You have to give Prince a lot of credit for being able to stay on top of the music world for 20 years. It is safe to say that he can be seen as "gimiky", and gimiky doesn’t usually last. I think the guy is a musical and marketing genius.
I’VE got lots of money!” Prince exults in “The One U Wanna C,” a come-on from his new album, “Planet Earth” (Columbia). There’s no reason to disbelieve him. With a sponsorship deal here and an exclusive show there, worldwide television appearances and music given away, Prince has remade himself as a 21st-century pop star. As recording companies bemoan a crumbling market, Prince is demonstrating that charisma and the willingness to go out and perform are still bankable. He doesn’t have to go multiplatinum — he’s multiplatform.
He has caused a stir by distributing his new album free in a British newspaper, one of many ways he is showing that he thinks differently about the music business.
Check out a great article about Prince in The NY Times, which also has links to short MP3 clips of his songs; 1999, Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, Raspberry Beret, Sign o’ the Times, and Diamonds and Pearls.
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