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

If they come out with a D&B box, I'll probably get it on CD, but definitely not on LP. I can't imagine listening through an entire x-disc boxed set of outtakes from what may very well be my least favorite Prince album of the original era.

 

Sure, I much prefer the 6 minute version of When Doves Cry. I’ve had it for close on 40 years on my 84 Purple original vinyl. But I’m happy to have the 7” single version on a hits package with 40 cuts across 8 sides. As others have said, the Kevin Gray 2009 remaster of Purple Rain is different to Bernie Grundman’s original, but worth getting. Like Dolphins above, the Bernie is my go to cut, but there are times when (as with 1999) I want to hear the KG version. All good.

 

I could be wrong, but from reading between the lines in certain things said by those now in charge of the estate, the SDE campaign could be dead in the water.

 

I’m still surprised the SDE’s even got this far. A couple of outstanding, extensive releases from my favorite Prince era, but just short of the one I was actually looking forward to most; Parade.

Still keeping my fingers crossed that a lot of prep had already been done, and the current powers that be would take advantage of that for an ‘easy’ release ánd to keep momentum going.

 

Could you quote those things here (or point me in the direction of said quotes), please?

 

Same here. Dammit.

 

Charles F. Spicer Jr's Twitter account is the main one (he's the appointed advisor to the heirs).

"Look real close, do you see it? He put slave on his face for a reason. “If ya don’t know what’s best for Prince U betta ask somebody” #Comericareleases=unrecoupabledebt"

And this one:

"To set the record straight we had asked Comerica and their lawyers to begin a plan of transition once we were informed the taxes were paid but their plan was to wait and hope that we would enter into a transition plan so they could continue raping us at $280k per month."

There's a strong current of messy language from the estate that Comerica was mishandling things, and the inference that they want to move as far away from what Comerica was doing as possible.

Happy to be proven wrong, though. Has happened many times before

 

Unfulfilled promises. Disappointments. Squabbles and indignations. It's almost like he was still here with us.

 

The problem with reading between the lines is that I did it a lot for several College Courses, which hurt my grades. Although, my motto was ‘Cs get Degrees’.

Anyways, thought I read after the Estate was recently settled that now a different person(or a few people) would have the job of going through the Vault to determine what, if anything else, should be released. If that is true, I have no idea how that might affect the potential for any future SDE Box Sets they might release. If it was up to me, I would ask Morris Day, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, if they would be willing to take on the task of going through the Music in the Vault, and determine which Songs would be worthy of release.

 

Since Parade's a soundtrack album, that's in Warner's court.

 

The music only brings in an income if it's out there available to stream and buy, with physical releases offering the best profit margin, so whoever is in charge isn't going to sit on it burning through money to store and secure tapes with the only income being royalties, unless the plan is to wait long enough that the value of the estate agreed with the IRS isn't an issue and sell the entire back catalogue to Universal, Sony or a private equity group for a much higher value.

 

While the soundtrack is in Warner's Court, I understand that any outtakes and unreleased concert footage is in the estate's court.

 

And if we're trying to get two corporate entities to play ball,...

 

Warner's has been playing ball with the Estate quite nicely up to this point. That's how we got the fantastic 1999 and SOTT SDE's. Now, how the Estate's new management will play ball with Warner's or Sony is quite another manner. But time will tell, I guess.

As someone else mentioned, the Parade SDE may already be far enough along in the planning stages that the Estate allows Warner's to proceed with it in the relatively near future. That's the only thing I'm truly concerned about, since I'm not particularly invested in any other SDE's at this point.

Except maybe a revamped and expanded Purple Rain with better SQ. Which likely wouldn't come out until 2024, since that's the 40th anniversary.

And as another poster mentioned, I would also not be averse to the Estate releasing boxed sets covering years, rather than albums. For instance, getting one box with the everything from the period between 1999 and SOTT would be arguably even better than SDE's of Purple Rain and Parade. YMMV.

 

That’s going to be a 50-album box. Shipping costs will be lethal. But sure, bring it!

 

As mentioned above don't expect anything anytime soon unless it's more merchandise and lots of vinyl we already gave in different colours.

The estate is concentrating on licensing the music and live shows featuring Prince's music.

 

100% this is my preference. 3rd SDE after those two I'd love would be For You with all those early demos in there, plus the Studio 80 (formally known as Loring Park) instrumentals, and outtakes like "Make It Through the Storm." That would be the treasure of a lifetime.

 

I believe this to be the case too and it is so incredibly disappointing.

 

I am not much of a fan of his first 2 Albums, but would be interested in a Box Set containing a few Concerts from the Dirty Mind & Controversy Albums Era.

 

I would love a Box Set containing Concerts(Audio & Video) from various years.

 

Not actual Prince shows but things like Queens We Will Rock You or Abba's Mama Mia.

 

Maybe something great will come out next year?

 

I’d like to see either a Parade or a Diamonds and Pearl’s SDE. C’mon Warners, let’s get Parade out…

 

This is a dismal inevitability, I'm afraid.

 

Well, they needed to represent the early, pre-hit years, so I understand why they weren't too staunch about chart criteria for them. And 'When You Were Mine' and 'I Feel for You' were very well known from their cover versions. The appeal there was the "oh, did Prince write that?" effect (likewise the inclusion of 'Nothing Compares 2 U.')

'Gotta Stop (Messin' About)' was originally an A-side (May 1981). It turned up as a b-side in the US a year later, but originally it was Prince's first non-album single, which is exactly the kind of thing you'd hope to find on an extensive singles compilation.