Prince & VH signed their deals with Warner Brothers around the same time, so I'd imagine they were equally as shitty.
As for why he had to give up his own name and use that dumb symbol while he worked out his legal bullshit, it has to do with the fine print of WB somehow having "legal rights" to a name. Even if the name was on his goddamned birth certificate, as it was in his case. This is also why that Tony Iommi solo album from 1986 was labeled "Black Sabbath", though it wasn't remotely any such thing. WB thought they could make money off it by using the name. Didn't work out all that well.
As for why he had to give up his own name and use that dumb symbol while he worked out his legal bullshit, it has to do with the fine print of WB somehow having "legal rights" to a name. Even if the name was on his goddamned birth certificate, as it was in his case. This is also why that Tony Iommi solo album from 1986 was labeled "Black Sabbath", though it wasn't remotely any such thing. WB thought they could make money off it by using the name. Didn't work out all that well.
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