Slave Trade: How Prince Remade the Music Business

The revolution that changed the rhythm of the industry.

In the mid-1990s reports emerged that Prince had fallen into dispute with his record company. Having signed what was ostensibly a new, 100 million dollar contract just a couple of years before, Prince was now demanding - not unreasonably to most commentators - control of his masters and the freedom to release what he wanted when he wanted. After a bitter war of words, during which the star scrawled Slave across his cheek whenever he appeared in public and routinely dissed his label, the parties finally settled and Prince henceforth was free to take full control of his music and the way it was sold to consumers. Prince approached this task with devastating foresight as he routinely created new marketing concepts which, with time, became the norm across the music world.

Music
Documentary

You Might Also Like

  • Amadeus
  • Gimme Shelter
  • Dont Look Back
  • As It Is in Heaven
  • The Blues Brothers
  • Now More than Ever: The History of Chicago
  • The Cavern Club: The Beat Goes On
  • Porgy and Bess
  • Journey to Jah
  • Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
  • Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story
  • El Cantante
  • Frank Sinatra Memorial
  • Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
  • Yellow Submarine
  • Bill Evans Time Remembered
  • Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
  • Taylor Swift: From the Heart
  • 'Round Midnight
  • Mind Over Matter