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Prince re-signs with 'slave' label Warner Bros Records
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| Prince has been releasing music under his own label |
Pop star Prince has a signed a major deal with Warner Bros Records, the label he famously fell out with nearly 20 years ago.
The split was so acrimonious that Prince called himself a slave and changed his stage name to a symbol.
Now Prince says the new deal will see a release of his classic album Purple Rain in time for its 30th anniversary.
He will also regain ownership of master recordings made during his previous deal with Warner Bros.
"A brand-new studio album is on the way and both Warner Bros Records and Eye (sic) are quite pleased with the results of the negotiations and look forward to a fruitful working relationship," Prince said in a statement.
The Purple Rain album was released in 1984, as was the cult film of the same name.
The album will be given a "deluxe reissue" to coincide with its milestone. More of his classic albums are expected to get the same treatment.
"Everyone at Warner Bros Records is delighted to be working with Prince once again; he is one of the world's biggest stars and a truly unique talent," said the label's chairman and CEO, Cameron Strang.
Prince and his new band 3rd Eye Girl performed several shows in London in February
Prince signed to Warner Brothers records in 1977 and they released the biggest albums of his career - among them Purple Rain, Sign O The Times and the soundtrack to Tim Burton's Batman movie in 1989.
But by the time of 1991's Diamonds and Pearls, the relationship had soured.
"He didn't want to be told what to do any more," the star's publicist Chris Poole told his biographer, Matt Thorne.
Specifically, he wanted to be able to release more music, more often. Furthermore, he felt he should own the original master tapes for his hit albums.
'Lacklustre material'
When Warners disagreed, on both counts, Prince began appearing in public with the word "Slave" written across his face, and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol - leading the press to christen him The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.
"People think I'm a crazy fool for writing 'slave' on my face," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1996. "But if I can't do what I want to do, what am I? When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave.
"That's where I was. I don't own Prince's music. If you don't own your masters, your master owns you."
The musician eventually fulfilled his contract by delivering Warner Bros a series of albums packed with off-cuts and lacklustre material - including Chaos and Disorder and Old Friends 4 Sale.
Although they contained an occasional gem - such as 1996's playful Dinner With Delores - the records damaged his reputation with casual fans, who were confused and disinterested by what amounted to an employment dispute.
By the time Prince released his first post-Warners album - the pointedly-titled Emancipation - it stalled at number 18 in the UK charts.
Prince's latest album, PlectrumElectrum, was recorded with his all-female band 3rdEyeGirl. The group played several impromptu gigs in London and Manchester in February.
The majority of his more recent records have been released under his own NPG Records label.
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'Captain America' sequel shatters records with $96.2-million debut
The 3-D superhero film 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' has the best April opening ever. Biblical epic 'Noah,' meanwhile, sinks to second place.
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| Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson in "Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier." (Zade Rosenthal / Marvel)
Superhero sequel "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" soared in its opening weekend to a record-breaking $96.2 million in North America and a worldwide total to date of $303.3 million.
The $170-million 3-D film, starring Chris Evans as the shield-bearing superhero and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, is the top April opening of all time and more successful than its 2011 predecessor, "Captain America: The First Avenger," which made $65 million domestically in its first three days.
The sequel, directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, generated just over $207 million in its first 10 days overseas.
"The response has been fantastic," said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution. "Coming out in April and setting a record is truly a great thing."
Next weekend, the film will open in Brazil, Hungary, Turkey and Trinidad. It opens in Japan on April 19.
The film, which opened in 3,938 locations in the U.S., had an A on CinemaScore and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience consisted mostly of men (64%), people 25 and older (57%) and couples (58%).
Hollis partly attributed the film's success to its universal storyline.
"There's a contemporary feel with the overall story," he said. "It's not just an action movie but a character story."
In its second weekend, director Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic "Noah" fell 61% to the No. 2 spot, generating an estimated $17 million in ticket sales. "Noah" has now earned more than $72 million.
The long-anticipated Old Testament epic from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises received a C from the polling firm CinemaScore and has drawn strong but divided opinions from people of faith and religious leaders.
In third place was "Divergent," which generated $13 million, bringing its estimated cumulative total to more than $114 million.
Based on a young adult novel series, the Lionsgate film, directed by Neil Burger and starring Shailene Woodley, tells the story of a young woman fighting for freedom and survival in a dystopian society. "Insurgent," the film's sequel, is scheduled to begin filming in May and will be released next March.
"God's Not Dead," screening in 1,758 theaters in the U.S., moved up to No. 4, making $7.7 million in its third weekend and an estimated total of $32.5 million.
The faith-based film, about a college student defending his beliefs against a professor, features Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, the popular Christian rock group Newsboys, and Willie and Korie Robertson from the "Duck Dynasty" television show as themselves.
Wes Anderson's "Grand Budapest Hotel" rounded the top five, with $6.3 million in ticket sales in its fifth week.
"We have now increased our theater count to 1,263 locations and are planning to add more theaters again this coming week," Frank Rodriguez, Fox Searchlight's head of distribution, said in an email. "We are surprised each weekend at how broad the response is for this terrific comedy with the stellar cast."
Also noteworthy in the U.S. top 10: "Muppets Most Wanted" fell 44% to finish sixth with $6.3 million; "Need for Speed" hung in at ninth with $1.84 million; and at No. 10, "Non-Stop," in its sixth week, generated about $1.83 million.
saba.hamedy@latimes.com
Source: www.latimes.com
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