SoulAlive said:

In the late 90s,Prince spoke favorably of the Internet.He was excited about the prospect of selling his music on-line,directly to fans without "the middle man".I even remember his quote about file-sharing.He said it's "inevitable....like rain falling".He wanted the Internet to basically "replace" the record companies,but it's funny how things turned out.He realized that the Internet is bigger and more powerful than him.He's not able to control or manipulate it,like he thought he would be able to.So of course,in his view,it's "dead" now...lol...

So, what you're saying is, before he tried it he thought "this looks like it could be good". But, after actually using it, he realised that it wasn't, principally due to the lack of morals of the masses. Therefore, it became a "dead" avenue for him.

Thanks for proving my original point

Also, have you noticed the massive decline in recent years regarding musical output and creativity? Let's see how "funny" it is about the way it is turning out in a few more years.

thedance said:

Q: why does Prince think the "internet is completely over"???

A: MONEY = $$$$$$$

Primarily. But then, if he hadn't made any money initially in his career, you'd never have got all those great albums in the 80s that you so love. So, go figure!

^ I agree with you Mindflux, I don't blame the artists who wants to earn some money for making their music/ art to the consumers.

But... sometimes Prince comes off as very greedy.

--> $77 for a website with no new content, sucks.... (sorry for mentioning this again.. ha)...

Apparntly Prince still wants to earn millions, but he can't mainly because his newer albums aren't successful on the charts/ and not successful as "art" either...

The days for Prince earning millions might be over,

the internet might as well be over for him as a tool to get his hands on big MONEY...

Only his live concerts are giving him some cash (and that might be a LOT!)...

.

[Edited 2/27/12 4:05am]

Mindflux said:

SoulAlive said:

In the late 90s,Prince spoke favorably of the Internet.He was excited about the prospect of selling his music on-line,directly to fans without "the middle man".I even remember his quote about file-sharing.He said it's "inevitable....like rain falling".He wanted the Internet to basically "replace" the record companies,but it's funny how things turned out.He realized that the Internet is bigger and more powerful than him.He's not able to control or manipulate it,like he thought he would be able to.So of course,in his view,it's "dead" now...lol...

So, what you're saying is, before he tried it he thought "this looks like it could be good". But, after actually using it, he realised that it wasn't, principally due to the lack of morals of the masses. Therefore, it became a "dead" avenue for him.

Thanks for proving my original point

No,what I'm saying is....he thought he would be able to control and manipulate something that is bigger and more powerful than he is He miscalculated and therefore the Internet is "over".He was gleeful that record companies would suffer as a result of file-sharing but he never stopped and thought about how those things would affect him,too.

Because he cannot control it to his satisfaction. It's like he got upset playing with the other kids in the sandbox, picked up his ball & had a temper tantrum, running away.

It would have been far more sensible for him to have simply created a prince.com, built up some content from his archives & made use of it as an official, significant source of news & information. While not every online venture the NPGMC, etc. would have been a guaranteed commercial success, at least it's a consistent brand & he could have revamped just that portion of the site.

And yet countless other artists have used the Internet to their advantage for several years now...

thedance said:

But... sometimes Prince comes off as very greedy.

--> $77 for a website with no new content, sucks....

Please insert "almost".

At least we got a few new videos from coachella and the wonderful tonight show rehearsal performances of 1999 and guitar. It's not much, but I'm thankful for those gems.

SoulAlive said:

Mindflux said:

So, what you're saying is, before he tried it he thought "this looks like it could be good". But, after actually using it, he realised that it wasn't, principally due to the lack of morals of the masses. Therefore, it became a "dead" avenue for him.

Thanks for proving my original point

No,what I'm saying is....he thought he would be able to control and manipulate something that is bigger and more powerful than he is He miscalculated and therefore the Internet is "over".He was gleeful that record companies would suffer as a result of file-sharing but he never stopped and thought about how those things would affect him,too.

You're implying that he wanted to control "the internet". He didn't. He wanted control over his music distribution on the internet - nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, unscrupulous people and organisations make that impossible.

You appear to sound gleeful that an independent artist is suffering because of the illegal activities of others. That's a questionable attitude.

Mindflux said:

SoulAlive said:

No,what I'm saying is....he thought he would be able to control and manipulate something that is bigger and more powerful than he is He miscalculated and therefore the Internet is "over".He was gleeful that record companies would suffer as a result of file-sharing but he never stopped and thought about how those things would affect him,too.

