More than 19 months after Prince pulled his songs from all streaming music services save for Jay-Z's Tidal, the musician's estate is set to release a selection of top hits to Apple Music and other providers on Feb. 12, according to reports.
Citing music industry sources familiar with the matter, the New York Post on Monday reported Prince's Warner Music Group albums are set to go live on streaming outlets like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Deezer and others during the Grammy Awards ceremony next month.
The Warner albums, which include hit singles like "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry," have been Tidal exclusives since Prince abruptly yanked the content from competing streaming services in July 2015. At the time, Google said it had not received a request to pull the albums from Google Play Music All Access, though it seems the tracks were removed at a later date.
Prince's takedown request came just nine months prior to his death last April. In the intervening months, his estate has been in negotiations to return the artist's catalog to popular streaming services.
At the time of his death, Apple honored Prince by sending out messages of support through company Twitter accounts. Executives also posted condolences to their personal accounts, with CEO Tim Cook calling the musician "a true innovator and a singular artist," saying "his music and influence will live on for generations." Marketing chief Phil Schiller said, "'The sky was all purple' RIP #Prince."
Adding to release rumors, Spotify this week began posting billboard ads in the New York City subway and other high traffic areas displaying the company's logo set against a purple background, Prince's signature color. Recent rumblings within the music world suggested Prince would return to Apple Music in the near future, though those claims were never substantiated.
While Apple lacked rights to stream Prince tunes through its Apple Music subscription service, the company continued to sell his music on iTunes and play select cuts on Beats 1 radio.