Prince Estate Signs Deal With Sony Music to Re-Release 35 Catalog Albums

LOL. so many bloody Prince albums still not released on vinyl

I really hate that he has passed as he still had so much magical music to make

 

As I understand it Warner owns the exclusive license to release them. I think Estate still owns the masters and of course they own everything in the Vault so it's likely that Warner can't release anything without Estates approval.

 

Did he ever actually say that?

I have seen an interview where he said some one will release it one day.

He didn't seem to bothered by it.

 

You could have one for each eye....

 

C-Note too?

 

Yes I saw the same interview too (have a copy on my hard drive actually) he said "someone would one day, but won't be him"

 

I am seeing a new Warner CD of Come listed on some European sites (search for barcode number 0603497839438), release date is September 16. The list price seems too high for a single CD (about €20/£15/$20).

The way I interpret it is, I would assume Warner can release those four main albums as they please, the bit that the Estate controls is the unreleased material, so if they want to add anything that has to be worked out. Same thing with all the 90s owards albums that Sony have the rights to, they can probably release the main albums as they choose (actually it's been stated that they have the rights to everything previously released, so not just the albums), but if they want to use anything unreleased they have to clear that, this is just my specualtion, but seems reasonable. The bit where it probably gets complicated from here on are the other 80s albums where, while Sony now have the rights in America, Warner retain the rights in the rest of the world, I wonder how they will work this out, will releases only come out in one territory? (Actually that is already happening as Sony reissued a bunch of albums on CD in America and the above Come CD would be Europe only, but I'm thinking of Deluxe Editions, etc.)

 

Not sure if that's totally correct, as all the Sony reissues are also on that label here in the UK.

 

Are they selling EU/UK-made reissues (so not some imports from the US) of the non-soundtrack album from For You through "Love Symbol" in the UK that are on Sony? That would be going against what we have been told in that case. There are no such reissues sold over here.

 

I must say I'd ignored them as I have the originals, but a quick check on Discogs suggests they're US only. What a mess!!

 

It goes back to the article in the very first post of this thread:

Starting in 2021, Sony/Legacy's distribution rights grow to include 12 Prince non-soundtrack catalog albums from the 1978-1996 era for distribution in the United States.

Meaning elsewhere it stays as it is for the albums of that era.

 

I did not know that either !! I did not know "Come" has been reissued (I have the original) but did not know that it is out again...............wow ........................this Prince stuff is getting more and more bizarre by the moment - just when you think things are gonna be OK, it is up the $hit creek again !!

(or are we just talking about CD reissues here? - my brain always goes straight to Wax) - LOL

 

I can't see how deluxe versions of the soundtrack albums are ever going to work now. Why would Sony ever let Warner use the vault tracks? And by reverse, why would Warner ever let Sony use the soundtrack material? It seems like it would have to be a soundtrack reissue with no vault material -or a vault release with no soundtrack songs.

 

Yes those are very good points. I would rather just see new stuff coming out, the vault tracks / unreleased albums as stand alones now - and release on Wax the albums that were on CD only - just keep it simple, maybe stop the huge boxed sets? I think the best one was SOTT and it is fantastic though, but would be hard to top that one.

 

I think the ideal thing would be vault releases akin to Bob Dylan's bootleg series, focusing on particular periods, but not making us buy the albums we already own over again to get the unreleased material.

 

Agreed! That would be brilliant - and forget these "edits" too ..........whilst at it

 

What I was saying above had to do with the label situation in general, but the reissues I referred to are the CDs that are (as I understand it since I haven't seem or heard them) basically just repressings of the old CDs with a Sony logo instead of Warner.

But I don't think Sony has any more right to vault material than Warner, again as per the article that started this thread, the Sony deal only involves previously released material.

 

CD only Sue

 

Wow that is good then Shane - you know I get FOMO

 

Looks like we’re finally getting both volumes of The Hits (sadly without the b-sides, which I think is the best part of that album, but alas…)

Prince - The Hits 1

Prince - The Hits 2

 

Thanks for the news. I wonder who has mastered them ?

 

That’s awesome that The Hits 1 and 2 are coming out on vinyl. I’m a sucker for white vinyl too. Too bad about The B-Sides though. That’s a great disc.

The Prince Store sold a black vinyl reissue of The Hits 1 a couple of years ago. I’ve been waiting for The Hits 2 to come out. I guess they just won’t issue it in black vinyl?

 

The whole reissue/release situation with Prince has been quiet since it switched to Sony. Pretty disappointing after the excellent 1999 and Sign O The Times boxsets and other standalone releases.

 

I think it was just timing. As soon as the estate was settled last month, many changes were made within the organization.

 

My guess is, at least for part one, they use the same mastering they created for this:

Prince - The Hits 1