Sign O' the Times

While record companies and musicians are doing their best to fight piracy, Prince is giving away his latest album "Planet Earth" for free with the Sunday edition of the newspaper The Mail in Britain.

Interesting thing to note in this NYT article is that though his career is three decades old, Prince is not yet a nostalgic act (Like Neil Young or Paul Simon today). His music is still the sound of the new generation.

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.

Talk about DRM!