American singer, Prince, has signed a new deal to overlook the marketing and distribution of his future works.
In a deal which was signed with Kobalt Music Group hours after the 54-year-old singer was given a Billboard Icon Award (lifetime achievement) and rocked the Billboard Music Awards ceremony with a version of his “Let’s Go Crazy” dressed in electric green trousers and sporting an Afro hair style did not include him giving up control of his rights.
The singer-songwriter, who is famed for changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in a wrangle over musical rights, will release his own work as well as a slate of new music by other artists that he produces, the company said.
Kobalt, which is also a global independent music publishing company, launched an artist and label services division in 2012, allowing artists to maintain ownership of their work and control over when, how and where they will release their music.
Traditional labels often take ownership or part-ownership of the artist’s material and often dictate how it is used, an increasingly important sticking point in an industry where digital music can be instantly available.
The Grammy award-winning singer will also provide artist development and recording services for newly signed artists that Kobalt will market and distribute.
Kobalt Music Group owned by Swedish music executive Willard Ahdritz with publishing roster which include former Beatle Paul McCartney, Icelandic singer Bjork and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was set up in 2000.
Prince Rogers Nelson
Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7th 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he got musical inspiration from his father who was a pianist and songwriter, and mother, also a jazz singer.
Prince was named after his father, whose stage name was Prince Rogers, and who performed with a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio.
Prince wrote his first tune, “Funk Machine” on his father’s piano when he was seven.
Prince, his buddy and neighbour Anderson joined Prince’s cousin, Charles Smith, in a band called Grand Central while they were attending Minneapolis’s Central High School.
Smith was later replaced by Morris Day on the drums. Prince played piano and guitar for the band which performed at clubs and parties in the Minneapolis area. Grand Central later changed its name to Champagne and started playing original music influenced by Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Miles Davis, Parliament-Funkadelic, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Todd Rundgren.
He has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. He also has several hundred unreleased songs in his “vault”. He writes and produces his own music and plays most of the instruments; he has established his own recording studio and label.
In addition, he has promoted the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, the Time and Vanity 6,[1] and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others, including Chaka Khan, the Bangles, Sinéad O’Connor, and Kim Basinger.