Prince Rogers Nelson focused less on record sales and popularity and more on creating art he felt was meaningful. Billboard's decision to advertise the tribute as a spectacle, only to be presented with a lackluster performance should not be surprising, considering the industry's focus is profit over people. Lack of play on modern pop radio should not deem an artist as 'non-relevant.' If that is the case, Prince himself should be deemed irrelevant, since he's worked directly outside of the industry for a huge portion of his life.
The best tributes thus far have been the ones where the people congregated in the streets, celebrating life, together. Prince (even more after he initially broke ties with WB) created music which encouraged awareness, spiritual/physical connection and humor. The dark energy in which this tribute was presented appeared contradictory to the things he seemed to stand for. It could have been a reflection- musings on reconciliation, considering that they made amends in the last couple of years in his life, after many years of battle. Ultimately it just seemed like a way for Madonna to make it about herself than anything else.
