“Last week, Prince announced that he was going to release his latest album 20Ten as an add-on to European newspapers and an upcoming issue of German Rolling Stone,” Daniel Kreps reports for Rolling Stone.
“In an interview promoting the release with England’s Daily Mirror, the iconic songwriter reveals his improbable motive for the choice: he hates the Internet,” Kreps reports. “‘The Internet’s completely over,’ says Prince, who will not sell his new album via iTunes or Amazon. ‘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.'”
Kreps reports, “Prince goes on to compare digital outlets to once-influential juggernauts like MTV. ‘At one time, MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated,’ he says. ‘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.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That dude can afford to be as eccentric as he wants to be. If he wants to release his album via helium balloons, so be it. And, if he wants to try to drum up some pub this way, so be it, too.
BTW, iTunes Store pays artists who can sell tracks, not those looking for big upfront advances – *cough* Wal-Mart *cough*.
Prince… you the dude…but
who cares? prince sucks.
Prince who?
At one time Prince wrote some good stuff. He has been lost for over a decade now. I always preferred Prince over MJ back when they were both at their prime.
Hmm, kinda speaks volumes that the album’s actually being given away free in The Daily Mirror on Saturday…
So … the internet is ‘completely over’ and so I’m gonna bundle my CD with newspapers? Cutting edge!!
No wonder he hasn’t been relevant since … no, wait … he (she?) has never been relevant with me.
Magicword: has
Prince is a has been. (or never was)
The Crumudgeon formerly known a Prince.
Prince is over.
To the “artist” formerly known as …. one word – LIMEWIRE
So… Prince is *still* partying like it’s 1999 — before the iPod/iTunes revolution.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”raspberry” style=”border:0;” />
Prince is pretty cool if he’s playing guitar. His singing, to my ears, is almost as bad as his tech punditry.
Prince is a nutty Jehovah’s Witness. They’ve all but declared war on technology. The downfall of humanity, yadah yadah.
If you handed Prince an iPad, he’d probably drop it and run away.
Prince? He’s so last century…
I’m not kidding, and don’t call me Shirley.
OMG — that was Prince I saw in the white shirt, black tie and black pants going door to door in my neighborhood! And I didn’t answer the door! How silly of me!
Little Prince cannot understand this internet thing?
MDN must be Prince fans. I read about this earlier today and was expecting MDN to rip him a new one when I saw it posted here. Personally, I don’t know much about Prince’s music. But this pretty much shows he’s a nutcase that’s very out of touch with reality.
When was the last time anyone heard one of Prince’s songs? Does anyone even consider anything that he does these days to be relevant at all?
Awesome, sounds like he`s turning into a Howard Hughes like hermit, can`t wait to see how that goes.
I declare Prince to be over…..
Oh yeah… and Madonna, too
Prince releases CD. Who sells CD’s anymore? Besides, 10 minutes later it will be all over the Internet. YAWN.
10 years ago this might have been worth a single line mention in a paper..Today, much like his career, it’s irrelevant…
What a self-indulgent pr**k
Is this Prince guy the artist formerly known as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince”?
Ok so the first hundred idiots will buy the Rolling Stone to get the CD…..then one of them will rip it and put it up for Torrent download and those that give a rats ass will download it and Prince won’t get JACK. Of course none of those idiots will be iPad owners as they’re now getting their mags online and can’t be bothered with traditional PRINT media anymore.
Sounds like sound business to me. Prince should thank God iTunes wasn’t around when he released his hit albums……he’d be working at McDonalds right now if he refused to put them online.
Who give a flying duck about “Prince”! He’s a has been since long ago.
Prince relies heavily on computers to create his albums, since he plays all of the part. He just being a plrincess.
I’ll pile on:
My first reaction to this was “does anyone still care about this guy”. Didn’t he jump the shark back when he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol?
Seriously, I’m pretty sure this guy’s following has been pared down to a minute number of hardcore fans who will get his music however they need to. He’s probably not giving up that many sales by refusing iTunes.
——RM
Why does he call himself Prince? Is it some kind of boyish fetish, or some kind faggy thing?
No one would ever have heard this lunacy without the internet.
Prince who???
Prince, no longer relevant and dumb as a box of tampons.
Plus he’s a midget.
“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.”
Studies have shown that it depends completely on the numbers with which your head is filled. Or is that with which filled your head? Regardless, it can be really not good for you. Really. I mean, look a Einstein. Dead. Hawking? ALS. That dude that Russell Crowe played in that movie with that really hot brunette? Crazy.
The Artist formerly known as the Artist Formally Known as Prince can do what he wants. More power to him.
I’m weeping – WEEPING! – for him – and his many many million$ socked away.
Apple could slam Price to high heavens and no one would react negatively except for a couple (and I mean a couple) of die-hard fans.
