Pop superstar Prince is adamant he will never sell his songs on the internet, insisting web-based outlets will soon disappear because they are no longer "hip".
The Purple Rain hitmaker has long battled to keep his music offline - in 2007 he sued video sharing website YouTube.com as well as eBay.com claiming they "are clearly able (to) filter porn and paedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorised music and film content which is core to their business success."
Prince has also moved to ban fansites using images and anything linked to his likeness, while a home video of a child dancing to one of his songs on YouTube was pulled down in 2007 after the star's Universal Music Publishing claimed the recording infringed copyright.
The artist is still refusing to allow websites to sell his music and he's adamant fans will soon move on from the internet.
He says, "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 At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated.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."
Wait. "Prince", the artist formally known as "The Artist Formerly known As Prince", the short arsed, impossibly effeminate purple leprechaun has actually stated that "The internet is not hip" ?
Maybe he should stop partying like it's 1999 and wake up to the reality that, with this move, he is just pissing in the the purple rain.
I am not totally lacking in sympathy, for smaller, less well known (and possibly far more talented) artists it must be very difficult to achieve any kind of financial success these days. Sure, you can create a few good songs and become famous almost over night, but in the cold grey light of the next morning you will probably wake to discover that the world has moved on to the next fad (usually a dog that can say "sausages").
Never-mind, it's only money. Our money, and he wants it. Support your local internet, buy a queen CD.
