Thread by @DrewCoffman, Does everyone know why Prince changed his name to a symbol? It [...]

Does everyone know why Prince changed his name to a symbol? It wasn't because he was weird! He was SO FRUSTRATED with the creative limitations and predatory tactics of record labels that he rejected his OWN BIRTH NAME in an attempt to break free.

Let me tell you all about it…

Prince is the perfect example of a musician that finds fame early. A creative genius, he created his first album on his own and signed a deal with Warner Brothers at the age of 19. Early interviews show that he had no interest in playing anyone else’s game

After his first album he spent all of the 80s releasing hits, and then, 20 years later re-signed a contract with Warner Bros in the early 1990s. It was worth a $100 million! All good, right? Nope. This is where the issues began to surface.

The six-album deal that Prince signed with Warner Bros sounds great on the surface, but there were some major issues. In reality, the majority of the money was actually a series of $10 million advances which required each album to sell 5 million copies.

That wasn’t Prince’s way.

Prince, being a prolific artist that moved from project to project with quickness, seemed to have no interest in turning every album into a # 1 hit.

Purple Rain sold 14 million copies, but other releases sold way under the 5 million mark.

So, in actuality, the terms of Warner Bros’s contract seemed to be a tactic to get Prince to slow down. They wanted him to release albums at a more gradual pace! They wanted him to spend more time promoting each one with tours, singles, and music videos!

Prince didn’t like that.

Prince and Warner Bros were at odds. The label didn’t want to over-saturate the market. Prince, used to releasing yearly and the owner of a LITERAL VAULT FULL OF MUSIC, wanted to move faster.

So, the symbol! Why did Prince change his name? Well, it was an attempt to extract himself from his deal with Warner who had trademarked the term 'Prince'! Already going so far as to write ‘Slave’ on his face while performing, he took it further by giving up his name completely.

Prince had already been using a circle-cross icon as a visual motif for a long while. Check it out, you can see it on his motorcycle in Purple Rain! The androgynous gender-esque icon just fit his personality.

While branding a new album, a symbol was created by designer Lizz Frey. Initially intended to be a 7, it was further developed by CGI artist Dale Hughes and turned into the iconic symbol we now know. (Check out the whole process here: https://www.creatureworks.com/origins/prince_symbol/ )

This album art turned into the official name for the Artist now Formerly Known as Prince. He sent journalists a floppy disc(!) with the symbol on it so they could use it when writing about him, and seemed to hope that this new name would in some way release him from his contract.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Prince was stuck in his contract, and in 1995 he released a statement (incredibly preserved by @anildash) that you should just go read in full. It’s surprisingly vulnerable! https://medium.com/@anildash/message-from-the-artist-c611535da21c#.fh3jz8mi5

Message from The Artist

Twenty years ago, at the height of his battle for control over his musical career, Prince posted an unusually candid and direct letter to…

https://medium.com/@anildash/message-from-the-artist-c611535da21c#.fh3jz8mi5

In the message Prince wrote about how lawyers are ‘in bed’ with record labels and how artists are ‘the last one the totem poll’. These words don’t sound angry. Just sad.

“The process is painful. I have been long ready for a new program. The time is now.”

This was 25 years ago.

Prince released ‘Chaos and Disorder’, the sixth contractual record in 96. It was…not great! 4 months later he released 'Emancipation' under his own label. It ruled! Prince was ‘free’. So, why didn't he go back to using his name? Because Warner Bros still 'owned' it.

It wasn’t until the contract fully expired, in the year 2000, that The Artist Formerly Known as Prince became Prince again.

…and in 2014, just a couple of years before his death, Prince finally got control of his masters. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6062423/prince-deal-with-warner-bros-new-album-coming

Prince Gains His Catalog in Landmark Deal With Warner Bros.; New Album Coming

Prince has re-upped with Warner Bros. Records in a deal that will see ownership of his classic catalog reverting to the artist but staying with the Los Angeles-based label through a global licensing...

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6062423/prince-deal-with-warner-bros-new-album-coming

Prince didn’t just use artistic tactics to fight the system. He also made it explicit. There are PLENTY of articles and videos of him telling artists to get out of the game and take full control. https://twitter.com/DrewCoffman/status/1305649593779060736

https://twitter.com/DrewCoffman/status/1305649593779060736

Nas recently told a story about the time he asked Prince to do a song with him.

Prince: “Do you own your masters?”
Nas: “I don’t and I’m far from it.”
Prince: “When you own your masters, give me a ring.”

https://www.okayplayer.com/music/nas-drink-champs-n-o-r-e-interview-video.html

The music industry has long needed disruption, and now @kanyewest is taking up the mantle. As Prince once said, “record labels have no right to enslave the creators.”

It’s time for artistic Emancipation.

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