The dot-com boom may have partied like it's 1999, but pop legend Prince isn't feeling any love for the digital distribution of music these days.
"The Internet's completely over," he told England's Daily Mirror. "I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it."
The irony is thickly battered and fried here. Prince agreed to the rare interview because the newspaper is giving away his new 20TEN CD next Saturday. Yes, Prince is making sure that his new material isn't available through Apple's
The joke will obviously be on him, in the end. If the new material proves popular, it will simply circulate through online piracy means. He'll simply be missing out on his cut of premium iTunes purchases and ad-supported YouTube streams.
It's hard to deny Prince's musical mastery -- especially in his prime -- but I don't think the purple one truly grasps the viral power and breadth of cyberspace. It's not just about shunning YouTube and iTunes. Prince even took down his website.
"The Internet's like MTV," he tells the reporter. "At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good."
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The Internet is clearly more popular than ever, and global migration rates continue to flock to wired status. MySpace's loss is Facebook's gain. When it comes to digital music, it isn't even close. Apple has gone on to pass Wal-Mart
Prince has always been eclectic, so it isn't a shock to see him disrespect a medium that is creating a new generation of stars. Lamenting the loss of hefty record label advances during the industry's digital transformation just doesn't make sense. Even a major label dinosaur understands that much, as 30% of Warner Music Group's
The truth is obvious. Prince only needs to look at a mirror -- or, next weekend -- in a Mirror.
Is Prince right or wrong about the Internet's role in music? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.