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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MemoInPR, Jun 27, 2018.

  1. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    Pretty sure TGE is the only WB title in that list. More precisely, NPG/WB at time of original release, which might explain why the estate gets to license it today the way they wanna.

    "Emancipation", "Rave", and "Musicology", all of which were mentioned in the article as being in this first wave of these re-releases along with TGE, were cases where "NPG" struck deals with different majors to release one album. I guess TGE was in fact the first one he did that way. I didn't really think about it at the time.
     
  2. djej

    djej Forum Resident

    I caved and bought a used copy via Half Price Books earlier this year using a 20% off coupon. It was still $160 with taxes and shipping
     
    bataclan2002 likes this.
  3. Dhreview16

    Dhreview16 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    Well done Sony and the Prince estate...kudos. Even in the first phase there are some v good Prince albums e.g. 3121 and Musicology. It would be great to think that Gold Experience might get a vinyl issue, early doors.
     
  4. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    Did you miss that there will be good stuff right off the bat? ;)

    I actually hope they (the "classic" era) don't come out before 2021, meaning Warner don't get to do any more reissues, they are clearly the worst of the "big three" when it comes to catalogue albums, Sony will surely make a better job, I wish they would get to do his complete catalogue including the soundtracks.

    There was a deal that while Prince would get back the masters the albums would "continue to be licensed through Warner" (I guess that license expires in 2021): Prince Gains His Catalog in Landmark Deal With Warner Bros.; New Album Coming

    There are something like 25 albums that are out of print (and some of them are extremely expensive on the second hand market), they will probably all become available again, that is a big deal.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
    George P, ad180 and oneway23 like this.
  5. Tom Schreck

    Tom Schreck Forum Resident

    I'm somewhat sad about the future of the 1995-2012 stuff and the implication/assumption that no one would consider prepping deluxe editions of those albums (or some other archival project to do them justice). As a long-suffering Prince fan, I feel that there's some AMAZING stuff there on those 17-or-so albums, but frankly it's buried in eccentric, mediocre deep cuts that casual fans just won't ever enjoy. Add in all the forgettable b-side remixes and out-of-print/unreleased curios, and the era is especially impenetrable, even for the serious fan.

    Not that those albums aren't occasionally great (in fact, I count The Rainbow Children among my top five favorite Prince albums [but that one's also an anomaly creatively]), but I think that if those eras' output is ever to shine, it all will need to be re-contextualized. A series of "[relatively complete] sessions" archival CD sets, a la Miles Davis, would be a starting point. Just think: a chronological recounting of what they can piece together of, say, "the complete 1993," would probably be incredible. And like six CD's or whatever, fine. It would be pure music, without all the artifice that Prince added when he tried to reckon with the material and split it up into a thousand albums and sets of material that he jettisoned when he got busy on the next set of ideas.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: a long-term archival discography project must veer toward the historical rather than the commercial; otherwise it withers on the vine.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
    jupiter8, smarone313, ad180 and 2 others like this.
  6. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I’d love to pick up physical copies of Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic, Exodus, and Goldn**** if they’re part of these re-releases. I sold my copies years ago.
     
  7. Tom Schreck

    Tom Schreck Forum Resident

    I would bet good U.S. dollars that Exodus and Gold-N won't be in the initial reissue series, simply on account of the fact that they weren't technically Prince releases and definitely give off more of a side-project vibe, with alternate singers and rappers/etc. and a full-band sound. Newpower Soul is, then, the odd one out, because it's clearly a Prince album but isn't billed as such!

    Rave In2 is a better album than Rave Un2, but we won't get that unless we get a deluxe Rave Un2, I bet. But I may be wrong.

    Of course, all of it deserves the archival treatment, with lavish box sets and copious liner notes and session information! :)
     
    Maurice, Jayseph and CBackley like this.
  8. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    I'm in total agreement that they should be reissued on vinyl, but the first two did get a vinyl release and although "The Gold Experience" was promo only, "Rainbow Children" had UK distribution for the vinyl via Vital although I'm not sure anyone but me was interested in buying it at the time, "The Gold Experience" was pretty easy to pick up on eBay in the early noughties as well, admittedly current used prices for both are somewhat obscene.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
    SinisterGinger likes this.
  9. I very much like about half of 3121. There's some really inspired stuff there. AOA is less enjoyable to me, but again the high points are quite good. What a musician that guy was. Such a loss.
     
