The Artist Formerly and Currently Known as Prince has always been known for his creative and often extreme tulle threads flowing through our world in a fashion only he could produce.
Purple, doves and some cinnamon were enough to earn him his crown with some cream on the side too. But lately, His Indecisiveness has lost all grip on reality because he cannot get an advance on his album from iTunes, has decided that he wants to sue YouTube and eBay (oddest choice ever) for copyright infringement, but apparently he also thinks the Internet is “over” too:-
He explains that he decided the album will be released in CD format only in the Mirror. There’ll be no downloads anywhere in the world because of his ongoing battles against internet abuses.
Unlike most other rock stars, he has banned YouTube and iTunes from using any of his music and has even closed down his own official website.
“The internet’s completely over. 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 internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good.
“They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.”
(Source: Daily Mirror UK, May 2010)
Maybe he has been inhaling too much purple paint and got some gold leaf or ten stuck in his sinuses so his brain is all raddled. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
But still, the Internet over? It’s just beginning.
Then again, we are talking about a man who still believes that music distributions strategy of the 1980s and early 1990s is still applicable in a post-iTunes, Hulu & USTREAM world and who doesn’t quite have a grasp on what it means to follow through for the people who actually purchase his music.
His Royal Badness needs to wake up because his music will be on the Internet. And for a man who seems to rely heavily and relish in supreme glee at his power of control, the Internet will be a place where he will have none.
Then again, the Internet is this “over” and “outdated” things that is absolutely no good at all, so it really won’t matter either way, because Prince will never be online to see it. And if he does, I do wonder what a Steve Jobs v. Prince smackdown would look like.
I’d actually pay to see it on PPV…
But in all actuality, Prince isn’t the first person to have major issues with the Internet, nor is he likely to be the last. In the 1990s metal-rock band Metallica had a major issue with the Internet and an infamous company that led to the creation of iTunes called Napster. Metallica’s issue was reasoned that they made music, and should be compensated for it. If they aren’t, its theft.
Okay, fair enough.
But complaining that one won’t get an advance from iTunes is a bit ridiculous, and incidentally, therefore the Internet is “over” is pretty silly.
People should be compensated for what they sell. It’s basic economics — supply/demand. Period.
Then again, Kevin Smith, might have a thing or two to say on the rationale behind the Royalness of Purple:-
I wanted to actually embed one of his videos — but Prince doesn’t let you do that.
…and just so you know, I don’t think the Internet is over, and neither should you.
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Sasha Muradali runs the Little Pink Book. She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida with a minor in Dance (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami (’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima or get a copy of the Little Pink Book delivered to your Kindle.
Copyright © 2009-2010 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
