Publish and be damned? Why Prince chose The Mail.

As Prince gears up for the start of his tour, his advisor Paul Gongaware explains why the artist chose to release his new album as a covermount

Quickfire

As Prince prepares for the start this week of his 21-date residency at The O2 Arena, his advisor Paul Gongaware speaks publicly for the first time about the superstar's decision to distribute his new Planet Earth album through The Mail On Sunday.

Can you explain your relationship with Prince? You are his manager, aren't you?

No, Prince is his own manager. I am not his manager, but his tour promoter along with my partner John Meglen at AEG Live, LA. We help him with certain transactions, at his calling. Prince's O2 and Indigo2 shows are promoted by AEG Live UK and Marshall Arts.

You are being particularly inventive in distributing Planet Earth in the UK. In general, why did you decide to take such a radical approach?

The Mail approached us about doing a greatest hits CD. Prince instantly said, "Let's do the new CD instead." He's a true artist. He didn't think about anything other than it was a chance for 3m people in the UK to hear his new music. That's all he really wanted. His plan was not to upset the music industry, but instead speak directly to a UK audience. It was a way to get his music not just to fans, but to people who may never have heard any music from him before.