Airing One Night Simultaneously On Five Viacom Music Channels MTV, MTV2, VH1,
VH1 CLASSIC, and BET To Broadcast Special From 9:00 Pm to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
April 28th, 2004 - Prince's most recent release, Musicology, In Stores Now
MTV Networks, BET and Columbia Records today announced that, for the first
time in history, MTV, MTV2, VH1, VHI Classic and BET will broadcast a single
program on the same night, at the same time -- a ground breaking, 30 minute
television special featuring performances and interviews with 2004 Rock and
Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Prince.
The special will be road blocked across all of the participating music
channels, and will air on Wednesday, April 28th, from 9:00 PM to 9:30
PM (ET). Check local listings in your time zone for more information. Four of
the participating networks will air the special under the title Prince: The
Art of Musicology, while BET has dubbed their special Music and Words
by Prince.
Recorded before a live audience at New York City's Webster Hall, the one of
a kind television event features brilliant performances of material from Prince's
eagerly awaited new release Musicology, including the critically acclaimed title
track and the powerful "Dear Mr. Man." Also included is an historic
acoustic solo performance of a medley of deep classics from Prince's catalog.
Prince's most recent album, Musicology, was released
through NPG Records/Columbia Records on April 20th, 2004. Prince commented,
"The support for Musicology is wonderful. We're pleased to broadcast the
Musicology special throughout the Viacom music channels. It is great to see
audiences around the country embracing music again." "This historic
broadcast, going out simultaneously over the five most influential music networks,
is a tribute to the music and artistry of one of the most singular talents of
our time," commented Will Botwin, President, Columbia Records Group.
"With a fast-paced combination of brilliant performances and compelling
interviews this show will be remembered as one of the most special entertainment
events of the year." "I love Prince. Our viewers love Prince and we
are so excited to give them the chance to see some of his incredible new live
performances on all of our music channels," said Judy McGrath, president
of the MTV Networks Music Group. "We share a long musical legacy with Prince
and it makes perfect sense to celebrate his new release with a simulcast across
our networks." "BET viewers have waited with great anticipation the
return of Prince to the music scene," said BET President and Chief Operating
Officer Debra Lee. "Prince has always had a home on BET, going back to
some of his earliest releases.
We can think of no better place to punctuate his return to the music charts
than on BET in a unique show hosted by our own head of music programming, Stephen
Hill, which features not only Prince's performances, but also some insight into
his musical genius." Prince kicked off 2004 with a stunning opening per4mance
at the 46th Grammy Awards with multiple-award-winner Beyonce and his spectacular
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and launched the phenomenally
successful "Musicology" concert tour in March of this year. Prince
is regarded by fans and critics alike as a monumental force and influence in
popular culture.
During the '80s, Prince emerged as one of the most singular talents in the
history of music, releasing a series of ground breaking albums that both defined
and captured the spirit of the times. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer,
songwriter, Oscar winning composer, multi-Grammy winning artist, Prince has
sold more than 100 million records and is fearless in his pursuit of artistic
challenges. He is constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures and
genres, and continues to confound audiences with an extensive and varied body
of work.
Buy Musicology
Columbia Records
