Prince signs with Columbia

Prince has signed a new major-label record contract after years of releasing albums himself and promoting his music primarily through his website. His new album, “Musicology,” will be released April 20 on Sony-owned Columbia Records.

“Over the course of his extraordinary career he’s continually taken on new artistic challenges, and in the process he has repeatedly set new standards of excellence in popular music,” Sony Music U.S. President Don Ienner said in a statement.

Prince’s “Musicology” tour starts Saturday in Reno and moves to Staples Center on Monday. The Staples Center show will be telecast to more than 40 movie theaters around the country, including the Edwards Irvine Spectrum 20 and Edwards Alhambra Renaissance 14 in the Southland.