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Prince’s back catalogue is only available to stream on Tidal, possibly boosting sales of CDs and vinyl
The Very Best of Prince and Purple Rain hold the number one and two spot respectively in the US Billboard chart.
The chart is compiled on a Friday, meaning Prince outsold the rest of the market in just 24 hours.
In the UK, two of his albums also entered the Top 40 on Friday. Some of the sales were spurred by the lack of Prince material on streaming services.
The star’s catalogue was only available to stream on Tidal, while he relentlessly pursued people who illegally uploaded his material to sites like SoundCloud, Daily Motion and YouTube.
“I have a team of female black lawyers who keep an eye on such transgressions,” Prince once said. “And you know they’re sharp.”
The Official Charts Company in the UK said that, based on early figures, Prince could have the number one single and album in the UK this coming Friday.
Several of Prince’s classic performances – including the 2004 SuperBowl half-time show – have been uploaded to YouTube since his death
He was found in an unresponsive state in a lift on the first floor of his home. Emergency service personnel performed CPR, but were unable to revive him.
“Yes, it’s Prince,” an unidentified male caller told emergency services, according to a transcript of the 911 call.
The star was pronounced dead at the scene. Details of the post-mortem examination have yet to be released, but his body was released to his family on Friday afternoon and he was cremated on Saturday.
Thousands of fans have flocked to Paisley Park, the First Avenue nightclub, and other sites made famous by Prince since his death, while tributes have come from Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen,Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and President Obama, amongst others.
Eric Clapton said Prince had helped him battle depression and drug addiction in the 1980s, calling him “a light in the darkness”.
“I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs,” he wrote on Facebook. “I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada, I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning! In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope.”
Flowers and tributes have been left around the perimeter of the Paisley Park estate
Morrissey wrote: “Prince has influenced the world more than is suspected, and somehow the life of his music is just beginning.”
He also said the star was “far more ‘royal’ than [Queen] Elizabeth II,” whose birthday celebrations fell on the same day as Prince’s death.
Justin Timberlake added: “He’s somewhere within every song I’ve ever written.”
Meanwhile, US comedy show Saturday Night Live dedicated this weekend’s edition to the star, playing back his musical appearances and footage of an invitation-only concert he played for the programme’s 40th Anniversary.
The NFL also uploaded the star’s memorable, rain-drenched SuperBowl concert to YouTube for the first time since it aired in 2004.
Memorial and museum
A senator in Prince’s home state of Minnesota has called for purple to be adopted as its official colour, reported the St Paul Pioneer Press; while Prince’s brother-in-law said plans were “in the works” for a large-scale public musical memorial.
A private memorial service was held for the rock star on Saturday, attended by about 20 of his closest friends and family.
Among them was Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, who toured with Prince and converted him to the Jehovah’s Witness faith.
Also present was drummer Sheila E, one of Prince’s most frequent collaborators on records including Lovesexy, Erotic City and The Glamorous Life.
Sheila E said she would act as musical director for the planned tribute concert
Speaking to EW after the service, she said the congregation was still struck by disbelief.
“What was challenging yesterday was listening to his music at a very low, soft volume and the room very low in lights and everyone just taking a moment, just sitting there, kind of going, ‘Wow,'” she said.
The musician also confirmed plans to turn Prince’s home and recording studio into a museum, akin to Elvis’s Graceland.
Forthcoming tribute
“We’re hoping to make Paisley what [Prince wanted] it to be. [He] was working on it being a museum,” she said. “He’s been gathering memorabilia and stuff from all the tours, like my drums and his motorcycle.”
“There’s a hallway of his awards and things, which he really didn’t care about too much, but he displayed it for the fans because he knows that they would want to see it,” she continued.
“There’s pictures of him all down the halls, some you’ve seen before and some never [seen]… There’s a mural on the wall with his hands out and on one side is all the people he was influenced by and the other side is all of us who have played with him… It’s beautiful.”
The percussionist added that she would be the musical director of the forthcoming tribute, which is expected to take place in Minneapolis.
And she said the star never truly appreciated the impact he had.
“When you’re in a place of musically creating and writing, you just do your thing, and you don’t realise how many people you touch,” she explained.
“I don’t know that he really knew how he touched almost everyone in this world.”
BBC