Prince as master of disruptive innovation
By William M. Hartnett on Jul 22, 2007 in newspapers
> The Once and Future Prince (NYT)
Prince is a musical genius. On this matter I’m afraid I must ban any further discussion, for the issue is settled. He also is a master of disruptive innovation. Consider:
“Prince’s priorities are obvious. The main one is getting his music to an audience, whether it’s purchased or not. ‘Prince’s only aim is to get music direct to those that want to hear it,’ his spokesman said when announcing that The Mail would include the CD. … Other musicians may think that their best chance at a livelihood is locking away their music — impossible as that is in the digital era — and demanding that fans buy everything they want to hear. But Prince is confident that his listeners will support him, if not through CD sales then at shows or through other deals.”
So he focuses on building and maintaining an audience largely by refusing to lock away his content. If only there were another industry that, like the music business, wouldn’t go far wrong if it paid close attention to the path Prince has chosen …
