Dr. Neil Hair

Genius! I cant believe I'm saying it. Prince is a genius. He is giving away his music in the UK with a CD of greatest hits in this weekends Sunday Mail. Crazy you think. Dig a little deeper to understand his motive. For quite some time now the pint sized demigod has learned his lesson of over 25 years in the business by controlling the earnings finally, from his concerts and rescuing himself from bankruptcy. He makes much more money from these then he ever did the actual take home royalties of his music. So, one in the eye for the industry that annoyed him so much that he stopped recording and using his name in the 90's. What's the deal? He realizes that there is only so much to be earned from his old songs – let's face it – most of us normal folk who aren't impressed with the likes of Paris Hilton's music own them already. So, instead he's pushing free music with all of the free advertising that goes with it in publicizing his concerts where he charges up to 100 GBP a ticket (about $200) in prior years – or (if you buy his new album) – 31.21 GBP right now. The reaction from the music industry? As reactionary as usual, one representative even had the cheek to say, "it is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career." Yes, all those wonderful people that forced the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as to dump his name, his recording companies, and his music.

It is all about the personal brand – and Prince in my humble opinion is doing a great job of managing that – by being firmly in control of it.