The Song Theory Podcast | Episode 6 | Prince, Warner Brothers and the Plot to Take Him Out

In this episode of The Song Theory Podcast, we examine Prince’s legendary battle with Warner Brothers and the deeper questions it raised about control in the music industry. At the height of his career, Prince began openly challenging his record label over ownership of his music, creative freedom, and the power labels hold over artists. We break down the contract disputes, the moment Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and the infamous appearances where he wrote “SLAVE” on his face to protest his deal. Was this simply a business disagreement, or was Prince exposing something much bigger about how the industry operates? We also explore the theories surrounding Prince’s warnings about industry power, his fight for artist ownership, and the lingering questions that followed his death in 2016. Was Prince just fighting a contract… or fighting the system itself?