Warner Brothers Music Group on Friday (July 7, 2018) began to upload Purple Rain-era video’s of the dearly-departed singer to YouTube. This matters because Prince until his death had closely guarded distribution of his music to free streaming services and was vocal about his distaste for YouTube. Just one month before he passed in March 2016, he responded to a fan asking about the lack of his videos on YouTube by writing, “SINCE YOUTUBE DOESN’T PAY EQUITABLE LICENSING FEES, ISN’T THIS A NONSENSICAL QUESTION? PEACE,” a Tweet he subsequently deleted.
Videos uploaded thus far include “Purple Rain,” “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Take Me With You,” and “I Would Die for You. “The decision to upload the videos is being debated on social media by fans, some of whom are saddened that the singer’s stated wish to keep his work off of YouTube is being upturned.
The YouTube video follows the estate’s decision to add his music to streaming services earlier this year, a move that sparked criticism from Jay-Z who implied in the 4:44 single “Caught Their Eyes” he had an agreement with Prince prior to his death that his music would exclusively be streamed on Tidal. In the song, he references Londell McMillan, who has worked as Prince’s lawyer for over ten years and now advises three of Prince’s heirs.
In the single, the rapper states:
I sat down with Prince eye to eye,
He told me his wishes before he died.
Now, Londell McMillan, he must be color blind.
They only see green from them purple eyes.
They eyes hide, they eyes high.
My eyes wide shut to all the lies.
These industry niggas they always been fishy.
But ain’t no Biggie, no lazy eye, huh.
This guy had Slave on his face.
You think he wanted the masters with his masters?
You greedy bastards sold tickets to walk through his house.
I’m surprised you ain’t auction off the casket.
Prince’s estate as lead by McMillan sued Tidal and Roc Nation for copyright infringement when it began streaming Prince’s catalog after he passed away in April 2016. According to Billboard, Prince in 2015 had given Tidal permission to stream his 2015 album HITNRUN Phase One exclusively for 90 days in 2015.
McMillan, who like Jay-Z grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesan neighborhood of Brooklyn, gave a statement to Billboard in response to Jay Z’s lyrics. “I like the beat, but I wonder who he thinks helped Prince to take ‘slave’ off of his face. It was a homie Jay Z grew up with in the same neighborhood,” wrote McMillan, referencing his representation of Prince when he was battling Warner Brothers Music Group to gain control of his masters.
While McMillan represents Prince’s heirs, in February Comerica Bank & Trust took over as the estate’s administrator and is currently embroiled in intense battles over Prince music rights with Universal Music Group and Warner Brothers Music Group.
Check out Prince’s videos below.
