I thought it was reffering to my lifetime. Great live performances were up purchased; that now can’t be played because the site is gone. It just doesn’t make any sense to pay $77. big ones, knowing that prince can be so fickle when it comes to his online ventures. I guess he wants to have as many website as he has albums. This is site number 4 and counting. Nope not me, not this time. Love the music, so it’s a trip to Target on Sunday for me.

Blimey – everyone’s entitled to their opinions but the slating he’s getting is a bit OTT. He hasn’t released everything he’s recorded – there are thousands of unreleased tracks in his vault. He’s opened the site, as I see it, for the hardcore and isn’t alienating everyone else as the albums have a general and very reasonably priced release fro both the hardcore and casual. Y’all chill…..

I’ll buy the stuf fthat hits stores, but from what I’ve heard of the rest, it’s always sounding like filler to me…
I’ll keep my $77.00 and listen to Sign O the times till I can get to Best Buy for the newbie…
I do admire the retail price, way to stick it to the bands/labels who want 20.00 for one cd!
Good job there man!

I said Best Buy, hahahaha…
I must have Axl’s debacle on my brain…
Target… I’ll be there, see you there too

What are us poor Canadians who want to go buy the album going to do? We don’t have Target.. Not fair.

Got the albums last night are they are effin AWESOME! I usually hate 1/4 of all Prince albums but I can honestly say that out of the 3 albums there are only 3-4 songs that I don’t care for and even they aren’t really skip-worthy.

These albums rock! Prince is in a class all his own.

The site is pure garbage. The video/pics vault is garbage. The new albums are garbage. I wish I could get my money back.

I joined the NPG Music Club back in 2004 and ordered tickets for his Musicology Tour and received FRONT ROW SEATS!!! The seats weren’t overpriced either, unlike Madonna’s shows which went on sale around the same time. That one act proved to me that Prince looked out for his fans. As for the people out there wanting Prince to record another Purple Rain, get over it already…he’s been there & done that. These people should just keep on watching American Idol for their Music fix. Prince’s worst songs are 10 times better than any crap on the radio.

I am a die hard Prince fan, and I admit he can be annoying at times with his eccentricities. However, when compared to the talentless, manufactured garbage we hear on radio and other mediums, it is refreshing to know that Prince still represents true musicianship. This holds true even when you may not always like his music, and yes, he still remains a genius.

Hey, that a portion of that $77 fee pays for a find quality cotton tee. (Watch out: the $77 is an ANNUAL fee–if you don’t indicate otherwise during registration process, they will automatically bill your card in a year to renew your membership!) Getting through the front door to sign up was crazy making with the fill-in ticket but the music makes it all worth it. I LUVS me some “Colonized Mind”. No more candy 4 U, Haters!

I have been trying to download these albums for two days. I can’t extract them. I feel like a fool for forking over my money. Maybe they will straighten it out, maybe they won’t. The site has a lot of pretty colors but it should be much easier than this to download music especially from an artist that appears to be so cutting edge.

The riddle as some call it, was not that Einstein-ish a problem 2 solve….! If U’ve been such a fanatic 4 as long as some of U say….what was the problem…???
“Can U RELATE….!”

As 4 the site, its obviously got plenty of room 2 roam, and grow…!
He can put just about anything he wants on there at any giving time, serve U up some new candy if U wish…!
So just chill, and ponder the future…!
4 it will B….!

The site has problems, I guess they needed more people to test it, but it is beautifully conceived. And the albums are incredibly and interesting and mesmerizing.

To the guy who says Prince is not a genius, well, I’d say that you are no genius for sure.

You name only artists who have left a mark on popular music, as if musical geniuses all came from pop… Ever heard of jazz or classical?

