10 Oct
379: Prince changes his name to a symbol
During negotiations regarding the release of Prince’s 1995 album ” The Gold Experience”, a battle between Warner Bros. and Prince ensued, struggling over the artistic and financial control of Prince’s output. While this was going on, Prince only appeared in public with the word “SLAVE” written on his cheek. Then, on June 7th, 1993, his 35th birthday, Prince announced that he would change his name to an unpronounceable symbol. The glyph incorporates the male and female signs along with the alchemy symbol for soapstone. Prince explained his name change as the first step towards emancipation from Warner Brothers who had taken his name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing tool to promote all of the music that he wrote.