Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association, said Prince's gift to British readers ahead of the international sales launch on July 16 and the US launch on July 24 "beggars belief." "The Artist formerly known as Prince should know that with behavior like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores," he said, referring to a period in the 1990s when the singer, born Prince Rogers Nelson, famously stopped using his name to protest a binding record deal.
"It is an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," Quirk added.
Fueling retailers' ire further is what they see as a traitorous move by one of their own. After initially harshly criticizing Prince and the deal, music and books retailer HMV - which does not normally sell newspapers - has decided to sell the Mail on Sunday in its 400-plus stores across the country.
- Agencies
RSS