:: About This Site
An unofficial archive dedicated 2 the most overlooked & most important era of his career — the years he stopped being "Prince," wrote SLAVE on his cheek, & distributed music directly 2 fans thru a phone number b4 the internet knew what 2 do with itself. If U R here 4 Purple Rain, U took a wrong turn. If U R here 4 Crystal Ball, The Gold Experience, Emancipation, Chaos & Disorder, & the entire NPG Records experiment — welcome.
:: The Era :: 1992 – 2001
1993
The Name Change
On his 35th birthday he became an unpronounceable symbol — an act of protest against Warner Bros. who owned the name "Prince." The press called it a stunt. He called it freedom.
NPG RecordsSymbol
1995
The Gold Experience + SLAVE
Released amid the Warner battle, he appeared publicly with SLAVE written on his cheek. TGE is one of his most purely brilliant records — almost nobody noticed because the press was too busy writing about the name.
The Gold ExperienceWarner Battle
1996
Emancipation — Triple Album, Independent
3 CDs, 3 hours, released independently through EMI distribution. A magnum opus he couldn't have made under Warner. Announced Crystal Ball in the liner notes before it even existed.
EmancipationNPG RecordsFreedom
1998
Crystal Ball — direct-order vault opens
First sold directly through 1-800-NEW-FUNK and love4oneanother.com before the retail version arrived. The direct edition ran 5 discs: Crystal Ball, The Truth, and the NPG Orchestra's Kamasutra. Shipping delays. No track listings at first. Didn't matter.
Crystal BallThe TruthKamasutra
2001
NPG Music Club — The Internet is his
Launched npgmusicclub.com, a subscription fan club distributing new music directly. Before social media, before streaming. The site later earned Webby recognition in 2006. He understood something nobody else did.
NPGMCDirect Distribution
:: The Records
The Gold Experience
1995
Chaos & Disorder
1996
Emancipation
1996
Crystal Ball
1998
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
1999
They can kill my body but they can't kill my mind — and that's what this music is. My mind.
— THE ARTIST, on Warner Bros., 1996:: Guestbook
NPGFAN_MINNEAPOLIS
"I called 1-800-NEW-FUNK and ordered Crystal Ball the day it was announced. Waited 8 months. Still worth it. Every single disc."
GOLDEXPERIENCE_99
"Nobody talks about Chaos & Disorder. They're wrong. That album is him saying goodbye to WB with his middle finger and it's beautiful."
THEDAWN_LURKER
"Found thedawn.com in '96. Been following the saga ever since. This site is the only place that covers The Truth with the seriousness it deserves."