There’s no doubt Prince would’ve been incensed and dismayed at the artifacts popping up without his consent. He was so fiercely protective of his work.

Comments

2
Yep.

But, have you seen this clip of Miles Davis soloing in the middle of Housequake???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UoLkFQl…
3
ps-> that American Bandstand was intact for awhile in the last week so there is still some posthumous censoring going on.

AB was all lip-sync'd though so both less of a loss and more of a copyright violation.
4
But let me check: Prince is still dead right? I mean I'd typically suggest we poke him with a stick to make sure but since he was cremated....probably not that necessary. But he is still dead right? Doubt he cares and neither should you.

Pay attention to the living. They are what matter.
5
he who has ears should hear!
7
Let me start by saying that I hate file sharers, illegal uploaders, and people that try and argue that artistic theft somehow benefits musicians in the end. This post isn't about copyright laws.

That said, I think predicting how Prince would react to this activity after he's gone is a futile exercise. Sure, in life, he was ultra protective of his intellectual property.

Counterpoint: the man didn't leave a will or set up an estate for assets that could be worth 100's of millions. What does that tell us? Who knows, but one interpretation is that Prince was a man who only cared about the here and now...and fuck it once he's gone.
8
As the ultimate fan fully aware of his intentions, I felt guilt at first. And then guilty pleasure. The kind of guilty pleasure that I'm sure he indulged in before the watchtower took over. And because of those beliefs, I am convinced he is in a world of neverending happiness and can always see the sun, day or night. And because no one is making any money off of these free uploads, or taking funds away from no one that would otherwise profit off of them because he apparently did not leave a will, we are free to love him and enjoy the beautiful art he left behind because I know he's not worried about us right now. Life is for the living.
10
And Franz Kafka's friend wasn't supposed to publish all of his writing.

We don't owe dead artists anything. Share all of their work everywhere.
11
The world will be a happier and sexier place with more of Prince's beautiful music more available. Isn't that a good thing?
12
I don't share your moral angst. If it were Nickleback who behaved like this, we'd be slagging them for their arrogance and contemptuous attitude toward fans. But because this attitude came from a man of great talent, we give it credence. It's one thing to be mildly bothered by bootlegging. But for a man of such talent to feel so aggrieved that the fans who gave him his wealth were ripping him off by actually appreciating the historical significance of these performances, and sharing the pure joy of his talent ... I mean, he should have felt honoured to have that kind of impact on culture. Yeah, so some people got into his concerts with video cameras. Maybe it shouldn't happen, but it does. And the occasional unreleased song gets out. That's what happens when one gets taken seriously as an artist. (Would he have preferred that nobody felt he was worth videotaping and celebrating?) Brian Wilson was upset when Smile got bootlegged, but he didn't call them "my so-called fans" when they sought out (and praised) his work. (That's the phrase Prince used on Larry King talking about people who bought bootlegs ... not the people who sold them.) Paul McCartney said he enjoyed hearing Beatle bootlegs, which built up a market for the Anthology series and made him even more millions. These online videos only spread awareness and appreciation of his place in musical history. Nobody is harmed by them. And you should not feel guilty for doing what a fan is supposed to do -- watch them.
13
I feel torn also. But, Prince was not against fans listening to his music ( although his harsh stance had that effect); he was against websites and record companies making more money than he did off his music. If he could have fairly monetized his videos on youtube or spotify or vimeo, where ever, he probably would not have been totally against the online premises. However, these companies get rich off artists and offer them pennies. I get it. But, now that he is gone, I don't feel like my watching his videos is a violation of his rights as an artist. His family, who had nothing to do with the work, will benefit for the rest of their lives. I rejoice when I watch. It has taken me a while to get comfortable seeing things I've never seen. But, I don't feel obligated to his family to preserve his wishes. That may sound harsh, but they didn't create the content.

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