Showing exactly how much they regard CD sales as a god given right to charge high prices to customers, representatives of the music industry have thrown their toys out of the pram at a deal by Prince to provide the Sunday Mail with copies of his new album “Planet Earth” for distribution as a “free” gift with the newspaper sometime soon.

“Free” CDs and DVDs with newspapers have become standard fare in the UK in recent years, but these are usually older material which has long been available, including compilation albums of well-worn “classics” as well as B&W movies which have typically been available for a few years on DVD.

Music industry representatives have reacted angrily to the plan which they believe re-inforces attitudes amongst customers that recorded music should befree, or at any rate very very cheap. Recording companies and retailers have threatened to throw their toys out of the pram, i.e. to stop carrying Prince’s CDS. Whether they mean just “Planet Earth” or his entire catalogue is unclear from the quotes on the BBC site:

BBC News Story

No one is suggesting that Prince did anything not allowed for in his contract with Sony, by cutting a deal with the Mail on Sunday to provide “free” copies of his album ahead of 21 concerts in London later this year. The MD of the Mail on Sunday was dismissive of the complaints of the record distributors and retailers: “They are living in the old days and haven’t developed their businesses sufficiently. We can enhance their business. They are being incredibly insular and need to move their business on.”

As part of my standard lectures on copyright issues I say “make money from what you can and ignore the rest”. This looks like exactly that kind of evolution. While I’m not a fan of the Sunday (or its sister Daily) Mail, nor a particular fan of Prince’s music or flamboyant personality, I have to take my hat off to these guys, if only for annoying the retailers to the point where they show their fins (and their contempt for artists and listeners) openly.