You're implying that he wanted to control "the internet". He didn't. He wanted control over his music distribution on the internet - nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, unscrupulous people and organisations make that impossible.

You appear to sound gleeful that an independent artist is suffering because of the illegal activities of others. That's a questionable attitude.

He wanted to control what people say about him. Don't you remember what went on in the npgmc-forums and those shady lawsuits against websites like prince.org?

Ok I agree w/ what everyone is saying about i-tunes its really a rip off, if your read the fine print, they make more money off the artist, than the artist who's getting pennies. a song cost 0.99 on i-tunes, the artist gets like 0.20 cents

However Prince said " The Internet Is Dead" he did not list specifics. Y did he word it that way? For what were doing right now

Prince just says what ever he feels, and expects others to either question, or not dare do so. Prince has mastered mind games. However I do believe he felt defeated that he couldnt control the internet 2 his advantage. But thats just My Opinion.

As I stated before Prince says plentiful things. Love 2 Hate him, or Hate that you Love him. I choose 2 simply love

all those ones and zero's can't be good for you

.

[Edited 1/25/17 13:38pm]

friend2001 said:

his consistent inability to take advantage of the internet speaks volumes. the internet is actually something he cant control and so it is a major threat to him.

Exactly

Mindflux said:

SoulAlive said:

No,what I'm saying is....he thought he would be able to control and manipulate something that is bigger and more powerful than he is He miscalculated and therefore the Internet is "over".He was gleeful that record companies would suffer as a result of file-sharing but he never stopped and thought about how those things would affect him,too.

You're implying that he wanted to control "the internet". He didn't.

Yes, he did.

PoorLonelyComputer said:

Mindflux said:

You're implying that he wanted to control "the internet". He didn't.

Yes, he did.

Then why didn't he strike up a friendship with Al Gore?

rdhull said:

PoorLonelyComputer said:

Yes, he did.

Then why didn't he strike up a friendship with Al Gore?

I see what you did there.

nursev said:

All just to keep you talking about him genius

Exactly...he made that quote while promoting an album and it got him headlines. It's easy to manipulate the dumb people and he is well aware of this.

... = "We should step back from the consumerist-oriented, digital life and take a look at the things of real value around us: the earth, the truth, god and his meaning. The internet has been used to excessive amounts and it's time to go back to the roots."

While you don't have to necessarily agree with that, I don't find this interpretation that dumb. And I have a feeling this is somehow what he meant, even if it might seem a bit far-fetched.

PurpleSpirit319 said:

lezama said:

David Bowie said the same thing about the internets effects on the music industry yet no one blinks when he says it. I guess because Prince's way of saying things is less eloquent and more exaggerated for effect.

And yet, David Bowie STILL has his own official website, www.davidbowie.com , which still posts up latest news and info about him, despite the fact that he is virtually retired now.

Prince is the only artist, as far as I know, that does not have an official website!! All other bands and artists have their own official sites and they really know how to utilize the internet, not only for their interests, but also for their fans interests as well!! Its a total 2-way street!! Prince just never had a clue how to use this tool for the advantage of all concerned!! It just didnt work for him because fans werent willing to play by his "rules" and fork out bucket loads of money to join his latest venture, www.lotusfuckup.com , so he then goes off on these wild cosmic tirades, declaring that the "Internet is over and done with"!!

utilize the internet- The know how to put up a website it does not mean they are making money off of the site. In fact only recently has there been in uptick in internet music sales. I think if the music internet sales improve P will come back to it. Maybe by just putting his stuff on I-Tunes and not having his own site. I think some of you forget he does not have a major label backing him up on his business ventures.

Mindflux said:

SoulAlive said:

Exactly!! That's what it really boils down to.Prince hates things that he can't control.The Internet is this big,powerful thing and Prince can't find a way to use it to his advantage.

Actually, what you mean to say is the Prince (or anyone else) doesn't like being manipulated and the internet is this big powerful thing where morality and fairness exists in limited amounts and musicians get ripped off and stolen from without a thought from the perpetrators. For every one successful and fair transaction that occurs with artist's official websites, there are thousands more illegal downloads that strip rightful revenue from the artist.

And the OP mentioning iTunes as though it some saving grace just goes to show that the OP has NO IDEA as to how this works. iTunes terms completely rip off anyone who is selling their music on there and is actually sucking the system and artists dry whilst providing tidy profits for Apple.

That's why Prince said the internet is over - he was one of the first to try and use it as a distribution method and he's one of the first to realise that it really doesn't work that well. Its his business, so he can call it as he sees it.