And you say Prince’s music isn’t timeless and he hasn’t had such a big influence… His Purple Rain and Sign O the Times albums have received more praise and awards in the last few years than ever before. Purple Rain is considered one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, and Sign one of the few records to hold his own against the likes of Sgt. Pepper’s.
Moreover, aside from the rock scene, everything you hear today is Prince’s brew. His heritage is everywhere, you can see it in masterpieces such as Beck’s records and in the most crappy pop songs out there.

He’s the point of contact between the instrumental mastery of days gone and the electronic prowess of today. He’s so many things it would take all day, but mostly he’s one of the very very few artists pop music has ever produced. His tries are much more important than the fact that he succeeds or not. If you consider the discography of any great musician, they’re all full of failures. James Brown, Monk, Mozart’s later works, Zappa… Tons and tons of failures, and then many ever-lasting gems. But the failures matter, and they are often interesting too. True artists try, artisans just go with what they know

All I know is, Prince is the man, the myth, and THE legend…So, nothing has changed for us die hard fans. Just more incredible music for us to enjoy. His albums have been the soundtrack for my life.

to that comment made that he doesnt have to release all his songs hes ever recorded, For the record prince is a very prolific artist and he definately doesnt release EVERY song he writes they go into his Vault. he can do wat he wants hes been around for over 25 yrs writes produces composes all his music and can play over 25 instruments, if the websites not for u, go to target.. he DID give u both options.

its the journey y’all…im on the trip…quit acting like this is the end all be all…PRINCE will have new stuff out again before we know it…all the cry babies and their sense of entitlement just kills me….enjoy the evrlasting NOW! There’ll be more ..again…dont worry..greedy folks.

1984 was my first Prince Concert! It was amazing, through the years i have seen him perform more than twelve times. I love him as an artist, the music, the guitarplaying. Now it seems another scam to get money out of you very disappointed.

All you so called Prince fans complaining about nothing all have a choice.Join the club or go to Target.What’s the big deal? As far as putting down Prince and some of his albums post 90’s get a grip.Just like anyone we all hit a few snags here and there but it’s how you rebound that makes the difference.Prince has had some great albums since the early 90’s !Lovesign,Diamonds and Pearls,Musicology,Emancipation ,Planet Earth,3121 to name a few. And some that were’nt so great that would make me hold my head in my hands and wonder why! But there was always at least 4-5 songs that you could at least enjoy but the expectations for Prince is just so much greater than other artists. I’ve been a fan since 1981 when I was in high school his music helped shape my life and at 43 years old it will continue to do so!I’m always excited when something new comes out whether it’s a album or a tv appearance he is still in my opinion the baddest mother around or should I say SEXY-MF ! The sign of a great artist or true genius is when other artists stop and take note of what you are doing and are in awe of you and are excited to be in your company! Check Prince’s performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions watch how he takes the perfomance from all the other Greats.It’s not over it’s everlasting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Theres alot of comments from those who know a lot about nothing,just be cool and grateful for the gift unless you got something better to offer then if you cant handle the funk go play on your playstation

I’ve been a Prince fan since 1980. He has made a lot of unbelievably great music that has stood the test of time as well as any … and he’s delivered some real rubbish along the way. That’s okay, though. Few artists who stick to a predictable chart get to have a 30-plus-year career. And onstage, Prince has few equals, and NO superiors. Take that to the purple bank. I’ll be picking up his new set at Target on Sunday … and if we happen to be blessed with a tour by His Royal Badness, I’ll be there.

Well said Come On. I wish more people would understand the depth and scope of Prince’s work. I mean, how many pop artists could create something like the “Kama Sutra”, the Madhouse work, as well as some of the recent instrumental work like “Xpectation”. I can easily count them on one hand, because it is practically zero. Try to imagine some of the current artists even trying to attempt to create some of the stuff he has.
They would fail miserably, because face it, most of them are studio creations at the end of the day. Prince is and always will be the real deal. Love him or hate him.

