From 'For You' to 'HITNRUN phase two': Where to access Prince's released music
June 03, 2016
When I first learned that Prince passed away, the only thing I wanted to do was listen to his music. The only obstacle: I had four hours left of a moderately busy serving shift. I had most of his oeuvre on my iPod--after all, the first round of songs I ever imported to iTunes came straight from my mom's CD collection--but the restaurant's sound system wouldn't cooperate with that. My co-worker and I started a Pandora station, but no Prince tracks showed up in the sequence (which should've come as no surprise). Eventually, I found three-quarters of "Purple Rain" on YouTube, and everyone in the restaurant took a moment to grieve.
Soon afterward, The Current started its wall-to-wall Prince marathon. I headed to the all-night dance party at First Avenue. Both the state and the world produced loads of love, music, and mutual support. But now that life is almost back to normal, many people are wondering: where can they find the Purple One's music?
As many know, Prince had stringent opinions about music rights and artistic control. He changed his name to the male/female "love symbol" after disputes with his label, Warner Bros., in the '90s. He also kept a tight grip on his recordings, jealously guarded his image, and sued online pirates. During the last couple of years, he championed Jay Z's streaming service, Tidal, pulling his music from Spotify and other streaming peers.
Much of the available music can be found on iTunes and Amazon, but Tidal is still the most complete way to hear Prince's work online. While Apple Music offers HITNRUN phase two and miscellaneous tribute/movie soundtrack songs, and "Stare" remains on Spotify after being premiered via that service, nothing compares to the music on Jay Z's $9.99/$19.99-per-month service.
That said: YouTube presents Tidal a challenge. Since Prince's death, videos have sprung up online like weeds -- a wealth of songs, music videos, and even concert footage is now available on YouTube, and it's relatively easy to sort through and watch. Here's the problem, though: Prince almost certainly would not have wanted his music to be available on YouTube. The Stranger's Annie Zaleski examines the "Ethical Conundrum of Watching Prince Clips Online" here.
Of Prince's life's work, Tidal streams 32 albums, 15 singles/EPs, and 11 miscellaneous, Prince-featuring projects (the Happy Feet soundtrack, a Joni Mitchell tribute, etc.). Update 6/7: Today, Prince's birthday, Tidal added several more albums to its Prince catalog. The chart below has been updated to reflect the additions.
There are also a handful of albums under the artist listings "Prince & The Revolution" and "Prince & The New Power Generation." However, several albums from the early '90s and the turn of the millennium are left off entirely; the early omissions, at least, can be attributed to decaying relations between Prince and Warner Bros. during the time the albums were released.
Those with certain library cards may have access to Tidal through Hoopla Digital, an online "borrowing"/streaming service. Hennepin County and Ramsey County patrons are not included, but library diehards around outstate Minnesota (and the rest of the country) should try their luck at the link above.
For anyone who doesn't have a Tidal subscription, and for those seeking the several albums absent from Tidal, physical discs and/or vinyl may be the best way to turn. Prince advocated for local record store the Electric Fetus on many occasions, and he even purchased six albums there the weekend before he died. His music started flying off the shelves immediately after his death, but the Fetus has kept up with demand. As one of Prince's last tweets reads, "SUPPORT UR LOCAL RECORD STORE."