New Girl Prince Episodic - H 2014
FOXThe price of Prince? $10.
During a secret show in London — held in the living room of his friend, singer Lianne La Havas, and attended by approximately 10 people — the singer announced that he wants to charge just a fistful of dollars for tickets to his upcoming performances with his new band, 3RDEYEGIRL, reports the BBC.
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The three-piece ensemble — which plays what he describes as “funk ‘n’ roll” — performed two new songs from their upcoming album, Plectrum Electrum, including their single, “PretzelBodyLogic.”
“We want to charge about $10 a ticket — this is a new band, people are getting something new,” said Prince, wearing purple-tinted sunglasses, a black turtleneck with a furry jerkin and flare pants. “We’ve been together for over a year, and it’s perfect. The more we play, the more fun it is and addictive it is.”
Prince intends to play “iconic venues” around London, such as Ronnie Scott’s, the Bag O’Nails Club and the Electric Ballroom, but nothing is currently confirmed. He’s not looking to play arenas, yet, as the band would “work our way up, if people like us, to bigger venues,” and they hope to record all their live shows — and Prince no longer minds if fans share bootleg copies of that content.
“Nobody sues their fans,” he said when asked about the lawsuit he dropped last week targeting about 20 individuals. “I have some bootlegs of Lianne, but I wouldn’t sell them. But fans sharing music with each other — that’s cool.”
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Still, he hopes fans would put down the pirated versions of his unreleased Paisley Park Records material. “When you hear something [bootlegged] you’re just hearing something that’s not finished,” he explained. “A song from 1985 might come out in 2021. I have a whole organization who look after stuff.”
The members of 3RDEYEGIRL– which include American drummer Hannah Ford, Canadian guitarist Donna Grantis and Danish bassist Ida Nielsen — are not bound by any contracts. “They’re not signed to me, and I’m not signed to them. This is the way it always should have been. I’ve had my issues with labels in the past, but that all happened for a reason.”
Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com
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