I LOVE PRINCE
IVE BEEN A PRINCE FAN SINCE
HIS FIRST ALBUM ‘FOR YOU’
CAME OUT IN THE 70′S
HE HAS A SPECIAL TALENT
AND MYSTIC AND AWESOMENESS
ABOUT HIM THAT CANNOT BE
COMPARED TO ANY OTHER ARTIST.

#1 PRINCE FAN

Long as I don’t have to put up with Prince the person I can enjoy Prince the music.
For all his delusions he’s still a great artist.

I’m not a Prince fan…I own Purple Rain on VHS and on vinyl record…but I’ve never given either a proper listen/view. Which I totally should. However, I respect the man. And, shit, 3 albums for $11.99? I’ll be heading over to Target and to buy them for sure. Maybe this will encourage me to give the rest of his music a chance.

I paid for a lifetime NPGMC memership only to have it taken away and not really explained. Why would i pay $77 for that again? Who knows when Prince’s whim determines that he will close this site. I would pay $77 to see him live. the music i can get much cheaper and all the videos will e on the web in no time anyway… even if they are flash, someone will get them on the net long enough for everyone to get a copy before Prince’s cyber-police force tears them down. Marketing was never his strong suit. if he were smart, he would practically give the music away and make his money off of live shows. He will sell out almost everywhere he goes. I am a huge fan, but he also needs to make sure he is releasing quality music. His releases of the past 8-10 years seem to have a lot less rotation time on my player and are not coherent. Prince is a real musician and should recognize that an album is supposed to e playable all the way through. His older release were like that. The Rainbow children was a musical masterpiece except for Wedding Feast and the stupid Jehovah’s Witness voice throughout. After that, we got glimpses of greatness, but no consistency. I will remain a fan, but will not pony up $77 only to get screwed again. He can keep the T-shirt, i am too old for that anyway!

Seems that non US fans have no option to buy these albums as Target do not ship outside US, annoyed as i live in the UK

LOL

I don’t understand why everyone is having such a difficult time with the Prince’s new website. Just use the HTML version of the site instead of the Flash version.

Now you know why Mac is better then PC, you cheap bastards!

he should have done a modlife site instead

Off The Chain!!!

Extremely dumb marketing. There are only 2 ways to get the 3-album release 1)from Target only available in US for $11.98 and 2)from LotusFlow3r website for $77. Except for die hard fans the rest of the WORLD will not pay $77 for the e-songs so he has limited his sales to US residents. Why do people still call him a “genius” isn’t he a member of the cult called Jehova’s Witness?

still complaining about nothing everyone has a choice target or online. stop whining people it’s music it is supposed to make us happy remember. Prince had a lifetimes worth of music before the 90’s even arrived!

$77.00 dollars for that? The man must have gone crazy – it’ll leak and then we’ll see….

Unless you’re a really hardcore Prince fan I wouldn’t bother with the new 3 cd set. Only a couple of hot tunes and tons of generic filler!

I agree with Cleveland Steamer that people are mad because they struggled with the “riddle” although the answers are/were sitting right in front of them. Prince has been my favorite musician since 1983 after I heard the entire ‘Controversy’ album (Yeah, I know it came out in 1981, but better late than never). Suckers are too short-sighted and never learn from history. His web sites are solely for his current projects, which is why I never pay to join them. Like life itself, the sites are only temporary. I think it’s great that members get first crack at getting tickets to his shows, but it may not always be to their advantage, especially if the show/concert is presented in the round like the ‘Lovesexy’ and ‘Musicology’ tours (Being on the floor and close to the stage, one doesn’t get to see the whole presentation). To Jon G., Prince is a genius because of ability to easily play various musically styles and still make it his own. Prince filled in the gaps between Jimi, Stevie, Sly, James and George, who are all geniuses in their own right but were limited in what they could do. James Brown was funky, but JB never rocked. Jimi rocked and played the blues, but could never do a loverman R&B ballad, and George is primarily a songwriter and producer, but not a player. I love to hate how people try to put things solely in one category (As in Prince (or black musicians) should only be/do “A”, not “A”,”B” , “C” and “D”, which is why most people are frustrated with him). Prince is (and has been) solely about the music and not about the charts or radio friendly singles since he went back “underground” in the 90’s and early 2000’s. And because of his genius, most “medicore/bad” Prince songs are still better than most other artists’ best songs. I just picked up the new CD and its another solid effort. Yes, Prince is still very relevant, which is why we are discussing him. Most artists today are trying to get to where he’s already been and really have a slim chance of getting there, especially in this current short attention span culture/society. Prince is a genius, legend and a musician’s musician. Peace.

