Music industry blasts Prince for releasing free CD

**Spike-X** · June 30th, 2007

The Entertainment Retailers Association said the giveaway "beggars belief". "It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," ERA co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. "It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.

"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."

What a bunch of crybabies. Their sense of entitlement is sickening. It's Prince's music, not theirs, and he can do with it as he sees fit. Funny how it's always the people who have the least involvement in actually creating the work who always cry loudest when they don't get to make a buck off it.

**ceil420** · June 30th, 2007

All of Prince's music that I like was in Purple Rain (for some reason, I've never liked any other Prince track). But the man gets much respect from me. As someone else mentioned, he's already shown that he's willing to drop his name to stand up for what he believes in. And even though I'm sure it wasn't Prince's intention to slap the record comapanies around a bit, if that's how they wanna take it, fine. Dude just wants to get his music out there, for every one to enjoy.

Music is an art. It's not about the money, it's about the expression of self. It's taking a piece of your soul and showing it to the world at large. I say the RIAA (and whatever the corrosponding group in non-USA nations is) can **** off, and let the artists do as they will with their art.