Temporary Blogging

Prince wanted two things in his career: to put out as much music as humanly possible and be fairly compensated for all of his work.

“When I first started out in this music industry, I was most concerned with freedom,” said Prince in his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004. “Freedom to produce. Freedom to play all the instruments on my records. Freedom to say anything I wanted to. And after much negotiation, Warner Bros Records granted me that freedom. And I thank them for that.”

He did not mention, however, that these “negotiations” lasted for over two decades and included very public protests from himself.

Prince initially signed to Warner Records when he was 19 in 1976. The contract allowed him complete creative freedom for three albums and he was able to keep his publishing rights. He was a musical genius. He played at least 27 instruments, produced, wrote, and mixed most of his own albums. He wanted his work to solely be his own, including owning his master recordings. This is where the problems with Warner started.

In 1992, Prince signed a new contract with Warner. According to Billboard magazine, it covered six albums each with a $10 million advance and a 25 percent royalty rate. Paisley Park Records, Prince’s own record company, also became a part of Warner. This deal gave Prince the opportunity to be on equal footing with his contemporaries at the time, such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. However, he did not own his masters. 

Master recordings, or masters, are an incredibly valuable asset due to the amount of money that can be paid from them. Whoever owns the rights to a master record can license it to be used for commercial use and maximize the profit from the song. Many artists do not own their masters due to recording companies understanding how much money they can funnel from owning them, and this included Prince and his 1992 contract.

Full of righteous fury and armed with his flamboyant skills as an entertainer, he decided to protest. In 1993 he changed his stage name to the Love Symbol and was also referred to as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince (TAFKAP). He began to write “Slave” on his face during performances and award shows. 

He was released from the contract in 1996 after years of protest, but he still did not own his masters.

In the 18 years after leaving Warner, he released several albums and went from superstar to legend. In 2014, he signed a new contract with Warner. He took a deal that finally gave him his masters back, as well as re-releasing a 30th anniversary edition of the iconic Purple Rain album and the movie of the same name. He removed all of his music from streaming services because he did not deem the compensation as fair. The only exception was HITnRUN Phase One and HITnRUN Phase Two on Tidal, Jay-Z’s streaming service. After he died, his estate made the decision to upload his work on all music streaming platforms.

Prince’s fight to own his work was successful after two decades, but many artists may never have that chance. Under Section 203 of the U.S. Copyright Act, passed in 1978, artists may claim the rights to their work after 35 years. The rights are not just handed over, however. There may be added provisions in the initial contracts signed as well as lengthy and costly legal battles the artists must carry out. If an artist cannot make money off their work for three and a half decades, how are they supposed to afford to fight in court for their copyright? Luckily, Prince did not have to go this route, but he still had to sign a new contract to essentially work for his right to his own art.

Prince’s lifelong journey to own and completely control his music was hard, but he managed to accomplish it before his death in April 2016. Many called it an obsession or fixation, but he just wanted to be fairly compensated for the work he did. Prince was not just an entertainer, he was a talent. There was a level of work many musicians today do not even put into their work. He served as an inspiration for many artists such as Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, and Lady Gaga. He was decidedly androgynous and sexual in his presentation, which made him one of the biggest icons of the LGBT+ community. Prince transcended stardom and became a legend, and he knew what his art was worth. 

In the biography Prince: A Private View written by Afhsin Shahidi, Beyoncé detailed her admiration for Prince and his influence on her, as well as his commitment to his work: “He dared to fight for what was rightfully his: his freedom, wrapped up in words and music he created.”

This is my article from UNCA’s Advoacy Journalism course.