Prince’s decision to have his new album given away with a Sunday tabloid this weekend continues to cause drama.

Since it was announced the album Planet Earth would be given away free in the UK with this weekend’s edition of the Mail on Sunday, music retailers have expressed outrage.

But now the HMV group have executed a swift u-turn, announcing it has struck a deal with the Mail on Sunday to stock the newspaper this weekend.

Having previously criticised the Prince giveaway, HMV chief executive Simon Fox told industry publication Music Week stocking the tabloid was “the only way to make the album available to our customers.”

But other music retailers have not followed suit and continue to fight the giveaway. Today the Entertainment Retailer's Association (ERA) complained to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), requesting an investigation into the Mail on Sunday's Prince CD giveaway.

The CD giveaway will cause a sharp increase in sales of the newspaper, changing circulation figures and misleading advertisers and readers, the ERA said.

"The inescapable conclusion must be that this is a blatant attempt by the MoS to skew its circulation figures," the complaint read.

Prince was paid a reported £500,000 by the newspaper and the tabloid is also said to have committed a further £750,000 to the manufacturing and marketing of the CD.

The paper is plugging the giveaway as “the world’s greatest newspaper giveaway”.

The album will be sold by retailers in all other countries.

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