Got my copy at Target yesterday and after 2 listens find it more than I had hoped for. Fewer flashes of songwriting brilliance than in the 80’s of course but everything else is there: great voice, playing, arrangements. It’s the way he does it more than what he does nowadays that make him still fantastic. Even if he is a member of the cult of Jehovah.

Why would I pay for a membership for another Prince website? Last one went down and well I didn’t get my $50 worth out of that. I am a fan but I am not a fool plus during these times that is pricey! No Thank you!

I would pay $77 to get first dibs on concert tickets for the upcoming tour. Does anyone know if the new one is the best way to do that or is there another fan club where you can get tickets before they sell out on ticketmaster in 5 seconds?
Thx

Recognize the 4 dimential overview of unknown imagination of the 5th degree that = ifinity uf unkwn & unthought imagability that the reality uf realization will never B realized buy only a

I love prince,musical geniushe is!!!! 77 dollars no way…. I went to target

The site is sick. Great videos of live performances from Coachella, and one great aftershow (45min!) from London 1993 that is all time. Should he have released a dvd instead ?, probably. Do you people sound like you are entitled to look at photos and videos of others for free ?, most of you. Do you have to pay the fee (like taxes)? no. In today’s musical climate where people share and download for free, watch youtube for free, the only way an artist can make money is by playing live shows. I’m glad Prince is trying to change things so that musicians can make a living once again. Screw the haters that think they deserve something for nothing.

ALL U NEGATIVE PPL NEED 2 GET A LIFE TALKN ABOUT PRINCE BEHIND HIZ BACK MAKES U LOOK LIKE A LIL KID B A MAN AN TELL THAT 2 HIS FACE. YOU WOULDNT SO STOP CRYING. HE A GROWN MAN HE CAN DO WHAT EVER HE WANT IN HIS LIFE UR NOT GOD SO U DONT HAVE THE RIGHT 2 JUDGE HIM. PRINCE U ROCK DUDE DONT LET PPL GET 2 YOU AS LONG AS YOU SERVE YOUR GOD U WILL B FIND.

Listen 2 All His Music,Before U Judge,Becuase U Just May Find Something That You’ll Like.

O(+>

I was a member og NPGMusicClub and bought just about every track and video that was on there. When they shut the site, my pc crashed at about the same time and I lost the lot. I managed to restore the tracks and videos, but I lost the DRM, and since the site had shut down, they were just worthless wastes of space. I will always be a Prince fan, as he IS the greatest artist of this generation, but I cannot help feeling a bit like I was mugged.

There is no way I am risking spending $77 dollars for a year (or possibly less depending on Prince’s attention span), but here in the UK we cannot get the album for less that £30.00, which is just about $44 – nearly 4 times the price. It feels like a big two fingers up to the rest of the world

I liked his new site, it was colorful and mysterious, complain, complain. At least prince is strating to let us get this far? maybe he can open up more if we just let him alone, I love prince! he is my honey 4 life! I will always support him even if he has to put down hard rules to the game. Love you PRINCE! 4 EVER!

Man! all those who think this album is crap should get their heads checked for swine flu or sometin! It’s probably one of his best for a while since the days of diamonds and pearls etc… check out dance4me; amazing!!!

