Pitchfork

Never one to shy away from con-tro-ver-sy, Prince has pissed off UK music retailers with his plan for Planet Earth's release there. According to a report in the Guardian, the Fragrant One will give away the album for free with "an 'imminent' edition" of UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday, which will make it the first place in the world where the album is available.

The Mail on Sunday will prepare for the increase in sales by upping its print run from the two million copies per week it already sells.

Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association, said the following about the deal at a recent music conference: "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behavior like this, he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores [Zing! --Ed.]. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with The Mail on Sunday."

As a gesture of appeasement to the protesters, the Artist Who Went Back to Being Known as Prince Seven Years Ago's UK label, Sony BMG, has withdrawn from his global promotion/distribution deal and thus will not distribute the album to UK stores, which seems like the exact opposite of what these store owners want.

Prince will also continue a past promotional tradition by giving away a free copy of Planet Earth with the purchase of tickets to his London performances this summer.

The exact date of The Mail on Sunday release of the album remains a mystery (though the chances of it happening on a Sunday seem pretty bankable), but Planet Earth comes out via Columbia on July 24. Prince also has a few shows before his London residency, continuing tonight (June 29) in Hollywood.

Dates:

06-29 Hollywood, CA - The Roosevelt Hotel
06-30 Hollywood, CA - The Roosevelt Hotel
07-07 Minneapolis, MN - Macy's
07-07 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
07-14 East Hampton, NY - Ross School (East Hampton Social benefit)
08-01 London, England - O2 Arena
08-03 London, England - O2 Arena
08-04 London, England - O2 Arena
08-07 London, England - O2 Arena
08-10 London, England - O2 Arena
08-11 London, England - O2 Arena
08-14 London, England - O2 Arena
08-17 London, England - O2 Arena
08-18 London, England - O2 Arena
08-24 London, England - O2 Arena
08-25 London, England - O2 Arena
08-28 London, England - O2 Arena
08-31 London, England - O2 Arena
09-01 London, England - O2 Arena
09-06 London, England - O2 Arena
09-09 London, England - O2 Arena
09-12 London, England - O2 Arena
09-13 London, England - O2 Arena
09-16 London, England - O2 Arena
09-20 London, England - O2 Arena
09-21 London, England - O2 Arena