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He Changed His Name to Escape His Contract
Case: Prince vs Warner Bros.
Year: 1993-1996
Deal Type: Recording Contract Dispute
Label: Warner Bros records
- Prince signed to Warner Bros in 1977 then resigned in 1992 for a reported $100M deal covering new recordings and a portion of his back catalog
- Warner retained ownership of masters recorded under the deal
- Creative control disputes escalated over release schedules and catalog control
Outcome: Prince wrote “Slave” on his face, changes his name to an unpronounceable symbol to legally circumvent his contract (Warner owned the name Prince ), and stopped releasing new material under Warner. He was released from the contract in 1996.
Leverage Breakdown:
- At signing, Warner had maximum leverage. Prince was commercially dependent on the major’s distribution infrastructure
- His protest was brilliant IP warfare: by making the “Prince” brand unusable, he made himself more expensive to hold than to release
- Post release, he owned new masters going forward and became one of the most vocal advocates for artist ownership
Lesson: Your name is an asset. Your brand identity tied to a contract is a liability. Structure deals so your performing name is never owned or leveraged by a label.
Homework : TradeMark your name
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He Changed His Name to Escape His Contract
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