The level of crazy never goes down on this board. It cannot be so simple that he was not making any money.

I doubt he means the whole internet, just his own involvement with it. Its not new or different to release music online anymore so he'll do something else.

That's what I thought he meant anyway.

ludwig said:

Mindflux said:

You're implying that he wanted to control "the internet". He didn't. He wanted control over his music distribution on the internet - nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, unscrupulous people and organisations make that impossible.

You appear to sound gleeful that an independent artist is suffering because of the illegal activities of others. That's a questionable attitude.

He wanted to control what people say about him. Don't you remember what went on in the npgmc-forums and those shady lawsuits against websites like prince.org?

That's not controlling "the internet" though, is it? He wanted to control his image, perhaps unreasonably so, but he is a brand and any brand seeks to control how it is viewed in the marketplace. Furthermore, most forums are moderated to an extent. Its his house, if he wants guests to behave in a certain way, its his call. You don't have to like it. There are moderators here on prince.org too - some members don't always agree with their take on things either. That's life.

Some people seem to think that Prince's desire for control over his product and his environment is a negative aspect - what they seem to forget is that without this drive he would never have acheived all the great things he has. You can't have your cake and eat it!

laurarichardson said:

I think some of you forget he does not have a major label backing him up on his business ventures.

Um, neither does Ani DiFranco & hers is a pretty functional web site:

http://www.righteousbabe.com/

Look at that - news, tour info, a retail arm. For all the lip service Prince paid her years ago, he certainly didn't learn anything from her example. There are plenty of other independent artists who thrive online.

lopez568 said:

The internet is over for him. A valid point I think. His tours still sell out, people flock to buy a newspaper they wouldn't normally to get his giveaway album and he brings more people to Hop Farm than ever before. Remind me why he needs the internet? In his mind, the fans are still there. The only way that would change is if the ones who moan stop their interest. Then maybe, just maybe he'll ask you to follow him in Twitter

Exactly. And why is everyone making out that the internet is some sacred cow that we must all bow down to & cannot complain about? Ok, he was initially enthusiastic about it but not anymore; the internet is all relatively new & still evolving, so I don't think its such a crime that he doesn't much like it, and for now, he's decided not to really make use of it. Thats it, get over it.

Mindflux said:

ludwig said:

He wanted to control what people say about him. Don't you remember what went on in the npgmc-forums and those shady lawsuits against websites like prince.org?

That's not controlling "the internet" though, is it? He wanted to control his image, perhaps unreasonably so, but he is a brand and any brand seeks to control how it is viewed in the marketplace. Furthermore, most forums are moderated to an extent. Its his house, if he wants guests to behave in a certain way, its his call. You don't have to like it. There are moderators here on prince.org too - some members don't always agree with their take on things either. That's life.

Some people seem to think that Prince's desire for control over his product and his environment is a negative aspect - what they seem to forget is that without this drive he would never have acheived all the great things he has. You can't have your cake and eat it!

It's an insult to compare prince.org moderators with those npgmc-nazis.

And he could have achieved much more satisfied fans when he would behave like a normal human being.

ludwig said:

It's an insult to compare prince.org moderators with those npgmc-nazis.

And he could have achieved much more satisfied fans when he would behave like a normal human being.

What during his 30+ years of career gave you the impression he was a normal human being?

This is what Prince was quoted as saying in The Dail mirror:

"dumb"? Not really.

[Edited 2/28/12 12:23pm]

I think he meant it's ova 4 him in terms of trying 2 make it work ala the Lotusflow3r website.

ludwig said:

Mindflux said:

That's not controlling "the internet" though, is it? He wanted to control his image, perhaps unreasonably so, but he is a brand and any brand seeks to control how it is viewed in the marketplace. Furthermore, most forums are moderated to an extent. Its his house, if he wants guests to behave in a certain way, its his call. You don't have to like it. There are moderators here on prince.org too - some members don't always agree with their take on things either. That's life.

Some people seem to think that Prince's desire for control over his product and his environment is a negative aspect - what they seem to forget is that without this drive he would never have acheived all the great things he has. You can't have your cake and eat it!

It's an insult to compare prince.org moderators with those npgmc-nazis.

And he could have achieved much more satisfied fans when he would behave like a normal human being.

I wasn't comparing them, you just don't have an argument to my actual point....but that's ok.

He doesn't care about your perception as to who is satisfied and to what extent - and why should he? He makes music, releases it as he wishes and people either like it or they don't. Enough people still do, thus he's still doing it.