Prince, one of the more enigmatic and compelling artists of the last three decades, is surprisingly absent from YouTube. A quick search reveals a dearth of clips starring the Artist Formerly Known as an Unpronounceable Symbol from the world's leading depository for music videos.
Try it out: Sometimes, you'll come across a captivating performance, like the scene-stealing guitar solo during the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that overshadowed guitar legends like Tom Petty and Steve Winwood. But if you're searching for one of his hits — something like "Little Red Corvette" — you'll encounter strange, soundless videos a lot like this. That's because Prince's 20-year-old record label, NPG Music, is notorious for handing out DMCA copyright complaints and takedown notices to infringers... including but not limited to YouTube.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why is Tesla stumbling?In the Spotlight More competition, confusion about the future and a giant pay package for Elon Musk
-
How Taylor Swift changed copyright negotiations in musicunder the radar The success of Taylor's Version rerecordings has put new pressure on record labels
-
Job scams are increasingly common. Here's what to look out for.The Explainer You should never pay for an application or give out your personal info before being hired