Perhaps Steve should send him an e-mail
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
“They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.”
lol.shit this guy is on the moon.
His album title shouldn’t be 20TEN but 52&OUTDATED;. Yeah right the Internet is dead. Let me guess he will still have more releases via p2p. He basically giving his music out for free.
One more thing: just like the iTunes store does not need the Beatles, it does not need Prince, and neither artist needs iTunes.
Prince can get a big advance, make all the money back, and bring in loads of cash. However, he’s in a totally different world than 99% of musical acts. A very small percentage get big advances. There are too many that get advances that they quickly blow through and still owe the studio for recording and producing the record. The iTunes store and others like it allow those artists to get their music out without that. Granted, marketing is still a problem for them.
So great for him that he can find innovative ways to get his music out. He just is not very representative.
So isnʻt 20Ten a number?
I loved Prince and bought all his CDs through the 90’s. But I can’t support him when he rejects the Internet and iTunes so overtly. Sounds like he’s over.
What a douche calls himself prince.
Smart of you Prince, ask for an advance when the economy is bad, sales are bad, and record labels are fumbling. Being on iTunes or Amazon was one of the few smart things he could have done . . . could have. What a jackass – his message of hating the internet – gets spread . . . via the internet. The internet is a simple tool – its people’s use of, or lack of use that makes the internet what it’s good for. We have spam – because a large portion of surfers are lazy, and gullible to easy get rich, lose weight, build muscles type scams, without this market, spammers couldn’t exist – the internet isn’t inherently evil – only G**gle.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Prince of what?
Idiot.
Did he record his latest album on analog? 8 track?
Why did he not bought Tower Records to keep it in business? People who are willing to spend money on music actually still like to browse a store.
His stance will actually hurt other artists in that it seems to make it OK to digitally pirate music since he does not seem to care what happens on the Internet.
Big whoop.
He’s about as relevant as Meatloaf – The Artist Formerly Known As Mince.
What Planet are u Living On ?
If ur Music Wont Be Available Online Legally Via iTunes, Amazon or 7 Digital, “ur Gonna get Creamed Via Torrent Sites” u Moron.
Prince’s next symbol:
__/\_________________
Is is amazing that whatever subject is on MDN forum 90% of the comments are ____ sucks. Got to hell _____. ____ is so history. I could care less, I hate ______. And on and on. Is there nothing that does not bring out only scorn and derision? I can’t believe people waste their time hating so.
What “the Dipshit Usually Known As Prince” and others like him keep forgetting is that their CD/DVD’s they sell fit into our computers, the songs on them end up on our iPods and sometimes floating freely on the Internet. So what next ye Purple One? A return to vinyl or worse? Geeesh. Talk about cutting off your nose in spite of your face!
“Why does he call himself Prince? Is it some kind of boyish fetish, or some kind faggy thing?”
His momma actually named him Prince. His last name is Nelson. Prince Nelson. Formerly the symbol of the artist formerly known as… oh, never mind.
Eccentric dude. Great guitar player tho’
If an artist wants to get PAID for his work, he sells digital. If he doesn’t, he sells CDs.
His choice.
Wonder what he was smoking last night?
He is beginning to sound like my Dad who memorably said about the Rolling Stones ‘yes but can you seriously imagine them doing that at 60’. Aaaah how quaint the old can be.
He’s just mad no one can find his back catalogue on iTunes — since there’s no “artist formerly known as” logo key on a MacBook.
It’s too bad we can’t all do drugs like him… Cuz he did them all!! Prince snorted up all the coke!
he has a right to believe what he wants. If people what his stuff they will just steal it. Too bad he doesn’t realize this.
Moving on…
He’s such a tool.
@Pompayu
He calls himself Prince because that’s his name. Prince Rogers Nelson. Wondering if it’s “some faggy thing” just tells us a lot about you, none of it good.
As to the topic, yeah, Prince is coming off as a bit of an idiot right now. And I agree that he hasn’t been musically relevant for a while. But those criticizing him as an artist probably know little about him. He was a prodigy who played all the instruments on his albums until he made the Prince and the Revolution ones, in which he actually recorded with his touring band.
And anyone wondering if he’s talented should go on YouTube and find his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance in the tribute to George Harrison. A collection of greats was on stage to play “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” When he stepped in to do a solo, he blew them all away and took it to a whole other level.
All that said, at this point, he’s coming off as a has-been luddite.
An advance… who’s he kidding. Such an inflated opinion of himself, I guess the name fits, even if he is the artist previously known as””. Advances are paid by the record companies and as a function of that you have to go out on tour to pay them back, This S#!t ain’t free wake your silly ass up prince. You want to be on the cutting edge do a digital concert download. Quit partying like it’s 1999 and get into the 21st century.
further irrefutable proof that religion ruins everything.
