The Prince Podcast – Lawsuit

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This week the guys get together to discuss Princes recent $20 million dollar lawsuit Dabang319 and 21 other facebook users.

Spin.com has the details:

According to the 21-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco (viaAntiquiet), the defendants “engage in massive infringement and bootlegging of Prince’s material.” The lawsuit targets Dan Chodera, Karina Jindrova, and 20 anonymous defendants. Chodera and Jindrova allegedly operated a no-longer-online Facebook account that posted a bunch of bootleg Prince videos. The other defendants — “Does” 1 through 20 — are accused of similar infractions, such as pointing to a 1983 Chicago set from WorldofBootleg.blogspot.com.

 

 

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6 comments

  • Good show guys!All the other guys who sell boots are probably pressin’ up cd’s now
    since the free sites are shutting down LOL. Yo Mike ,it would be cool if you do a show about what if there was no unreleased music or pro shot video in existence ever would you still be into Prince as much as you are now especially with his music not being so groundbreaking anymore?

  • I think that you have made a good point about “disrespecting Prince”. The sites did do that. I would have taken down the files just from the fear of legal action. After listening to you, I would want to honor Prince’s request. It shouldn’t just be a legal thing: Be cool to the guy. That was a great point. We just forget that he is a real person.
    I was sad, though, to listen to you be so tough on the sites. They are fans just like us; motivated by a love of the music, just like us. I get that you would pull any of your Prince stuff (including the eBook I see to the right of this chat box) if he asked. But, c’mon, we are part of the bootleg culture. You just produced an enjoyable commentary for a famous bootleg concert video. You don’t need a cease and desist letter to tell you that Prince “don’t dig that”. He told us already to send him all our bootlegs. I didn’t. Does that make me like DaBang? Or do I need to ignore a legal letter before I am “disrespectful”? I even bought the Black Album when he told me not to (and did not buy it again we he said it was OK).
    DaBang was warned and continued. That is the difference between them and us. That is it–nothing more. We are part of the bootleg culture. We enjoy it. pdexter’s point in this thread above is a good one. Without the stream of unreleased stuff, we surely would not have the same interest level.
    Prince is an odd guy and thus often treats his fans poorly. It frankly is easy to disrespect him since he has so many unusual ideas. I guess I just want to remind you that the line between DaBang and us is thin?
    I am going to listen to the DNA Lounge 1992 aftershow tomorrow, though, since that version of “This is Hip” is a face-melter.

    • Sean thanks for commenting! My thing is if prince asks you to not post his music online to the world and you do it anyway, then your not really a fan. That’s a person who likes or loves the music but could careless about the person who created the music. With that said we here at podcastjuice are aware that doing shows that review unreleased music is on the edge.
      I was kinda talkin ish about pulling the site. I would pull any copywritten works..but my thoughts and opinion would stay. Ain’t nah man gonna tellme what I can and can not say. Lol the whole send me the boots…hahah yeah right. Send me your ups account number.

  • Guys, great show. I agree with the recurring theme through this discussion: Without the presence of unreleased, rare, bootleg material, interest in his output is marginal at best. While he holds an extreme legacy as a trail-blazer and creative force in modern music, he is definitely a product of a defined time range (i.e. – his early work and 80s output is where he is most recognized). He bucked his share of trends… the early days of NPGMC were a glimpse at what would become the iTunes revolution. He should have stayed on that track rather than retreat into concerns about distribution and members sharing the content with “non-members”. He’s a control freak… If he can’t have control, then we can’t have the content.

    The litigation is pointless. A few will suffer, but the problem is pervasive. Enough of his content is out in the wild to make the outcome a mute point. I’ve always been of the opinion that much of this is smoke and mirrors on a powder-keg topic that fires up discussion and speculation. If he won $20million in court, would it make him any more relevant today? Would it make his music more accessible? No on both counts. But his name in headlines and on blogs makes people nostalgic. He’ll make some money (or Warner will make $$$) when his greatest hits collection gets a bump in downloads =-)

    He has historically fought some losing battles that have moved him further from mainstream trends. I’m referring most directly to his battle with Warner. In this case, his fan base plays the role of Warner, who want nothing more than to hear him perform and record. He’ll hold us hostage to a set of rules that he (and the industry) can no longer control. We suffer, he suffers financially, and the new generation of artists keep outpacing his genius.

    Mr. Dean, your point in this discussion is about respect for the artists requests. I agree, if he asks, then it is responsible and necessary to comply. But the greatest form of respect for an artist is to create demand. That, I believe, is the intent of those sharing his work via the digital channels he’s battling. I would respect him immensely if he created a pipeline of the content we as fans are hungry for. I carry my respect for Prince as an artist in my wallet. He knows what he has to do to gain it.