slave – Aria Elan

How could Prince refer to himself as a “slave” when he sold millions of records? Prince’s exclusive recording contract with Warner gave the record company the right to release his music when, and if, they chose; deduct money from his

** FILE ** Prince, with the word “Slave” written across his face is shown performing in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza in this July 9, 1996 file photo. Recently a number of superstar acts are rejecting traditional multiyear album contracts with major record labels in favor of deals that offer bigger dollars and more creative freedom. (AP Photo/Richard Drew/FILE)

royalties for things that he did not agree to, and the record company owned the “masters” to Prince’s recordings. Prince eventually fulfilled the terms of his Warner contract , then cut a brilliant deal in 2014 with Warner which returned ownership of his music catalog to Prince. He took advantage of US copyright law which allows an author to regain the rights to his works after 35 years.

In the 1990s before Napster, Prince prophesized the coming of downloading and streaming and the demise of brick and mortar record stores. Tower Records, Circuit City, Borders have all gone the way of dinosaurs. Major record companies who own the master recordings negotiated their deals with Apple, Spotify, Pandora, etc and receive millions every year, while artists who create the music receive pennies. Fans feel they should listen to music for free. Some criticized Prince for refusing to put his music on internet sites and for filing lawsuits, but I applaud him. He was not only a musical genius, he was an astute business man who understood that his music (intellectual property) has value just like real estate, stocks, or any other property.

I had the honor of experiencing Prince in concert at Jack the Rapper’s Family Affair music conference in Atlanta and meeting him after the show. I told him how much he inspired me and millions of others with his music. A broad smile appeared on his handsome face and he replied: “Thank you.” When my niece told me that Prince passed, it felt like I lost a family member. I started singing:

” I’m not a woman
I’m not a man
I am something that you’ll never understand

I’ll never beat you
I’ll never lie
And if you’re evil I’ll forgive you by and by

‘Cause you, I would die for you, yeah
Darling if you want me to
You, I would die for you…”

I looked up at the postcard perfect blue sky and whispered “thank you.”

One Love,

Aria