NPG Records And Paisley Park Enterprises Release “Magnificent,” A Rare Prince B-Side From The Musicology Era

April 26 (Minneapolis, MN) - In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Prince’s seminal Musicology album, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, have released “Magnificent,” a rare 2003 Prince track that was previously issued as a “virtual B-side” to “Musicology,” the lead single from the classic record. Originally distributed via Prince’s NPG Music Club, the song has never been previously available on any official streaming services, so today’s release marks the first time that a new generation of Prince fans around the world will have access to this hard-to-find gem. The track’s debut on streaming follows the release of “United States Of Division,” another rare B-side from the Musicology era.     

“Magnificent” is a sensual love song backed by layers of heavy digital percussion and an ominous synthesizer riff throughout. Over the irresistibly funky backing track, Prince croons to an unnamed lover: “In the time it took the others / to say your name /  we became magnificent.” Unofficially available to Prince fans for 20 years and sourced from master tapes found in Prince’s legendary vault, “Magnificent” is yet another stunning sonic artifact from a notably prolific era of his celebrated career. 

Stream “Magnificent” HERE 

The releases of “Magnificent” and “United States Of Division” also celebrate the 20th anniversary of Prince’s landmark Musicology Live 2004ever tour, a remarkable run of shows that saw the trendsetting star distributing copies of his most recent album Musicology to over a million concert attendees. On Prince’s request, the tour featured reasonable ticket prices that encouraged fans young and old to attend shows. Devised by Prince and his longtime lawyer, confidante, and Musicology Executive Producer L. Londell McMillan this grassroots approach to album marketing profoundly changed that way the music industry viewed live performances and once again cemented Prince’s status as one of modern music’s great creative visionaries. 

Speaking about this era of Prince’s career, McMillan noted: "Prince was the ultimate artist, musician and innovator. Musicology is a timeless album that had a "magnificent" impact. We continue to celebrate Prince's accomplishments and musical works." 

This era of Prince’s music was recently spotlighted in notable articles including Grammy.com, who praised Musicology as “a vital part of the Purple One's catalog 20 years on,” Rolling Stone who recognized the album for “its sinuous grooves and effortless swing,” and The Daily Beast in which Jeff Slate lauded the broad spectrum of musical influences present on the record, stating that "he asserted himself as the best in the business—while never losing grip of the thing that drove him: his deep love of music."

Musicology earned Prince two Grammy awards in addition to being certified double platinum by the RIAA in 2005. The album came at the peak of Prince’s early 2000s resurgence, practically coinciding with his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame where he performed his now iconic guitar solo on an all-star rendition of The Beatles classic, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” He also notably dueted withBeyoncé weeks earlier during that year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, while the Musicology tour itself was Prince’s highest-grossing US tour of his career and one of the most successful US tours of 2004, performing for over 1.4 million fans. 

On June 20-24th, Prince fans will once again gather to celebrate Prince’s enduring legacy at Celebration 2024. Located at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, the event will feature world-class music, celebrity panels, exclusive concert footage, multiple activations in downtown Minneapolis and a newly curated Paisley Park Tour. Celebration 2024 will also give fans the opportunity to honor the 40th anniversary of Prince’s award-winning 1984 classic Purple Rain in addition to the 20th anniversary of Musicology. More information can be found HERE. 

About Prince

Prince was an iconic American musician, singer, songwriter, bandleader, performer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor, and a pioneer in artists’ rights and freedoms. Born Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he released his debut LP For You in 1978 and went on to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time, eventually selling more than 150 million albums.  Over his 40-year career, his work received unprecedented critical praise as well as official recognition of his achievements including seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards, six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, a Grammy President's Merit Award, a Billboard Icon Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the film Purple Rain). His albums, 1999 (1982), Purple Rain (1984), and Sign O’ The Times (1987) frequently appear in rankings of the greatest albums of all time. He was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the U.K. Music Hall Of Fame, and the Rhythm And Blues Music Hall Of Fame, and was twice inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk Of Fame. 

Prince was a leader in philanthropy, giving privately and without fanfare to countless charities and causes that he championed and a trailblazer in fashion, art, music and practically all forms of entertainment. Prince is considered by many to be the greatest of all time. 

About Musicology

“Being an independent artist, I can speak on any issue that moves me without worry of censorship in any way. The sound you hear in Musicology is the sound of that freedom.”

—Prince

Musicology is the 28th studio album by Prince and was first released on March 29th, 2004 (appearing in stores in the UK on April 19, 2004, and in the US the following day). A major critical and commercial achievement, Musicology proved to be Prince’s most successful album in years, reaching #3 on the Billboard Top 200 while charting in the top 10 in many other countries, and winning two Grammy Awards. Highly influenced by the R&B and funk of Prince’s youth, Musicology was centered around the theme of providing a “musical education” to listeners.

“I was listening to a lot of masters at the time,” reflected Prince. “The Motown sound, James Brown, Sly Stone… and I studied them. I studied the way they put their sounds together. And what I hope is that young musicians today will listen to how I put my sounds together on this record.”

The hugely successful Musicology Live 2004ever tour featured affordable tickets and a direct-to-fan marketing arrangement that provided each concertgoer with a copy of the CD. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, Musicology continues to delight and surprise both new listeners and longtime Prince fans.

For more information on Prince and Musicology, please reach out to:

 Rebecca Shapiro, Josh Page, and Henry Thomas at princepr@shorefire.com