Prince asks Sheriff to clean up lawless fan sites

In a move regarded by many industry pundits as somewhat self defeating, Prince has demanded that a number of fan websites stop using his image.

His aggressive approach, enforced on his behalf by Web Sheriff, seems to be a side-effect of a new business model in which sight of the artist in live performance constitutes the principal revenue stream and recorded music is effectively just an advertisement. His most recent album was given away with The Mail on Sunday.

His ingenious reinvention of what it means to be a pop musician in the 21st century hasn’t, however, prevented web commentators from having a good deal of fun at his expense. The celebrated, and frequently scatological, website B3ta has issued a challenge to Prince in the form of a competition for contributors to create the funniest and rudest image of the star.  Some are just droll, like Sine'O'the Times, above. Others are  a reminder that  the Internet can be a fierce and relentless antagonist.

Predictably, Web Sheriff has issued takedown notices to several B3ta users already, exciting much debate on the jurisdiction of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which has been invoked in the cease-and-desist notifications.

Comments

[S. Mills]

Prince is deluded beyond belief, surrounded by "Yes-Men" and living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, and 'The Web Sheriff' ain't too far behind him in the Stupidity department either.

http://www.b3ta.com/board/7786365

[Liam]

Highly ironic seeming as the fans were the ones who put him where he is now.the disrespectful Prince (sorry $ or % or what ever his name is) should be grateful he still has fans given his lack of releases lately

[Grace]

I think Prince is being a complete fool, but at least I've discovered a fun (and very rude!) new site! thanks!

Grace

[BenZyl]

If "sight of the artist in live performance constitutes the principal revenue stream" surely that is returning to the main way musical performers made money up till the early '70's and is perhaps a trend to be encouraged as a better bet than chasing copyright infringement real or imagined.

[Dave]

This article demonstrates where Te artist formally known as.. is going wrong.
Where he throws around takedown notices,a more savvy web presence like The Times observes that its trade marked logo has been featured and altered, and publishes it on its website!

I think somebody needs to grow up, and I think its easy to see who!

[colly]

prince is definately not my type of music and theres no way i would spend my hard earned money on music. i would however pay for b3ta, why not make a b3ta newspaper insert and get rid of the financial rubbish 99% of the population cant use

[misternaki]

Very clumsy p.r. by The Artist Formerly Known As Famous, and very shrewd marketing by the www.b3ta.com team to provide an outlet for the scorn generated, knowing that they would ultimately reach a wide audience when the formerly-famous man's lackeys discovered the outrageous abuse of copyrightcunningly disguised as a very funny websitesite.Prince needs to get over himself.

[Andrew Cook]

"The Artist now known as Web Nazi" has spoken. How dare anyone ridicule his purpleness - what ever happened to freedom of expression ? I think that Prince(tm) needs to grow up a bit - but I understand it's a matter of genetics.

[Sue]

Simple solution to dealing with this pompous fool: don't ever buy his music, don't ever pay to watch his performance!

[Max]

sounds like no one here has any respect at all for the concept of copyright and intellectual property. Do you want every artist creation to be paid for my advertising? In game ads, in movie ads, brand-name dropping in song lyrics? Deny artists their rights to exercise some control over their creations and revenue streams and society is denied the fruits of those creative efforts. You all make it pretty impossible for an artist to make a living with your file sharing and downloading. You're really just screwing yourselves and your children.

[Chancery Stone]

How outrageous of Prince to want to control his own image. He gave away his album for free, didn't he? That proves he's a greedy, selfish swine who only wants to deny poor honest folks the right to take his music, his image, his concert performances... hell, even his dog, if they want. Why should we have to pay for anything?

That's our right as consumers, to take anything we want and pay anything we feel like, or maybe nothing - after all, who he?

But then that Prince is always doing things his own way and we all know that people who do things their own way need to be brought down a peg or two.

I can't believe the cheek of the man - anybody would think he was a famous songwriter who had a string of hits and millions of album sales.

I'm going to help myself to his limousine right now.

[kenny livitt]

The guy is past his sell by date. Next.