Pop superstar Prince wrote cutting-edge music that appealed to many generations, but had serious issues with an Internet generation that has grown accustomed to music that is cheap or free.
The eclectic musician was found dead Thursday at age 57 at his home in suburban Minneapolis. But those who want to remember Prince’s legacy or hear his erotic, electric beats for the first time will find relatively few videos featuring his music on YouTube, and none of his tunes on Spotify (save apparently one).
While albums of his are available on Tidal and iTunes, The Purple One was very protective of who licensed his music and pulled his songs from multiple streaming services last year.
Prince also criticized the rise of Internet piracy in recent years, and in 2014 sued 22 people for $22 million, accusing them of providing unauthorized online access to his performances. He dropped the lawsuit not long afterward following online criticism, but Prince’s lawyer told TMZ that the decision to do so came after the bootleggers had taken down the pirated material.
"We recognize the fans craving for as much material as possible, but we’d prefer they get it from us directly than from third parties who are scalpers rather than real fans of our work,” the lawyer told TMZ.
Prince still was tech-savvy in his business dealings despite his wariness about possible piracy. Around the turn of the millennium, he launched a site called the NPG Music Club, where fans could access songs of his through a paid subscription. The site earned a prominent mention in the rationale for Prince winning a Webby Lifetime Achievement award a decade ago.
The paid online music business did not evolve the way Prince hoped, however, and in a 2010 interview with The Daily Mirror he said “the Internet’s completely over,” comparing it to MTV’s decline during the mass consumerism of the digital age.
“I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else," Prince said. "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 At one time, MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated.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."
People’s expectations for music have definitely changed because of the Internet. When searching for online music, 81 percent of U.S. Internet users said the most important factor was whether songs werefree or inexpensive, according to a 2014 study by Wells Fargo and Pandora. A separate study conducted by Nielsen that year showed only 22 percent of U.S. Internet users would pay for music if songs were not available on streaming services.
Prince won seven Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Clearly, he thought good art is worth paying for.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-21/prince-an-innovative-musician-with-little-love-for-the-internet?int=a14709
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