For ex-Prince, the hits have stopped but not the music

For ex-Prince, the hits have stopped but not the music

NEW YORK (July 30, 1998 08:34 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - To some, Prince Rogers Nelson embodies the themes of his songs "Kiss" and "Let's Go Crazy" -- an oversexed rocker prone to irrational acts, such as changing his name to a symbol that has no pronunciation.

But "Love or Money," an obscure 1988 B-side, best captures the nature of the artist formerly known as Prince. Creating music may be his passion but he spent much of the last decade, and nearly all of a recent interview, going on and on about the music business and how he plans to change it.

"Newpower Soul," his latest album, is the first new material under his visionary paradigm, which places access to the product before the prospect of profits. The disk, which debuted this month at 22 on Billboard's Hot 200 chart, was recorded, pressed and distributed by his own NPG Records without the assistance of a major industry label.

Free from corporate pressures, he can record what he wants, working with others if he chooses, and put out albums at any time -- all without a mention of cost or budgets.

"How am I going to make Chaka (Khan), one of my idols, pay for time in my studio?" he asked, referring to the soul diva's upcoming NPG release, which he helped create. "What can I possibly charge her? The only thing she can pay me is a compliment."

Draped nattily in a flowing rust-colored top and hip-hugging black slacks, the 40-year-old entertainer speaks in animated fashion about forgoing money matters in order to get down to making funky music.

Letting money get in the way?

"I've got money, Chaka's got money. How are we going to let money get in the way of us working together?" he asked. Later, perhaps much later, there will be a time for money talk.

It was not always that way. The Artist -- as he is called, although he does not answer to that name -- has for 20 years been among pop music's most prolific and successful artists. In that time he has released 27 albums with some 32 hours of music -- twice the output of Madonna and Michael Jackson combined.

In 1984, his Grammy- and Oscar-winning effort "Purple Rain" sold more than 13 million copies and thrust him into the pop culture firmament. He became a rock star.

But he says he never wanted to be one. "I'm a musician," he said -- one who has written and recorded hundreds of songs and wanted to release them all.

The love vs. money battle developed. He pushed to release his albums soon after they were finished, an idea that irked Warner Brother Records. Still, a new Prince album has hit the streets in nearly every year since 1978. Sometimes two a year.

"Purple Rain"-type hits did not come again. But, the Artist asks, who determines what is a hit?

"We expect albums to go gold and platinum and so forth, but if you are getting all of the profits then there's nothing to worry about," he said, fingering a translucent walking stick as he reclined in a Manhattan recording studio.

His stormy marriage with Warner did have its positives -- the media conglomerate financed Prince's Paisley Park record label, a recording studio outside his hometown of Minneapolis and four feature films.

Prince 'retired' in 1993

In 1993, he "retired" the artist named Prince and promised to give Warner only recordings from his "vast library of over 500 unreleased recordings." By 1996, their link was severed, although Warner still owns the rights to all "Prince" music.

Now, under a new name, he is free to make music, and the money is not bad either. As an independent, his share of NPG Records' profits is much higher.

SoundScan, which tracks U.S. music sales, says his 1996 3-CD set, "Emancipation," has sold 558,000 copies, while "Crystal Ball," a 3-CD set released just four month ago, has sold only 86,000.

But he says more sold via his Internet site, which is not tracked by SoundScan. Each retailed for between $30 and $50.

"Newpower Soul" has sold 89,000 copies, SoundScan says.

Then there are the tours. He has played more than 100 concert dates since "Emancipation" was released in November 1996 and he vows to tour steadily until 2000.

His Internet ventures are also potentially lucrative. All of the Artist's albums are available for purchase on his Web site and he has recently made a new 26-minute live single, "The War," available for download for a $1 donation.

"Newpowerpak," a 3-CD pack with new music from Khan, funk bassist Larry Graham, another of his idols, and Newpower Soul, will be available later this year for about $21.

Money matters may be looking up but his critics question the prospects for his Art. Some say he has forever lost the unique risque sound of his early days, when he would collaborate with band members Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman or play more than 20 instruments on an album.

Rolling Stone magazine said "Newpower Soul" and his other recent albums follow a formula: "Two great tunes and a buttload of filler."

The Artist, with a laugh, says he ignores critics and has no expectations for the current album. Expectations take away from the quest for great music.

"Did you see Venus Williams?" he asked, referring to the tennis pro who was outplayed at Wimbledon a few weeks ago after a series of verbal outbursts. "She expected to win. Then when it didn't go her way, she lost control."

"I don't expect anything," he said. "I just do what I feel I'm supposed to do."

By FRANKLIN PAUL, Reuters