PRINCE - NEWSPAPER DISPUTES PRINCE CHART BAN

NEWSPAPER DISPUTES PRINCE CHART BAN

LATEST: A British newspaper is threatening legal action against the Official U.K. Charts Company to make sure PRINCE's new album is counted. Bosses at the Mail on Sunday are giving away 2.9 million copies of new record Planet Earth on Sunday (16Jul07) after paying an estimated GBP250,000 ($500,000) to Prince for the licence. However, the Official U.K. Charts Company has refused to enter the album on its chart, insisting its impossible to prove that newspaper sales were "genuine consumer purchases". According to MediaGuardian, the Mail On Sunday's managing director, Stephen Miron, has fired off a letter to the charts company demanding a u-turn. It reads, "Given our belief that this album should still be included on the official UK album charts and having responded to your issues, I would urge you to reconsider your previous position as a matter of urgency, before we engage our lawyers for legal advice to force a challenge to this restraint on our trade." Music chain HMV has agreed to sell the newspaper after initially challenging the promotion.