I think Prince did reach his career peak and creative high. NO doubt he’s a wonderful producer arranger performer and his music ahs been very influential and genius. I dont think he cna bring that much else creatively talking but definately eh can make good music,1000times better than the crap out these days and he deserves the respect a living legend deserves.And he ahs right to do whatever with his music and multimedia,not cause everybody gives it for free as a marketing tool,not cuase of it he’s suposed to.I laugh when people get angry cause hes not sharing his music etc4 free,cmon man he can do whatever he wants with it its his $hit and you got nothing to say about it.HIs property.Its like if I get angry cause you dont alow me to get in to YOUR house lol hilarious.And fans think they own Prince

Where Prince ex-fans aka haters gather to whine and bash the musician. They hate Prince but are so confused they can’t bear to stay away from him. This site does nothing more than propagate the hate and bash Prince while hiding behind the freedom of speech amendment. If you so much as to question the reasons for their bashing, be sure to be labeled an antagonist by the mods there and have your sensibilities questioned.

Sad ain’t it being that prince.org was created to celebrate Prince’s music. But now it just functions as a pickup place for horny gays and a place for Prince bashing.
Tip: Careful of VD in GD.

Prince.org allows the bashing to continue because they are tired of Prince threatening them with lawsuits when trying to protect his image and copyrighted work from abuse. The haters feel Prince is slighting them while doing so. I don’t know why they would even care.

Ben, the site’s owner states “our sites are a key driver of fan loyalty, overall positive publicity etc.” However I have personally talked to many Prince fans while waiting in line at concerts who state that prince.org does nothing more than bash while hiding behind the freedom of speech amendment.

I joined prince.org site mainly to discuss his music with other Prince fans who are more technical in the makings of his music. There are many fans who are quite respectful of his music and there are those who go around targeting other fans who love him or his music. There is a lot of hate in the PM&M forum for Prince. I am not talking about having a different opinion in regards to his music, but straight out hate regarding his sexual orientation, hair, looks, race, height etc.

Oh and you can only bash Prince, no one else.
I tried to question Wendy/Lisa about the “Fancy Lesbian” label Lisa gave Prince and my post was quickly snipped by a gay moderator. Favoritism and a bit of ass kissing for sponsoring him.

I was also told I don’t have the right to free speech ??!!

Yeah, right! Says who?

I was just surfin around and did a stumble apon Prince..Or The Artist Formerly Known As..whatever..While I have a normal curiosity about his life, I was also a fan of his, being a kid of the 80’s, and thought that I would give his new site a try..managed to figure it out, just to see that they wanted almost 80 bucks..:0..since I can’t see me going to a concert, I want at least a preview of the songs before I was gonna shell out ANY cash..and since he hasn’t even signed into MYspace in over a YEAR..I think I’d get more enjoyment wiping my @## with 4 twenties!Good luck rippin this chick off..Myspacce says he makes 250g’s a year..well it isn’t gonna b MY hard earned!!

I love Prince and have been a life long fan from his first album. I have bought his records, never miss a televised appearance or article like in Rollingstone or Giant magazines, been to his concerts, (in traffic forever to get to arena btw)etc. I am a big fan, luv this guy!!! I thought NPG site was a bit expensive but figured one day, I would be able to spend the money for some things on it although judging by some posts, glad I didn’t. HOWEVER, Prince has lost his freakin mind charging customers $77.00 during these times or any other. What ever happened, he needs to curb his spending if he is suffering financially. A lot of entertainers are trying to drain every cent from consumers without enough coming back in our community or what u get not completely worth it.Agree with post above by shultz

i love prince i would never replace him in my heart with another artist. he is my all time favorite. i own every album & movie.. he is soo sexy.. even now.. he is extraordinary on guitar!!! he has open my eyes to real music and lyrics.. i would love to meet him, searchings for ways 2 now.. if he could see this i would want him to know that he revolves around my life every day.. i am not the groupy type i just got good taste… my heart goes out to you prince — xoxo 16 yr. old jennie