what a bunch of crybabies!

Listen to these whiners! Prince has decided to gave away his new album as a freebie inside of a Sunday newspaper (The Mail on Sunday), and the record store industry is throwing a hissy fit:

One music store executive described the plan as "madness" while others said it was a huge insult to an industry battling fierce competition from supermarkets and online stores. Prince's label has cut its ties with the album in the UK to try to appease music stores.

The Entertainment Retailers Association said the giveaway "beggars belief". "It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career," ERA co-chairman Paul Quirk told a music conference. "It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music.

"The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behaviour like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."

Translation: "Boo hoo hoo!! Mommy, the big bad Prince and The Mail are bypassing our expensive plastic disc distribution system!! Make them stop, Mommy! Waaaaa!!...."

Paul Quirk's "threat" has all the validity of the arrogant boss who "fires" an employee after he already quit the job.