PRINCE'S LEGACY-CONTROLLING ONE'S OWN WORK

May-2-2016

On April 21st, 2016, fans around the world were shocked to hear of the passing of Prince. A songwriter, actor, music producer, and master of multiple musical instruments, Prince influenced popular culture for decades.

Prince was also a strong advocate for artist rights and for maintaining control over his works. In 1980, the iconic Dick Clark interviewed Prince, who was 21 and asked him why it took four years for Prince to sign with a label even though recording labels had been interested in him all along. Prince's answer was:"They wouldn't let me produce myself."

That was Prince. He had his vision, he would create true to his vision, and no record label was going to take control of his music. Unfortunately, that changed in 1992, when Warner Brothers convinced a cash-strapped Prince to sign a $100 million contract for six albums that gave the studio ownership of all of Prince's master recordings from earlier in his career. In an apparent act of defiance, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and throughout the rest of the 1990s, he was referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince." He changed his name back to Prince in 2000 when the contract expired, reinforcing speculation that his name change was originally due to his rocky relationship with Warner.

Prince's efforts as an advocate for artist rights continued into the Internet age. He had already spent over two decades fighting to keep his vision intact. Now, however, the battlefield had changed. It was no longer just wealthy record producers who were using his work without his consent. YouTube now enabled users to generate their own content. Prince had developed behaviors that kept him somewhat in control of his work in an industry where artists are routinely forced to work at a record label's whim. But on the Internet, this behavior may conflict with fair use.