Non-Urban Music Prince vs Fansites

[_carmi]

Holy shit! Not since Alysa Milano went sue-happy has a bunch of fans revolted against their object of devotion.

Prince fans are angry.

They claim that the pop star and his lawyers are threatening fan sites and trying to get money from them through fear and intimidation.

In an unparalleled move, three of the largest Prince fansites have started a new site, Prince Fans United, and they are taking their frustration public.

Here is the eye-opening press release they just sent out!

“November 5, 2007

PRINCE FANS FIGHT BACK AGAINST ATTACKS

In an extraordinary, but not unfamiliar move, the rock legend Prince is using an army of lawyers to launch attacks on his own fans.

Several of the largest web communities dedicated to the artist have received notices to cease and desist all use of photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to Prince’s likeness.

It is our opinion that these threats are not made in an attempt to enforce valid copyright as Prince alleges in his threats, rather we believe they are attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince. We strongly believe that such actions are in violation of the freedom of speech and should not be allowed. Prince claims that fansites are not allowed to present any artwork with Prince’s likeness, to the extreme that he has demanded removal of fan’s own photographs of their Prince inspired tattoos and their vehicles displaying Prince inspired license plates.

Prince’s representatives have requested that the fansites provide them with “substantive details of the means by which you [the fansites] propose to compensate our clients [Paisley Park Enterprises, NPG Records and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)] for damages…”

The owners of the three largest fansites supporting Prince: www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com and www.prince.org have come together to fight back to what amounts to an injustice to the fansites and the very fans who have supported Prince’s career, many since the very beginning nearly thirty years ago.

It is their hope that Prince will reconsider his position and allow these fansites to continue their existence without constant threats from Prince and his attorneys. Should this not be possible, the fansites are fully prepared to defend their position in the proper court of law, as well as fully prosecute any claims to which they are justly entitled.

The owners of housequake.com, princefams.com and prince.org acknowledge that, while Prince is entitled to control of his copyrights, it should be within the law. The law clearly provides for displaying of images of a celebrity’s likeness for newsworthy events or matters that are considered to be public interest. All three websites feel that the photographs and/or likeness displayed on their websites clearly fall within the public interest category. Additionally, the use of photographs is legal based on the fair use doctrine, i.e. the displaying of album cover art, or the collage headers created by website members using a variety of different photographs.

For housequake.com: Aaron A. Sikkink and Gavin McLaughlin
For princefams.com: Endre Adolfsen and Jonathan Nice
For prince.org: Ben Margolin

For more information, please contact the Prince Fans United Group spokesperson:
Gavin McLaughlin at: pfu@housequake.com.”

Fight the power!!!

http://perezhilton.com/?p=8290


Prince Fans United

 

[Casey]

Yes. I've known of this for a long time, as I know the admins of those sites and post on two of them (the two bigger ones).

I even know who it was that sent the PFU news story to Perez.

Shit's getting out of hand if you ask me. I don't support the PFU, I'm firmly on Prince's side and support his decisions. He has his reasons.

 

[_carmi]

but don't you think its selfish of prince? i mean i obviously don't know the whole story but those sites have been supporting him and everything and then he attacks them. how is this fair?

 

[Casey]

it's not as simple as that _carmi.

 

[_carmi]

explain.

 

[Casey]

Prince has responded (in song format)

OMG ITS FUCKING SICK

www.princefamsunited.com - listen to it here!!!

 

[_carmi]

lyrics?

 

[Casey]

Drop it now
Gonna stop it now
Gonna git it now

Here he comes again
He’s gonna try to ruin my day
Never had a reason to dog me out
Di’n’t never make ‘em do what they say

Nine times outta ten
Ask ‘im if he did he say no
I’ll never be a turncoat
Never be the one
To sell your name at the grocery store

You come around
Funny stuff be goin’ down
Ask him how it happened
Yo he don’t know

But I don’t care what people may say
I ain’t gon’ let it ruin my day
The best remedie for a basket full of lies
Is funk

Ain’t nothin’ like funky music
To start me on my day
Got to gimme some of that music

Here she comes again
She got to tell the story her way
Once she’s caught a guy
That's doin’ somethin’ she don’t wanna
Takin’ money when the crime don’t pay

Every now and then
You’ll do somethin’ ... they said
One man’s justice is another man’s fear
Don’t you wish that you could sleep in my bed?

The only reason to say my name is to get your 15 secs of fame
Nobody’s even sure what you do

But I don’t care what people may say
I ain’t gon’ let it ruin my day
The best remedie for a basket full of lies is funk

There’s nothin’ like funky music
Let the music play

Well, it might not be The Grand Progression
But it sure is funky
Right on

How you gonna cap and be gone?
I hate to let you know but it's on
You might not like the taste
But I’m still gon’ stick your face in this funk

Gossip again?
Ho. Hum.
Listen to my drum

Digital music disappears in the daytime

...yo face
Listen to my bass

Time will tell
We are
Listen to my guitar

We don’t care what they say
We ain’t gon’ let it ruin our day
The best remedy for a big, fat punk is funk

Ain’t nothin’ like funky music
Turn the music up

Are you talkin’ to me?
All right
Somebody call 9-1-1
Y’all trippin’

Look here, Weavalicious
C’mere…let me talk to you
You and your boyfriend
Lemme tell you somethin’ right now
You run up on me again
With words or otherwise
And I’mma knock both you punks out

There you have it, world
That is passing away
We don’t care where you go
But you gotta get out o’ here
Okay?

