The Artist, who in his previous incarnation as Prince recorded the hit "1999," which was undoubtedly played at many a New Year's Eve party recently, has taken to the web to make a rather unusual plea.

Last week on his official Love 4 One Another website (www.love4oneanother), the Artist posted an open letter to Madonna in which he asked for her assistance in dealing with his former label, Warner Bros. The Artist is hoping to get the label to return the ownership of all the master recordings he made for Warner Bros., dating back to his 1978 debut, "For You," and has requested that Madonna become involved in the dispute.

In the message Prince goes on to describe, in rather florid language, a dream he had in which he asks Madonna for her at this year's Grammy ceremonies. Ten years ago, Madonna and Prince collaborated on "Love Song," a track that was included on her "Like a Prayer" album.

The ownership rights

to Prince's back catalog has become issue in the last few months, as both Warner Bros. and the Artist have released new versions of his "1999" single, which was originally issued in 1982.

Madonna hasn't responded to Prince's request yet, but we'll keep you posted.