• by Erik Sass , July 13, 2007

Prince is distributing his new album this weekend, via a popular British tabloid. Prince's new CD, "Planet Earth," will be included with each copy of the Mail on Sunday--the weekend edition of the Daily Mail--which will sell for the normal price of one pound forty pence, or about $2.80.

While achieving success as a publicity stunt, the American musician's album giveaway has aroused the ire of major British music retailers--prompting Sony BMG, for example, to cancel its plans to stock the album on its international launch, which is scheduled for July 16. The seriousness of the threat was underscored by the decision of one big music retailer, HMV, to sell issues of the Mail on Sunday--even though it doesn't usually carry newspapers.

Unlike many American and British newspapers, the Daily Mail has enjoyed something of a boom over the last decade, with circulation rising 26% since 1995 to over 2.3 million--more than twice the size of Britain's largest "quality" newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, a broadsheet publication with a daily circulation of about 900,000.

The success is due partly to the Daily Mail's regular offers of DVDs and CDs with its newspapers, as well as a reputation for staging sensational stunts and prize giveaways. The Mail on Sunday, which also includes a popular guide to TV programming, is a frequent venue for these promotions.

Previous musical offerings include compilations by Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel and Dolly Parton.