@HughB
“It is amazing that whatever subject is on MDN forum 90% of the comments are ____ sucks. Got to hell _____. ____ is so history. I could care less, I hate ______. And on and on. Is there nothing that does not bring out only scorn and derision? I can’t believe people waste their time hating so.”
I guess we were all mislead by all that hype of “Change” that would come after 2008 and that the derisiveness America was experiencing would be a thing of the past and all would be right with the world!
At least the rest of the world like us. This just in…
This is dumb.
Eccentric is one word, but I think this is a bit more than just that.
And yes, he does play one hell of a guitar!
I declare Prince ‘completely over’…
Has been. No longer a factor in the industry. When was the last time I went shopping for a CD? The day before iTunes went live. Good luck prince.
Prediction: A pirated copy of the album will be on the Internet two days before the official release.
I named my dog “Prince” way back. He was a horny little puppy from the get go, thats why he was named Prince. From what I remember didn’t he have 2 or 3 women living with him and he’s running around humping them all day like a dog? Something like that. LOL
Poor Mr. Nelson. He wants an advance because he knows it ain’t gonna sell so well or it just isn’t so good. The Internet is over. The old music biz is over, buddy.
@R2
JWs are against tech? Are you nuts? Go to jw.org to download MP3s and M4Vs in probably 100 languages, you can even get podcasts in several different formats along with Watchtowers and stuff in PDF.
What’s really funny is the org has always used the latest tech to spread the message. You a funny guy.
The artist who formally had fans can suck me.
Uh, folks… he makes all his money from touring. Most acts do.
The last time he did this he sold out Wembley in a matter of hours and made, I believe 50 million dollars US. Since he is not beholden to a label he gets all the proceeds from box office as well as merchandise.
Say what you will but he is a shrewd businessman.
Prince’s stuff is on Spotify, so he doesn’t hate all digital media.
I’ve actually heard people in real life say similar things– like the Internet will pass or collapse. His logic is severely flawed comparing the Internet to MTV. The Internet is like TV, a specific website is like MTV.
Prince is a great musician, but the World has passed him by.
My head is full of numbers? Well, it’s a lot better than being full of crap! LOL
There’s eccentric. And then there is just plain stupid. And I’m a FAN of his music which has always been brilliant. However, I can’t say I’m a fan of any man that says such impressively wack-a-doodle nonsense… No, you can keep that kool aid in the fridge, I ain’t drinking any…
@Anim8me2
“…sold out Wembley in a matter of hours and made, I believe 50 million dollars US…”
Wembley holds 100,000. So the average price of a ticket was
$500 and Prince kept every penny?
R2 on Jehovahs Witnesses “They’ve all but declared war on technology.” Huh?
There is three JW websites = jw-media.org, watchtower.org, jw.org; the latter hosting Podcast subscriptions to their monthly magazines. War on tech I think not, hmm?
Wait, why are we talking about J-Ws?
Prince is executing a public relations move.
A classic pivot and more power to him, because it is working.
Look at all the free press he is getting to promote his new album. Would he have gotten as much press without this move?
This just in…Prince to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show
Well, gotta give the former prince credit for trying to swim against the digital current…. good luck with that
So he gonna just do his ting on the street corner.?
Oh yeah all his hits that people want to buy are on iTunes. You know the stuff he’s been living off of for 25 years.
@ schmluss: Yes, he’s “The artist formerly known as Prince and once moe known as Prince”. I wonder how he signs his tax forms.
As I don’t care for his music, the only thing about him that attracted interest is his weirdness.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
@daugav369pils
“Wembley holds 100,000. So the average price of a ticket was
$500 and Prince kept every penny?”
Obviousy there was more than one show.
i don’t think you should use that shrink anymore
he is giving you the wrong shit
you dig?
the internet in not over it is going to get bigger buddy
1999 is not way in the future anymore ….. you have been replaced
her name is lady gaga ………..
He must be D e l i r i o u s.
@WTF
You write: “So … the internet is ‘completely over’ and so I’m gonna bundle my CD with newspapers? Cutting edge!!”
WRONG!
Prince has it right! IF you consider that his time is running backwards. Impossible? Just a mathematical construct. Ask Einstein.
Americans wanting to be “royal”:
“Prince”
“Queen” Latifa
Fresh “Prince” of Bel-Air
EP the “King” (of ‘rock and roll’).
MJ the “King” of pop.
Royal Dano – actor (apparently).
For all the Prince-haters here, a little info:
1. The last time Prince “released” an album via the Daily Mail, he earned a reported 1 million British Pounds (about 1.3 million USD) in one weekend. That particular issue was the best selling issue of the Daily Mail in decades.
2. As a result of the publicity surrounding the release, his 3121 concert series in London was sold out. He played 21 dates in London.
