On Valentine’s day 2019 (2/14) the Prince Estate revealed new @Prince Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Previous posts from the official @Prince pages have been archived to new accounts labeled @PRNlegacy.
The Prince Estate has also launched a new library of 1,700 official images with GIPHY at (giphy.com/prince).
After his death on April 21, 2016, the official Prince social media accounts for one of the best-selling recording artists in music history remained untouched for two years, until now.
The social media changes were surprising and fans were not happy.
Followers must re-subscribe to the new @Prince twitter and Instagram accounts because the follower counts were reset to zero.
Some fans took the lack of warning about the official Prince social media account changes as blatant disrespect and disregard for their loyalty to the music icon. Posts about the abrupt changes seem ripe with disappointment and hurt feelings.
If the Prince estate is tired of us complaining about everything maybe they should start acting with dignity and respect. I’m not over here waiting for it tho.
— Sara Savoy (@SaraSavoy) February 14, 2019
This is the Prince Estate account not Prince account!!! The audacity! The nerve of U!! @PaisleyPark #DearMr
— Kathryn (@LaMarkiz36) February 15, 2019
The move is similar to the open records archive process the White House uses with the @POTUS twitter profile, official Facebook page, and the First Lady’s Instagram feed with a new administration.
The archive allows the public to have access to former posts even if social media platforms change in the future.
The federal government is required to retain records because of the Freedom of Information Act.
The Prince Estate, however, is not required to do anything official.
Estate executors could’ve cleared out the original account without giving fans any access to the previous tweets.
There have been several unsuccessful attempts to push for the Prince Estate to listen to his massive international fan base.
It’s difficult to watch corporate sharks attempt to feed off the loyalty and raw emotion of music fans to make quick legacy profits.
The Prince estate is a hot disorganised mess.
— Hyacinth. (@phalindapplebum) February 15, 2019
The unspeakable grief and sense of loss many felt years ago remain fresh wounds that are slow to heal. The sharp pains resurface as the estate clumsily tries to navigate the legacy management transition with all the grace of an inebriated hippo.
A wise man once said that when money matters first and things fail, ‘that’s when you find out that you’re better off makin’ sure your soul’s alright.’
