Anil DashFeb 22, 2023
It's good to see @pluralistic walking Sam Seder and the Majority Report audience through the social, economic and political context of Prince's decision to change his name in the 90s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwVtZsnF_iE
The Real Reason Prince Changed His Name In The 90s Will Surprise You

YouTube
Andy BoykoFeb 22, 2023
Show threadAnil Dash

Back in 1996, I archived Prince's own first-person narrative of why he changed his name, which he briefly published on his website and then quickly pulled down. After his passing, I brought it back online for the first time in two decades.The long-lost "Message from The Artist": https://medium.com/@anildash/message-from-the-artist-c611535da21c

"I was beyond frustrated with my lack of control over my career and music."

Message from The Artist - Anil Dash - Medium

“ O(+>has officially given notice to Warner Bros. Records (WBR) of his desire to terminate his recording agreement with the company. Over the course of their nearly two decade long relationship, The…

Medium
Feb 22, 2023 at 3:07amWeb
Show threadthierryFeb 22, 2023

@anildash oh wow! Thank you for posting that. I don’t think I ever read it. Very interesting and as you said, very unusual/rare.

Now if only I could read that interview that’s supposed to come out 100 years(?) after his death.

Show threadBlitzen 🇺🇦Feb 22, 2023
@anildash I can't help but notice the irony in which you both quote him saying he was frustrated in the lack of control he had, and posting that same message that he chose not to keep published.
Show threadኢራ עירא Ira عيرا 🍓🎗️Feb 22, 2023
@blitzen @anildash
Death is ironic in so many ways.
Show threadjakobdorofFeb 22, 2023
@blitzen @anildash historical value >>>. this was a big moment in the history of the american music market, and there was a time when he chose to publish it, at which point it’s entirely out of his hands. it’s not like he requested that no one ever repost it anyway – he just chose not to have it on his own site anymore
Show threadAnil DashFeb 22, 2023
@blitzen He treated his web content as disposable all the time, because it wasn’t his music or other things he considered his “real” work. But he didn’t object to in being republished or commented on years later; I know this because he knew I had archived all of it.
Show threadBlitzen 🇺🇦Feb 22, 2023
@anildash Fair enough. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, only pointing out the irony.
Show threadLiliFeb 22, 2023
@anildash That was... that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing this letter with us.
Show threadKenny ParkFeb 22, 2023
@anildash A great find —thank you! Gives an idea of how he may have discussed it had he got that far in his autobiography.
Show threadTrowzersFeb 22, 2023

@anildash I often wonder what he would have though about things like Bandcamp where artists are using the internet to completely bypass publishers.

I still remember The Crystal Box being the first thing I ever tried to buy on the internet, and the site was terrible, and took my money and nothing ever actually arrived :(

I had no regular internet access back then, and lost the job whose internet I'd been using, so I couldn't even get my money back. My earliest lesson in online purchasing!

Show threadAnil DashFeb 22, 2023
@trowzers Oh yeah, he was abysmal at the fulfillment part of these things. (And in fairness it was such early days, it’s not like anybody had an Etsy shop or something to learn from.) I wish he’d invested in having the work done by professionals instead of foisting it on whomever was around at Paisley.
Show threadTrowzersFeb 23, 2023

@anildash Worse, I'm in Australia so it was also international postage! I remember being very dubious even as I ordered it, even though it was a lot of money for me back then.

But yeah, all the internet stuff in that era, a lot of people seemed to treat it like a passing fad and everything seemed so half-hearted. Which always made me a bit confused.

Show threadGreg HaasFeb 23, 2023
@anildash
I, too, appreciate the irony of posting his written word that he’d decided to not keep published. The processes of creative people is always very interesting to me.
I also have spent time with visual artists and am intrigued by the similarities and differences between how art ownership is retained (or not) after the sale. Rights vs Ownership, etc. I’ve been told by many visual artists that once they sell a painting or a photograph they no longer have, nor expect, control over what happens with that piece of art. When looked at in some ways, it seems odd to sell your children, or access to them, but still want to own, control and profit from them.
When an artist makes a thing, who are they making it for? When they sell it, does that change the thing?