...and the news that all NPG Music product will be distributed by them now.

What does this mean?

Doesn't Prince release all his music through NPG, distributing it through all these big one-shot record deals? Is he going for a smaller distributor for his next project(s), and might this herald another "underground" phase where the music is more for himself and the fans than for courting the mainstream masses?

OR

Does this just mean RED will be hawking all the tamboraccas and purple fun-fur notebooks left over from NPGMC?

I'm a little ignorant about the business part of music, so maybe some of you can put this latest thing into perspective for me. Personally, I find it interesting and kinda hopeful that a less monolithic entity than usual has been chosen to distribute NPG product...kinda harkens back to the days of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" being released as an indie single, and all the shuffling around post-Rave/pre-Musicology.

Interesting. Someone break it down for me in small words, like on Sesame Street.

i thought "the most beutiful....." was released on bell records? I could be wrong?


Prince really needs a crystal ball 2. Anyway.....

that's the wrong NPG Music...

read this link
http://www.fmqb.com/artic...?id=229775



here's one of their releases...
http://www.jr.com/JRProdu...=nsa&nsa=1

here's another...
http://www.dealtime.com/x...8444000593
[Edited 7/12/06 18:59pm]

BSK3601 said:

So the information going out in all the mainstream media (I just read it in Yahoo! News) is a misunderstanding?

thesexofit said:

yeah, it was, but that's what i meant. it wasn't a biggie like WB or Universal or Arista, etc.

Anx said:

There isn't any indies left for prince to go to is there? Is scotti bros still about? Is bell still about?


Who knows what prince is up to? Nothing has changed there then

Anx said:

I think someone jumped the gun and reported something that wasn't true. If you notice, Prince's camp didn't confirm that info. And Red Distribution probably would have made a bigger deal out of it if they were given exclusive distribution to all things Prince. I think the writer just assumed that NPG Music was the same... But who knows...

BSK3601 said:

i hope this other NPG Music doesn't sue too.

this thread

Imago said:

Anx said:

Anx said:

Maybe Prince should sue THEM! I don't see them anywhere in the U.S. trademark database, how dare they use "NPG Music!" After all, I might get confused and think those other CD's were released by Prince!

what's all this fuss about RED distribution? if they don't like the color why don't they paint it blue? just my 2c

BSK3601 said:

Maybe this is the all-Spanish album that Te Amo Corazon was supposed to appear on before he said it wasn't representative of the whole album

BSK3601 said:

*cross post from Minneapolis Paper Reports... thread in NPG Forum*

Maybe it has something to do with Liza Hernandez (aka Ms. Panama)? Isn't that her voice on Lolita, speaking in Spanish?

Or maybe it has something to do with those new age type of "audio DVDs" Mani's Gamillah website is selling: http://www.gamillah.org/n...rhythm.asp

CandaceS said:

Yeah, that's what I think too! Sue 'em Princey!

See, what I can't understand is WHY Prince ffels the need to go through the big guys at all. Why not just release it through his own site? Digital and Hard copies. Surely, he has enough funds to do this in-house. He has a studio...why not a CD and Vinyl & Graphics pressing machine? He'd have to hire staff to operate this stuff pre and post new album and then keep a skeleton crew for the lean months. And if a label or whatever wants to distribute his music, they gotta buy it in bulk from him and resell it to the public.

I know he wants to get his music out to the masses. Personally I think that point is moot. It's his hard core fans that really want the music anyway. Radio isn't going to play him, so why try and go against the grain that doesn't want you anyways. If you want Prince's music, you have to get it from him. Besides there's something about underground music that makes people wnat to seek it out.

This of course is the old arguement of what his fans think he should do and what he wants to do. I just think it's a no brainer.

Here's another Question...after all this time, you think he'd have his OWN distribution channel to the wrekas.

For what it's worth, this is the logo on Red's website for "NPG Music" -- nothing like the existing NPG logos we've all seen:

Doozer said:

there was a "retro" kid's shirt in the NPG online store that had a logo not entirely different from this. granted, though - it's not the pointy NPG logo we're used to seeing.

Tower Records has the following album released on 7/11 on "NPG Records":

http://www.towerrecords.c...us+Artists

Sure sounds like there's yet another NPG out there for HM Publishing to sue.

And if you do a search on Tower Records' site for "NPG Music", you get a ton of Latin releases:

http://www.towerrecords.c...g%20music&

Anx said:

There is a slight chance that you spent a little too much time in NPG retail.

I skimmed through this thread, the links, and the one in NPG Forum again quickly--but I didn't find the answer to this:

Is the NPG in NPG Music definitely an acronym for New Power Generation or is it for something else?

Cause if it stands for something else, then it seems even less probable that Prince is associated with it...but then again, who knows? Stranger things have happened.

jone70 said:

I would bet that Prince has nothing to do with the "NPG Music" label. It sure seems like a small Indie label that Red Distribution just picked up, and some folks jumped the gun assuming that the label was Prince's. Prince's label is NPG Records.

Do a search on amazon.com for "npg music" and you'll find some of Prince's stuff mixed in (because of "NPG") but mostly it's Spanish/Latin/Reggae CDs and DVDs with barely dressed women, all on "NPG Music."

booyah said:

(Imagine a whole album of TAC-like songs?!)

I just noticed that the new Fury T-shirt has an 'NPG Apparel' tag in it. None of the older stuff does.

thesexofit said:

No they aren't, Jive/ZLG bought them out...

superspaceboy said:

it amazes me that more folks dont follow aimee mann's business plan. her albums sell well, she makes a killing on touring and she gets the bulk of the profits...

and she even offers other artists to be a part of it, yet no big (will, relatively speaking) names have followed suit.

http://www.unitedmusician...index.html


(oopsies...just noticed marc cohn has signed on to united musicians...)

superspaceboy said:

Well said post Superspaceboy and I agreed 100%.