Prince, the flamboyant pop star with 10 platinum albums, should pay nearly $4 million in damages for welshing on his promise to promote a perfume named after his latest CD, a special referee in Manhattan concluded after conducting a four-day inquest on damages.
— From Referee Says Prince Should Pay $4 Million to Perfume Manufacturer at New York Law Journal.
While reading this article, I found myself alternately cringing (“refused to give interviews in connection with the projected, which was launch on July 7”) and laughing (“pressing Prince to perform as promised”). I absolutely abhor abjectly ungrammatical constructions, but I love a little lighthearted alliteration.
I was surprised to see the slang “welshing”…don’t think you see that in the mainstream press (?)
I think the mainstream press is getting increasingly informal. I don’t mind the slang and informal language so much, if they would just learn basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules and follow them. Sometimes I see sentences or even entire articles that are so poorly written that I am not even sure what the writer is trying to say.
Nobody can afford to keep copy editors these days. It’s really a shame.
Obviously, they’re not afraid of the Cymric Anti-Defamation League.
Then you may really be sick when reading foreigners trying to write in English, doesn’t you??
Actually, I don’t mind about errors in blogs posts and the like anyway, and if I perceive that the errors are a result of someone’s unfamiliarity with the language (as a result of it not being that person’s native tongue), it does not bother me at all. It just means that that person knows another language. I am sure I would do no better if I attempted to write in French or German. This article, though, was in New York publication, presumably written by a native English speaker, for an English-speaking readership, and in my mind that makes all the difference.
Exactly! I admire anyone willing to communicate in another language despite knowing his grammar may be imperfect. I’m too afraid of being laughed at.
I’m actually with the perfume manufacturer on this one. Why would you approach a firm, sign the agreement, help with development and then refuse to promote it save for one brief in store concert? It’s one thing for a company to use someone’s name or likeness without their permission, practically giving that person in question the right to sue, but to legally agree to something and then totally back out at the last minute without any communication? Wrong. Prince could have probably made up in promoted sales what he’ll be paying in legal fees and judgements. *shrug* I still like my 3121 gift sets scored for half price. The candle has great throw and a gorgeous fragrance and the body cream was nice, too. If only the frag had been around for more than a few months and they’d actually been launched individually along with the perfume.
I totally agree with you. There doesn’t even seem to have been any real defense offered–Prince just decided not to follow through. We all know that the celebrity’s name is a big selling point for these celebrity perfumes. I personally would not buy one just because of the name association, but millions of other people do. The company is entitled to collect damages.
Yes. And really, I think many celebs make a pretty good sideline off fragrance lines. Perhaps not as much now as in the last few years, but when 3121 launched, it was during the thick of the celeb frag frenzy and he could have probably done fairly well profitwise and possibly even with regard to renewed online album sales etc. with the right promotion. The perfume is really pretty in a musky sort of way and didn’t strike me as even remotely offensive, which would have helped, too.
I just hope they get in line behind the tax man (unless he’s caught up and I missed it).
We don’t hear his side so it’s hard to tell, but certainly sounds like he is in the wrong.
While I agree 100% with the decision, I can’t help but want to smack the head of that company in the back of the head for ever agreeing to do something with Prince to begin with. The man is 5 feet, 2 inches of pure ego who is massively inlove with himself, and who constantly backs out of deals, even those that he himself initiates. He’s simply NOT worth the headache of doing business with.
That’s got to be true of many celebrities, though (the ego, not the height!) — not saying they made a wise choice, but somehow, many celebrities must find a way of putting their egos aside in the hopes of making money.
I would take any press information on Princes with a grain of salt. Remember the period the media were telling us that the “artist”had gone mad an was using a symbol instead of his name? How many reports were there in the press about Sony owning his name and him not able to use it?
“celebrity appearances and media interviews are material and important because they are the tools that create excitement in the market for consumers and vendors.”
So basically, when Revelations perfume entered this deal with Prince they had big $$ signs in mind. The simple fact of having signed on a celebrity would bring them cash. It didn’t work out. Boo-hoo!
I would bet that they spent less time and money developing the fragrance then they spent on this law suit.