Attention Prince fans: You’re invited to hold your next purple-themed bash at the artist’s hideout.
Paisley Park, the residential and music-production complex that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer established outside his hometown of Minneapolis, is now renting out its facilities for events of all kinds. For the musically inclined, the recording studios are also available.
Prince opened Paisley Park in 1987, with the construction of the space reportedly costing $10 million. As the New Yorker magazine explained, it was conceived as a recording facility, but the purple-loving singer-songwriter began calling it his home. “He wanted to establish a self-contained dominion, insulated from interference or judgment, where he enjoyed total control, and his life could bleed easily into his work,” the publication noted.
After Prince’s death in 2016, Paisley Park was opened to the public for tours, much like Graceland, the Memphis home of Elvis Presley. In fact, Graceland actually managed the Prince facility for a period.
But now, Paisley Park is aiming to broaden its reach, explained L. Londell McMillan, Prince’s former attorney, manager and friend.
“Being in the iconic Paisley Park is special,” he told MarketWatch.
McMillan added that Prince’s vision was always to make Paisley Park available for everyone.
“He left notes that he wanted to turn the studio and soundstages into a full-on museum,” McMillan said.
The Prince confidant added that having artists record at Paisley Park was also one of the music icon’s priorities, saying the idea was to create “a facility in the Midwest that rivaled the great [ones] in Los Angeles, New York and Florida.”
Holding an event at the venue will not come cheap, however. A Paisley Park spokesperson said space rentals start at $25,000 and can climb to $75,000. The largest space can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
Paisley Park has hosted some events before, and a number of artists and groups have recorded there, including Madonna, Beck, Lizzo, Gwen Stefani, Sting, the Beastie Boys and Kool and the Gang.
And Paisley Park remains a top tourist attraction in Minnesota, drawing as many as 55,000 visitors a year who pay anywhere from $65 to $189, depending on the type of tour, according to a spokesperson.
Paisley Park may have some catching up to do with Graceland if it really wants to make its mark, however. The Presley estate is rented out for hundreds of events annually, according to Alicia Dean, a marketing specialist with Graceland. It even has its own 75-seat wedding chapel.
“Our spaces stay booked,” Dean told MarketWatch.
As for the possibility of weddings at Paisley Park, McMillan said it’s too early to say if that could happen.
“We want to make sure anything is acceptable to Prince’s legacy,” he said.
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