Prince Estate Sues Music Producer For Releasing New Music

Never-before-heard Prince music is on the way – but the musical icon’s estate isn’t happy about it.

A new EP called “Deliverance” featuring six previously unreleased tracks recorded by the late pop and rock legend will drop on Friday — the one-year anniversary of Prince’s untimely death.

But Prince’s estate claims music on the EP isn’t authorized to be released and is now suing longtime Paisley Park engineer Ian Boxhill, who worked on the songs with the singer and is the one who facilitated their upcoming release, Minnesota’s KTSP-TV reports.

Court documents obtained by the ABC affiliate claim Boxhill possesses five previously unreleased songs from Prince, including the EP’s title track “Deliverance,” which was made available for download on Tuesday evening ahead of the EP’s release.

Prince’s estate claims Boxhill is “trying to exploit one or more songs for his personal gain at expense of the Prince Estate," according to the report.

The suit also claims Boxhill had signed a confidentially pact swearing anything he created with the “Purple Rain” artist “would remain Prince's sole and exclusive property."

Prince’s estate estimated the value of the songs in question at more than $75,000, according to the legal filing.

Each of the songs on the upcoming EP was co-written and co-produced by Prince and Boxhill between 2006 and 2008, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The entire six-song track listing is open for pre-order for $3.99 and will be available in CD form as well.

Boxhill praised the EP in a statement prior to the lawsuit.

"I believe 'Deliverance' is a timely release with everything going on in the world today, and in light of the one-year anniversary of his passing," Boxill said of the album in a media release, according to EW. "I hope when people hear Prince singing these songs it will bring comfort to many."

Prince died on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57 from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Court documents that were unsealed Monday revealed a doctor had written prescriptions for oxycodone for the singer under the name of his bodyguard.

The Rogue Music Alliance had said it will release "Deliverance" independently, with the bulk of its proceeds going to Prince's estate.

SOURCE