Planet Earth

Prince had a history of releasing albums in groundbreaking new ways — first, on the internet with his NPG Music Club, and then, in 2004, he included an album with every ticket purchased for his Musicology Tour. In 2007, Prince wanted to try something even more revolutionary: He would release his new album, Planet Earth, for free with copies of the July 15 edition of the U.K. and Ireland’s Mail on Sunday newspaper, ensuring that everyone that picked up a paper that day would be treated to a disc of his new music.

The experiment was an immediate success, and would be replicated with his 2010 album, 20Ten, which was released in the Daily Mirror and other international publications. Planet Earth was supported with a record-breaking run of 21 consecutive shows at London’s O2 Arena, where fans also received free copies of the CD, and the buzz around the album and unprecedented 21 Nights in London residency ensured that all 21 dates at the 20,000-capacity arena were sold out.

As with 2006’s 3121, Planet Earth featured reunions with musicians from Prince’s past as well as collaborations with artists from his present and future. Three significant musicians from Prince’s 1980s career, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, and Sheila E., all appear on the album, as does his original New Power Generation rhythm section, Michael Bland and Sonny Thompson. Planet Earth also features vocals from the Twinz, Maya and Nandy McLean, who toured alongside Prince as dancers and back-up vocalists for much of the mid-2000s, and Bria Valente, a protége Prince would produce an album for in 2009.

The album’s lead single, “Guitar,” was a top 40 hit in Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan, and has endured as a Prince classic, and the song “Future Baby Mama” was honored with a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Overall, the album Planet Earth debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S., even despite the fact that most of Prince’s promotion of the album was taking place overseas.