It is interesting to listen to all the fuss over how music downloading, bootlegs, etc. is killing the music industry and then a major artist comes along and simply gives away his new CD.

Like Prince's most recent CD Musicology, Planet Earth will be given free to anyone attending one of Prince's upcoming concerts. Prince has the music industry in an uproar as the new CD will also be given away free with an upcoming Sunday edition of the British paper The Mail.

Mail on Sunday managing editor Stephen Miron said, "It's all about giving music for the masses and [Prince] believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible."

Here is the first response from the music industry...Paul Quirk, co-chairman of the U.K.'s Entertainment Retailers Association said:

"It would be an insult to all those record stores who have supported Prince throughout his career... It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behavior like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores. And I say that to all the other artists who may be tempted to dally with the Mail on Sunday."