Now, I never thought that I'd say this in my first ever post. The Mail on Sunday have got something right.

Toddle on down to a newsagents today, and you can buy their paper and get a free copy of Prince's new album, Planet Earth. 10 tracks, just like on a shop-bought copy. The artwork, just like on a shop-bought copy. Except you're about £9.59 better off.

I think it's the greatest newspaper giveaway in the history of time. Well, in principle anyway. Personally, I'd much rather it was someone I listened to instead of The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Formerly Known As Squiggle Currently Known As Prince. Again. But hey. Beggars can't be choosers.

So why? Why is one of the worlds biggest musical names pissing off record label bosses and pioneering a musical revolution?

According to the spokesman on his official site, it really is just a case of Prince doing something for his fans.

Prince's only aim is to get music direct to those that want to hear it. Prince famously took a stand against Warner Records in the nineties when he went on strike and appeared with the word 'slave' drawn on his cheek. Subsequently, he regained control of the publishing rights to his work, and broke down the existing system through his innovation.

Commendable.

However, there's another side to this. The greatest publicity stunt ever, perhaps?

3 million copies of the album were rumoured to be given away in this campaign. We live in a country of over 60 million. How many of those 57 million admired Prince so much for his generosity that they actually went out and bought a copy of  Planet Earth ?

Regardless, it poses music bosses with a tricky situation. How can they carry on suing kids for downloading music when people like Prince are saying 'See? You don't need to pay for music?'

And he's not the only one. Over in the states, underground DJs, bands and musicians are advocating the free music scene, making their name by giving away music online or at shows and instead making their cash the old fashioned way; playing. Oh, and selling t-shirts, but that's by-the-by.

Over the ocean, MCLars orders his fans to download his music for free with the, wittily titled, Download This Song. Yet he's still sold thousand of albums and performs to packed out venues.

It was seen 18 months ago with the Arctic Monkeys. Most of Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was available on-line, yet in it's week of release 363,735 copies flew off the shelves. 

Maybe I'm just cynical. But perhaps some big music executive decided not to shoot Prince down when he chipped up with the suggestion of a free album. That promotion has created publicity no PR company could have mustered.

Yes, they've lost the profit of 3 million copies. But who's to say that every copy that is bought from now on isn't as a direct result of that.

Guess we'll never know.