A-J News: Prince reclaims name

From: Gen Kanai (gkanai@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed May 17 2000 - 04:01:04 MET DST

  • Next message: Elson Trinidad: "Re: A-J News: Prince reclaims name"

    The millennium brings "Prince" back to us :) Yay!

    Let's hope he'll bring back his trademark sound too.

    Gen

    http://www.salon.com/ent/wire/2000/05/16/prince/index.html

    Prince reclaims his name

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    By LARRY McSHANE
    Associated Press

    May 16, 2000 | NEW YORK -- Forget the symbol, erase the acronym. The artist
    formerly known as Prince announced Tuesday that he will be, now and
    forever, known again as Prince.

    "On Dec. 31, 1999, my publishing contract with Warner-Chappell expired,
    thus emancipating the name I was given before birth -- Prince -- from all
    long-term restrictive documents," the freshly-minted Prince told a crowded
    news conference.

    "I will now go back to using my name instead of the symbol I adopted to
    free myself from all undesirable relationships."

    That was easy, huh?

    Prince's re-renaming kicked off a quirky, hour-long news conference where
    the Minneapolis rocker -- whose real name is Prince Rogers Nelson -- made
    an assortment of announcements -- including a weeklong party in his
    hometown dubbed "Prince: A Celebration."

    As part of the event, his Paisley Park recording studio will be opened for
    tours June 7-13, with a special Prince concert set for June 13 at Northrup
    Auditorium. A new Prince song, "Cybersingle," will also be available on his
    Web site, as will be a modified version of his last album, titled "Rave Un2
    the Joy Fantastic.'

    The return to the Prince name ends a seven-year battle between the
    performer and Warner Bros. Records, which had Prince under contract through
    the end of last year.

    Prince, charging that Warner Bros. exercised too much control over his
    music, switched his name to a symbol in 1993. With the contract now over,
    Prince said he's confident there are no new names in his future.

    "Will I be changing my name ever again?" the 41-year-old diminutive rocker
    mused. "No, I won't have to, because I won't be under any restrictive
    long-term contract again."

    When a reporter addressed him as Prince, he interrupted: "Hi, Prince. That
    sounds great. I haven't heard that in a while."

    © 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained
    in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
    redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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