Cancer, chronic fatigue, ugly or just plain po’
I love all y’all
Don’t you ever mess with me no mo’
What time is it?
All right then
That’s it, y’all
I’m out like the Wolves in the first
But we gonna get it together though
Pookie! The limo warm?
Cool
Peace y’all
Stay funky

 

[_carmi]

mm yeah. okay.

 

[Rukas]

Ok I listened to the song. I read his lyrics. And I still dont get quite what his stance on this is.

 

[Casey]

Neither do most, but it sho is FUNKY!

source - metro.co.uk

Prince has rubbished reports that he is suing his fans and claims he is only trying to stop online music piracy.

The diminutive star denied claims that he was taking legal action against fan-run sites for putting pictures of him online.

A spokesman for AEG, his concert promoters, insisted: “Prince is not suing his fans, is not looking to penalise fans and nor is he looking to or inhibiting freedom of speech in any way.”

Reports said his lawyers had written to websites ordering them to stop using photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to the singer's likeness.

“He is simply looking to provide Prince fans with exclusive music and images entirely free of charge, and bypassing unofficial and unauthorised phoney fan sites that exploit both consumers and artists.

“The action taken earlier this week was not to shut down fan sites, or control comment in any way. The issue was simply to do with in regards to copyright and trademark of images and only images and no lawsuits have been filed.

“The three sites in question have falsely positioned themselves as representatives of millions of Prince fans. In fact, many have come out in support of Prince at his official site and, even, on the message boards of the unoffical sites in question.”

The spokesman claimed the website was not run by fans but by internet pirate bootleggers who were “exploiting copyrighted material for their commercial gain”.

“All the time, they keep up the pretence of being an anarchist, 'free music' fan site when it is really a massive money-making venture.

“This is yet another step in Prince's brave the fight to protect music and all artists' rights on the internet.”

As you may have read, as part of their copyright crusade, Prince’s legal staff recently demanded that all images of the Purple One be removed from specific fan Web pages. Several sites banded together to form Prince Fans United, there was a brief pause in the action and now … a diss track.
In response, Prince registered the Web domain name “Princefamsunited.com” and posted a seven-minute funk jam called “PFUnk,” alerting fans to its presence on fan site message boards. The song makes no secret of its target: “The only reason you say my name is to get your fifteen seconds of fame, nobody’s even sure what you do,” Prince sings. “I don’t care what people may say, I ain’t gonna let it ruin my day.” Toward the end, Prince tells his fans, in his famed helium-like “Camille” voice, “I love all y’all, don’t you ever mess with me no more,” before taking out all his anger on his guitar. Prince goes as far as calling one person, likely a member of the PFU, “a big fat punk,” and threatens someone called “Weemolicious” by singing “Look here Weemolicious, you and your boyfriend, lemme tell you somethin’ right now, you run up on me again with words or otherwise, I’mma knock both you punks out.” He also sings that he wants digital music to “disappear.”

How did the fans, and the PFU, take to the diss track? With open arms and, surprisingly, dropped jaws. As one poster on the Housequake.com board said, echoing the general response, “It really is head and shoulders above anything on [Planet Earth] or 3121.” Another poster thought they discovered an unearthed B-side from 1987, if not for the topical lyrics. Even the union that gets the brunt of Prince’s bile, the PFU, celebrated the track they helped inspire.

Still, the question remains: Why did Prince’s team target specific Web sites and ask for photos of everything from Prince-inspired tattoos to album-cover images to be removed? Could it be that the sites penalized were bootlegging and file sharing concerts, or diverting traffic from Prince’s official site, 3121.com? Avera denies both claims, saying there’s no file sharing on the boards, and that all the sites route traffic to 3121.com when possible. The sites in question claim they were singled out because they operate message boards that are sometimes critical of the star. Prince does have a history of unleashing his purple wrath on online boards: He terminated the NPG Music Club’s message board, an official paid service for diehard fans, shortly after the release of 2001’s Musicology. “I signed in one day, everything was fine,” Karen Avera, spokesperson for PFU and Housequake moderator, said. “The next day I went and everything was gone. No warning.” Avera speculates negative reactions to the album on the board — which is similar to some of the fan criticism Prince’s Planet Earth received just a few months ago — was to blame.

The fan sites say they have always cooperated with the Paisley Park lawyers — that is, until now. When fan photos of Prince’s London concert marathon started surfacing on message boards, the lawyers asked that the photos be removed and replaced with shots provided by Prince-hired photographers. The fan sites gladly replaced the pictures. Now, however, the lawyers are demanding those photos be taken down. To date, Housequake.com has not removed the images, and since the site is based in Holland, Avera is unsure of whether the cease-and-desist letters are within their jurisdiction.

