STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Prince's Music May Be Available on Spotify and Apple Music Sooner Than Anticipated

Is the war over his music almost over?

Prince is known for having done everything in his power to keep his music far, far away from streaming services, famously putting up a fight and criticizing the changing industry for exploiting artists.

Unfortunately, after his untimely passing, the iconic musician's catalog is now in the hands of his estate, and despite months of back and forth, including a lawsuit against Jay Z and Tidal, it appears as though the estate may have landed on a possible deal with Spotify and Apple Music respectably.

According to Bloomberg, a source close to the situation claimed that the estate is hoping to have his music available on the streaming platforms prior to the Grammy Awards airing (Feb. 12) and also said that the estate is eager to break all sorts of streaming records once his music is finally made available. The day of the Grammys ceremony is reportedly the estate's target deadline in order to take advantage of the promotional opportunity linked with the awards show tribute to the late legend.

Additionally, the report states that the estate won't license the catalog until all of its rights are represented accordingly. The source also shared that because there is a large number of parties involved in the negotiations, the deal could end up falling through.

Universal Music Group's publishing division, Warner Music Group, and Tidal are all involved, with each having a different stake in Prince's music.

Although the proposed streaming deal is a complicated process, if all goes well, Prince's catalog will be restored to streaming platforms almost two years after he personally removed his music.

More on this story as it develops.

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