3. His last “commercial” release (i.e. sold through a major label) MUSICOLOGY went to number 1 on the Billboard charts in 2006, although the album was only available in stores (not online). The majority of the CD’s were sold at his concerts. He was the highest grossing artist of the year, earning 57 million dollars. his latest world tour is sold out.
The point is, he figured out a long time ago how to make money in the business without following the typical business model. He makes more money selling 100,000 units than most of today’s mainstream artists make selling a million units.
Having said all that, I tuned Prince out many years ago, and I was probably the biggest Prince fan on the planet. I even played a gig with him once.
Motto: don’t hate; celebrate.
@ daugav369pils
Let’s see…
The US dollar is weaker than the pound, the event was multiple days and that included merchandise. So the tickets were not $500.
Way to use those critical thinking skills!
I believe most of the money came from merchandise.
@ daugav369pils
Here is a link to a story about selling out 140000 tickets:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-454090/Prince-31-ticket-shows-sell-minutes.html
This covers how he wanted to keep ticket prices down, does not deal with total profit from the sales. This also followed a CD giveaway in the London press.
At least he stands to his own mind. There are enough sheeps around to destroy life on earth anyway.
Monolitic thinking is no good for none.
LMAO! No advance payment, Cry Baby? How about you sell something and get paid for that? Only h00kers get paid in advance.
Short people,
They got grubby little fingers
And dirty little minds…
Randy Newman
My policy: Never trust a man under 5 foot 6.
I am not so much angry that I can’t hear Prince’s new songs as I am grateful.
2006, Bob Dylan: “New records … have sound all over them. . .CDs are small. There’s no stature to it.”
2007, Elton John: “Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the internet. . . there’s too much technology available.”
2010, Prince: “The Internet’s completely over.”
@ MDN
Even WalMart does not pay artist in advance for Physical or digital sales. Not only that Walmart only sells music by artist that are signed by the big music labels. The Big Music Labels do give artists cash upfront but then charge the artist all types of fees and interest against the sale royalties which in the end means the artists makes much less money from their work then if they didn’t have a recording deal at all.
Prince is just pissed because internet sales through iTunes means he has compete on an equal footing with every other artist even the completely independent ones and he does not like that. He wants to be paid to him for the privilege of selling his work and he wants to be paid for the sales as well. In my opinion it’s not the Internet that is over, it’s Prince that is over. I give him 2 weeks after the release and Prince will be inking distribution deals with iTunes and Amazon to sell his new Album on the “Dead Internet”.
Hey, Prince, I got a tip for you, Young People don’t buy news papers or magazines any more they get their information and news from, wait for it, THE INTERNET! So, wipe the Blow off your nose fire your old fart business manager and hire a young hip tech savvy business manager to give you good advise and you might regain some of your kewl, hipness and appeal to your fans young, old and might even attract a whole new younger base of fans, the bubble gum crap the young kids are sucking up these days is rotting their brains. At least your music in the old days made everyone think, fan or not. So, put down the crack pipe and look at the Prince Machine and fix what has gotten old and broken on the inside, because the Internet and iTunes isn’t the problem. It’s your internal money grubbers looking to score upfront, because they don’t think you’ll have another big hit album.
Don’t mean to pee on your parade but the truth is what the truth is.
digital downloads are too low tech? Ur… what… ok… buddy.. The internet is losing popularity now… haha, that’s rich
No the internet is not the 80s sorry. The 80s are over, the internet is not a fad. LOL.
This is obviously all just a big PR stunt and MDN fell for it big time. Great work giving Prince free advertising.
Prince: Ugly NeanderTechTard.
Just laugh
;-D
“I can’t believe people waste their time hating so.”
And I can’t believe that someone as intellectually superior as you can waste his time condemning people like us!
Standing a little taller now, HughB, having proclaimed your supremacy to MDNers, one and all? Good for you. Whatever gets you through your day.
@Anim8me2
Appreciate the trouble you went to provide the link.
Cleared it all up. Wembley Stadium’s home site
said Prince appeared there only once. Naturally
I assumed ‘once’ is once. Didn’t know in the
entertainment industry once can refer to multiple
shows over a few days time.
I wouldn’t cross Steve Jobs. Has anyone heard from Michael Eisner (former ceo of Disney) lately?
but there are performance objectives, counselling, dress code, safety lectures..
custom bedroom furniture
“I wouldn’t cross Steve Jobs. Has anyone heard from Michael Eisner (former ceo of Disney) lately?”
He’s a runner for the mob in Encino. Good pay. Short hours.
The inherent originality of Prince’s business approach reflects his artistic nature, and on that basis one can’t class his actions as being right or wrong. They are one man’s unique approach to a shared challenge.
http://www.themusicvoid.com/2010/07/prince-and-the-yawn-of-digital/
This guys doesn’t get it. Age has a lot to do with this decision and at his age he is lucky that he isn’t pushing around a walker. Metallic said the same thing, and imagine the revenue they missed out on.