When Rolling Stone talked to John Giocobbi, the Managing Director of copyright protection agency Web Sheriff, regarding Prince’s battle with YouTube, Giocobbi said, “Prince has always been a very independently minded artist and kind of bold and pioneering in a way. It goes back largely to the kind of promise he had with Warner Bros., when he lost the right to use his own name and then he became The Artist Formerly Known As. And once he recovered his scars from that battle, he was a lot more savvy as a result of that too. And he’s a lot more kind of protective about his rights.” When asked whether the Web Sheriff is just going after illegal bootlegging of Prince videos, Giocobbi admitted that, “In essence we’re going after everything, which is why it’s kind of pioneering.”

As far as Avera is concerned, those message boards are going nowhere. “Oh, we’re going to keep the message boards,” Avera promises, “because the boards go far beyond just talking about Prince’s music. It’s a connection where a lot of people worldwide have come together to talk and make friendships.” Despite feeling unappreciated, and the threat of a looming lawsuit, Avera swears that she, and the PFU, will remain Prince fans. “With everything that’s going on, we continue to listen to his music. We’ll continue to buy his music, because we appreciate his music.”

 

[Rukas]

Man, Prince is a douche bag.

 

[Casey]

No he's not, I agree with what he's doing, he's setting up the business model for the 21st century artist, by sueing YouTube, The Pirate Bay, etc.

Even if just 5-10 more major artist follow Prince's model (which they will), we will be making a significant impact on the fight against piracy.

 

[_carmi]

Man, Prince is a douche bag.

:thumb:

honestly.. there was always fan sites and there will always be. music leaks nowadays. thats how it is. instead of wasting time trying to stop it, prince should think about using leaks to his advantage, be innovative.

i read somewhere he even sued youtube for a video of a 5 yrs old dancing to one of his songs. pleaseeeeee.

 

[Casey]

:thumb:

honestly.. there was always fan sites and there will always be. music leaks nowadays. thats how it is. instead of wasting time trying to stop it, prince should think about using leaks to his advantage, be innovative.

i read somewhere he even sued youtube for a video of a 5 yrs old dancing to one of his songs. pleaseeeeee.

people are getting confused. he didn't sue youtube, but he might well do. He has asked them to remove his music and they are complying, so no need to sue them.

Put it this way.....YouTube has in built filters to stop porn getting uploaded. Yet they can't do the same to music?

Prince is an internet pioneer. He was the FIRST artist to sell music online, back in 1997. His NPG Music Club won all kinds of awards, including a Webby for Best Site. He knows what the fuck he's doing.

But like I said, he's hardheaded enough that he WILL make an impact in this war against music piracy and he WILL establish a business model for other artists to do the same. Then Madonna, Michael. 50, Em, Dre, Shania, Sheryl, Britney......ALL of them will follow suit. Mark my words.

Hell, OiNK already got shut down. So did Demonoid. You think PirateBay won't be next? You think there won't be an artists coalition against YouTube to stop them from illegally hosting music?

Prince is making a significant impact here and for that I applaud him.

Yet fansites want to get their panties in a bunch because he wants them to remove some pictures and content because he's planning an official place of his own to host that content? It's his right. He's the artist. He has the final say. Fuck, if I was him I would want the final say too. And I certainly wouldn't have a problem shutting down sites that have in the past encouraged bootlegging and hosted illegal video clips.

It's the equivalent of Tupac being alive and supporting some of the sites we've seen recently that unashamedly bootleg him and make money from it.

 

[Rukas]

I can understand youtube, torrent sites, etc, but the fan communities that drive a lot of your sales? Thats stupid.

I mean come on, he asked them to take down fan photos of their OWN PERSONAL tattoos inspired by Prince. That's pretty harsh.

 

[Jeremy]

We all know Prince needs the money. He's prolly scraping change.

 

[Casey]

I can understand youtube, torrent sites, etc, but the fan communities that drive a lot of your sales? Thats stupid.

I mean come on, he asked them to take down fan photos of their OWN PERSONAL tattoos inspired by Prince. That's pretty harsh.

He didn't personally request that, his lawyers did, and besides, that's a different story, that's more to do with him creating a new official source for that type of material which is fair enough.

We all know Prince needs the money. He's prolly scraping change.

LMAO. I hope that was a joke, Prince made over 50 million dollars this summer just from his 21 sold out shows in London.

 

[Rukas]

He didn't personally request that, his lawyers did, and besides, that's a different story, that's more to do with him creating a new official source for that type of material which is fair enough.

It's really not.

Imagine if the government did what he did, banned all free speach, the posting of information and photos to do with "government business" and government related events, and then created "a new official source for that type of material" where only they could feed us information and material. Im sure THEY would love this, and have tried it *cough* Fox News *cough* but that doesnt mean its a good idea.

 

[Casey]

Prince is not banning free speech, he's trying to regulate material that legally belongs to him.