![]() ![]() “He wanted a deal that was of the magnitude that some other artists were getting at the time,” says Jill Willis, who co-managed Prince from 1991 to 1993. to bend to his whims when it came to releasing his music as frequently as he desired, he at least wanted the compensation and recognition he saw his peers receiving. The Inside Story on Designing Prince’s Paisley Park: Exclusive “His answer was, ‘What am I supposed to do? The music just flows through me.’ “ “I would tell him that it was counterproductive, that people can only absorb so much music from one artist at a time,” she says. vp special projects for black music Marylou Badeaux, to convince her bosses to let him release everything he brought to them, even if the record company was still marketing the previous album. More than once, Prince pleaded with a label ally, Warner Bros. But in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with the label, chafing at any perceived restraints, despite Warner Bros.’ deserved reputation as the most artist-friendly label, an ethos that emanated from the office of CEO Mo Ostin down through the ranks. Warner Bros., which was home to his biggest successes, including 1984’s 13-times-platinum Purple Rain soundtrack, gave Prince wide latitude, even pulling 1987’s now-infamous Black Album from stores at his insistence after he had demanded its release. Other acts such as Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Chance the Rapper have taken cues from him by releasing albums directly to their fans and defying traditional distribution routes. Whether his actions made him a courageous renegade or a petulant rock star - and there are people who label him both - there’s no denying that throughout his career, he raised awareness for artist rights and fearlessly set his own course in getting his music to his audience. Even though he demanded - and received - complete artistic freedom from the start, Prince wanted control over every facet of his music and would go to drastic ends to try to achieve it. Until his death on April 21, Prince bucked up against a system that gave the least amount of power and money to the people it couldn’t live without, the music creators. It was Prince’s first contentious bout with Warner Bros., but it would be far from his last fight with the record companies or the Internet and the music industry in general. CEO Mo Ostin on Prince’s Fearlessness | Rob Light on Prince’s ‘Creative Genius’ | Prince Remembered by Childhood Best Friend & Bandmate André Cymone | Prince’s Quirkiest Stories on Her Love for Prince | Jimmy Jam on Getting Fired by Prince | Former Warner Bros. More From Billboard’s Prince Tribute : Prince, the Greatest Artist of His Generation | Prince’s Defining ‘Dirty Mind’ Album | ‘Purple’ Rain Style Exclusive | Prince’s Career Control | Prince’s Female Muses | Prince’s Life as a Jehovah’s Witness | Prince’s Final Show Set List | Superfan Tracy Morgan on What Prince Taught Him | Sheila E. The Promise & Perseverance of Detroit Rap's Rising Stars ![]()
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