Prince ordered to pay $4M over perfume stink

**jobeterob** · 04-17-2012, 07:56 PM

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Prince ordered to pay $4M over perfume stink

Kim Hughes Apr 17, 2012 0 Comments Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on stumbleuponShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services0

I have been waiting all my life to write that headline! Prince has been ordered by a New York judge to pay a perfume company nearly $4 million after failing to promote one of their fragrances apparently inspired by the rock legend’s 2006 album 3121.

According to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics sued the teeniest rock star back in 2008 after he reneged on a deal to promote the scent; now a judge has ordered the reclusive musician to cough up damages to the company.
The perfume company stated in the lawsuit that: "Since July 2007, despite repeated attempts by Revelations, there have been virtually no communications from anyone who could commit to or coordinate any promotional efforts by Prince."

Prince, who was also supposed to give out free samples of the scent at his shows, now has to pay the company's out-of-pocket losses of $3,948,798.58. [[And don't you DARE forget that 58 cents... jeesh talk about micro-managing an awarded amount). However, he doesn't have to stump for lost profits and "punitive damages" as there was no evidence that the artist acted with "malicious intent."

As THR notes, “Throughout the years, Prince has made a series of unique moves in the music industry, from the changing his name to the way he bundled the sale of albums with concert tickets.

“On 3121, which became the first Prince album to debut atop the Billboard 200, the musician again made a highly interesting arrangement: Tying an album with a scent and clueing Universal Music Publishing Group into 50 percent of the perfume profits. Revelations made the licensing agreement with Universal, with an expectation that Prince would perform for them.”

Honestly, this whole thing [[forgive me) smells kind of funny. While I completely understand artists seeking new ways of promoting their music and leveraging corporate deals to help do that, perfume just doesn’t seem like an obvious fit with Prince. Clothing maybe - or even a line of bed linens given his saucy lyrics - but fragrance? Based on the number 3121... or maybe the hyper-sexual nature of the material?

Am I missing something here?

To be sure, though, Prince isn’t the only artist stumping for stuff:

Rocker launches own line of coffee
Lenny Kravitz designing floor of T.O. condo/hotel
Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train’ now selling Hondas
Say G’day to AC/DC wine!
ZZ Top guitarist launches BBQ sauce [[yum!)