Photo: Courtesy of Viacom.Music fans may remember that Prince and his label, Warner Bros. Records, didn't exactly get along.
But, 21 years after protesting his contract situation by scrawling "slave" on his face — one of the '90s most arresting pop visuals — the iconic singer appears to be burying the hatchet with the label.
"A brand-new studio album is on the way," Prince said in a statement. "Both Warner Bros. Records and Eye are quite pleased with the results of the negotiations and look forward to a fruitful working relationship." Purple hell has frozen over, people.
Not only will we see new Prince material in the near future — a new single, "The Breakdown," launched on iTunes this morning, in fact — but special releases are also on the docket. According to Rolling Stone, Warner Bros. will release both unheard rarities and a remastered, deluxe edition of 1984's Purple Rain soundtrack in honor of its 30th anniversary.
Prince reportedly now also has "ownership and control" over his master recordings. This probably was the game changer for Prince, who once explained his discontent with his label as a master/servant scenario. "When you stop a man from dreaming, he becomes a slave." he said in 1996. "That's where I was. I don't own Prince's music. If you don't own your masters, your master owns you." Now Prince is master and commander of his own empire once more — or, in another buzzy words, he's the captain now. (Rolling Stone)