Prince's copyright stance makes free digital access to music difficult

The death of a major recording artist usually prompts a sudden revival of interest in their music from the public David Bowie's Blackstar album saw sales rise 1,055 per cent following news of his death but in the case of Prince, who died Thursdayin his home recording studio in Minnesota, his hardline stance towards copyright and digital distribution of his music could make a similar resurgence difficult, especially for consumers accustomed to downloading their music for free.

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The prolificPurple Rainsinger was known for his heavy hand and all-encompassingcontrol over the production of his music, so it didn'tcome as a surprisewhen he tried to exert similar control over its distribution, as evidenced by his public fallout withWarner Bros.

The spatled to Prince famously changing his name to a symbol,his eventual departurefrom the label and the creation of his own record companyNPG Records.

Hisattemptsspilled onto the internet, which he once declared to be "completely over."

Princes legacy

8 years ago

Duration 6:31

Special guests Shad (host of CBC Radios q) and Garvia Bailey (music journalist and radio host) share their insights on Princes musical legacy

Unlike manyof his musician counterparts, Prince has a conspicuously quiet presence on the information superhighway.He only has one video on his officialVEVOaccount onYouTube, pulled all his music from the streaming serviceSpotify, once took down his officialwebsiteand is not on streaming service Apple Music.

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Believing the web to be a place that limits, if not completely impedes, an artist's ability to profit from their own work,Prince had taken steps to scrub his content from various places online.

In fact,he planned to sueYouTube, torrent site Pirate Bay andeBayin 2007 in a bid to "reclaim his art from the internet." He even hired a company to take down over 2,000 videos containing his content and music fromYouTube, and removed around 300 items fromeBay, including clocks, socks, mugs and key rings that bore this name.

And that's just the tip of Prince's litigious iceberg.

In 2014, Prince filed, and later dropped,a $22-million US lawsuitagainst 22 peoplehe claimed posted links to recordings of his live performances onFacebookand Google'sBloggerplatform.

In 2007, he successfully took down a 29-secondYouTubevideo of young children pushing around prams with the songLet's Go Crazyplaying in the background. The clip was put back up after themother claimed fair usein court.

In 2008, all videos of Prince playing a rendition ofRadiohead'sCreepatCoachellawerequickly taken down fromYouTube, withNPG Records claiming copyright violation.Radioheadsinger ThomYorkesaid Prince should unblock it, adding"It's our... song." The performance isnow available onYouTube.

Prince dead at 57

8 years ago

Duration 4:45

Authorities responded to medical emergency call from singer's home recording studio

However, Prince was notentirely against having his music on the internet. It'sjust that, in most cases, he wants you to pay.

He released, and let his fans buy, his 1997 albumCrystal Ballonlineandeven ran his own subscription site called NPG Music Club from 2001 to 2006. NPG Music Club was considered"groundbreaking," with Prince winning a WebbyLifetime Achievement Award.

For those who would like to share their favourite Prince song on Facebook or newcomers looking delve into his considerable discography,his albums and songs can be purchased from iTunes and Google Play, orstreamed through Jay Z's Tidal subscriptionservice perhaps best known for housing Kanye West's non-exclusive exclusive albumThe Life of Pablo.