  10. manco

    manco Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I suppose this means that all 35 of these will be hitting streaming services by 2019.
     
    marcb likes this.
  11. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Not for me, unfortunately. I love Prince's early period very much. After Purple Rain his misses vastly outweighed his hits, IMO.
     
  12. Rocketdog

    Rocketdog Senior Member

    Location:
    ME, USA
    That would be nice, too, although I have a promo copy if it on vinyl already.
     
  13. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    Why would you assume that and where is it implied?

    I have a dream of a massive set (in my fantasy it's titled The Dawn - The Ultimate Experience) which chronicles everything from the '93-'95 period. :angel:

    Exodus, Rave In2 and Newpower Soul are on Tidal, so no reason why they wouldn't eventually be included in this too. (Not sure what's the deal with Gold Nigga, it was I think the only Prince and/or NPG album that was skipped on Tidal.) Of course Exodus would also be part of my fantasy box set. :D

    I was just joking, actually pre-1999 is my absolute favourite era, but I also love for example that post- [​IMG] and pre-Emancipation era, as well as a lot of other later material.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
    artfromtex likes this.
  14. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I love Prince from Purple Rain onwards. The richness and variety of his music vastly outweighsed what preceeded it and couldn't give a damn whether songs were hits or not.
     
    Jimmy Agates likes this.
  15. jason202

    jason202 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    I wonder if the currently available titles from this era will remain in print on vinyl until 2021. I'll be filling in the gaps in my collection right away, as new copies are available fairly cheap and are for the most part of excellent quality. Who knows if Sony will do them justice. I own plenty of mediocre Sony-reissued vinyl.
     
  16. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Translation: I want it all and I want it now.

    Reissues don’t ever work that way. They dole them out to make the most money they can.

    Ed
     
  17. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    I didn't mean "hit" in that way. His output after Purple Rain had some songs I love ( "Raspberry Beret", "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man"), but the majority of it just doesn't move me in any way. I kept trying, but for every song I liked, there were 9 that I didn't like.
     
  18. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    I had a much different interpretation of Purple Jim’s post — the post-1995 material should be reissued and stocked in stores now rather than 2021 because fewer people will care with each passing year. I didn’t get the sense at all that he was saying “I want it all and I want it right now.”
     
    TonyCzar likes this.
  19. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    I think that everything up to Gold Experience was very solid.
    After that, I feel that it was a series of albums all peppered with terrific songs.
     
  20. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    Batman will always be strictly under Warner Bros. due to the movie rights. That's why it wasn't under his Paisley Park imprint and tracks were initially absent on commercial compilations until 4Ever.

    I didn't realize the other soundtracks were the same type of deal even though he was able to put the latter 2 under his Paisley Park imprint.
     
  21. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    "Worldwide rights begin immediately for Prince's album releases from 1995-2010...." Sony have the rights to these now and they can and probably will come sooner.

    "Starting in 2021, Sony/Legacy's distribution rights grow to include 12 Prince non-soundtrack catalog albums from the 1978-1996 era..." This relates to the albums Warner have the licesing to at the moment and Sony can't do anything with them (but Warner can I suppose).
     
  22. bataclan2002

    bataclan2002 All You Need Is Now.

    Prince released 39 official studio albums between 1978-2015. We know that 35 are being reissued.

    Which 4 are omitted? Four soundtracks: PR, Parade/Cherry Moon, Batman, Graffiti Bridge?
     
    slashdot87 likes this.
  23. Matty

    Matty Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Seconded.

    However, if the Prince reissues trickle out as slowly as the those from the Van Morrison series, the entire Prince catalog won't be available on physical media until 10-15 years after my death. And I'm in pretty good health.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
  24. 99thfloor

    99thfloor Senior Member

    Location:
    Sweden
    Yes, that's probably it, but the total number depends on if live albums are also counted (it doesn't say "studio" anywhere) and if some albums that were released as combos but later split up (like Crystal Ball) are counted one way or the other.
     
  25. Izozeles

    Izozeles Pushing my limits

    I hope we get a physical release of Chocolate Invasion with improved sound. It’ll be Supercute
     
    EVOLVIST and ad180 like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine