A secret letter Prince wrote to his fans explains why he changed his name to a symbol in the '90s

In February of 1996, Prince launched his first website, thedawn.com, and buried on it a hidden document not linked anywhere on the site. Fans discovered a letter written by the artist titled "Message from The Artist," in which he explained why he changed his name to a symbol and his feelings about the record industry.

The secret letter was taken down a few days after the site's launch.

Tech blogger Anil Dash tracked down the letter and posted it on Medium on Sunday. 

The letter is a rare glimpse inside the artist's thinking about his own career.

"My message stems from a lifetime of development as an artist and as a businessman," Prince wrote. "And my increasing awareness of a greedy structure within the music industry that unjustly rewards large, slow corporate management teams, while overlooking and not protecting its bread and butter - ?the artists."

This rare glimpse into the mind of one of music's greatest artists shows the struggle Prince, who died on April 21, had with the music industry and the lengths he would go to protect his individuality.

You can read Prince's complete "Message from The Artist" below:

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