Prince, as known for his music as he is for his perceived eccentricities, offered his thoughts on piracy, digital music and the internet in general to UK news publication The Guardian last week. Spoiler alert: he isn't too keen on any of it.
"The [music] industry changed," Prince told The Guardian. Despite the obviousness of the statement, there's no argument the artist has both the background and experience to not only issue it but know it; Prince has been a staple in the music industry for over 30 years. "We made money [on the internet] before piracy was real crazy," he added.
The singer/songwriter may understandably take a dim view of music sharing ("It's like the gold rush out there. Or a carjacking. There's no boundaries.") that's not far-removed from other artists who have kept their distance from even legit music downloading services for various reasons, though he has taken his dislike to another level. Ostensibly, it stems from his dislike of digital music in general.
"You're getting sound in bits," said Prince. "[Digital music] affects a different place in your brain. When you play it back, you can't feel anything. We're analogue people, not digital."
In 2010, Prince told the online version of England's The Mirror in an interview that "the Internet's completely over" and criticized Apple's business acumen when it came to its popular iTunes service. "They won't pay me an advance for [my music] and then they get angry when they can't get it," he said. However, the multiple Grammy award-winner admitted to the outlet that he was all for "finding new ways to distribute my music." To wit: Prince freely distributed the CD version of his album "20Ten" to Daily Mirror readers in the UK. The album has yet to be released in North America.
Such opinions fly in the face of the fact that for better or worse the world has (mostly) slid into a digital age even as we try to come to terms with all that that implies. Unsurprisingly, the artist's thoughts about the internet and growing push towards music digitization have elicited harsh criticism. CNet wrote that Prince's stance "reinforces the stereotype of a spoiled, out-of-touch pop star."
Prince's take on the music business is in stark contrast with newer musicians like Moby, who stated a few months ago that the industry needs to "reinvent or die." Considering how Prince has reinvented both himself and his music over the years, maybe it's still possible for a change of heart.
What do you think about Prince's take on digital music and his "car-jacking" analogy? Let us know in the comment section.
