By now, most of us have heard the barely believable claim that Prince’s vault contains enough unheard music to release an album a year for the next century. Considering his 39 existing studio albums, that’s simply mind-boggling. On one hand, it’d be a shame to leave it all buried, right? But on the other, Prince obviously left it there for a reason. What would The Purple One have wanted? That’s the big question. And two of Prince’s trusted associates, music industry executive Charles Koppelman and the artist’s longtime manager/lawyer L. Londell McMillan, are trying to figure out just that.
Just days after Koppelman and McMillan were tapped to handle Prince’s estate, the former alluded to some big plans in an interview with the New York Post: “We’re going to be having a good time. There is so much to be done with this estate. There are vaults full of music.”
As Billboard reports, one of Koppelman’s ideas is a musical, possibly a jukebox-style Broadway show or, in the vein of the Michael Jackson: One Cirque du Soleil spectacle or the Beatles LOVE show, a Cirque musical. “Prince was an icon on the level of The Beatles and Michael Jackson, and his legacy should be honored,” the lawyer added. “Though his name was Prince, I always thought he was the king of music.”
So did we, Mr. Koppelman, so did we.
It will be interesting to see how Prince’s vault is honored over the coming months. Hopefully Koppelman and McMillan can pull off some worthy ventures without sacrificing the late singer’s onerous efforts to maintain artistic control. It’s comforting to know that the men were appointed by the court based on their longstanding, amiable relationships with the artist.
How do you think Prince’s treasure trove of musical riches should be handled? Let us know in the comments below.
Take a look back at our tribute to Prince:
Image: Warner Bros.
