Prince Throws a Fit, Attacks Fan Sites With Takedown Notices

The man has amassed quite a solid following over the years he’s been working his axe. His purple axe. Whether he’s marketed himself as someone with a name or someone with a mere emblem, he’s been a popular presence in the world of sonic spectacles. Who is he? Why, Prince, of course.

Yes, an individual (more than) occasionally confused with that crazy plastic man at Neverland, Prince has proven over the years quite consistently to be a serious contender in the realm of genuine musicianship – and he’s never failed to prove quite a showman, either. At home amid stadium-sized audiences all around the world, he’s put together a repertoire of rock and soul that’s one of a kind and undying in its appeal. Too bad now that he’s making news for something that isn't going down too well with some of his fans.

According to a Reuters report published today, Prince is now giving fan sites established in his own honor a very hard time, serving legal notices to several Web domains to “remove all images…lyrics, and anything linked to (his) likeness.” Quite a gentlemanly way to treat those that keep the guy onstage and jammin’, wouldn’t you say?

Okay, so just to paint a little background to put this debacle into some perspective, this hasn’t been the first time Prince has lashed out erratically - whether it be against his representatives or the loyal base that buys the records. He’s certainly thrown such fits before, and sometimes such moments of bizarre behavior are but attempts to cause trouble and stir some noise just for kicks. He’s known relatively well for his bad, “do-what-I-want” attitude, and this conflict could very well be something he’s just decided to stir up on a whim.

Regardless of the reasoning, however, the effort itself - to combat the basic existence of fan sites (most obviously exist as photographic and lyrical shrines, two components that stand at the center of this very public exchange) - is thoroughly ridiculous, as it serves no real benefit to the man, who, last anyone checked, hasn’t been doing all that bad financially.

Emotionally? Well, that’s something else altogether, something that we really won’t bother getting into right now.

You know, looking at how this issue began and what it now involves, one can imagine that it might well into something far larger and far uglier very quickly. I mean, it’s started with fan sites, but could easily mushroom into something exponentially more irrational. All Prince would really need to do is send some angry letters to folks at MySpace, Facebook, and the myriad of other social networks out there on the Web, many of whom are undoubtedly host to many pages/profiles with “likenesses” of Prince plastered to them, and we’d very likely have one big whopping disturbance to observe.

Would that be entertaining? You decide.

Let us know what you think of Prince now. Post your comments below!

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