"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. All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."
-Rock and R&B legend Prince, commenting to the U.K.'s Daily Mirror about his lack of use for digital music (or most any digital technology). The artist, who is about to release his latest album 20Ten, has not allowed any of his new music to be available via download on iTunes (though much of his back catalogue is there), and he considers Internet-based music distribution to be just another passing fad. "The Internet's like MTV," Prince said. "At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated."
Ironically, Prince was one of the first artists to really embrace the possibilities of e-tailing back in the 1990s. Once he emancipated himself from his record label and struck out on his own, Prince's web portal became the source for his music. While downloads were never available, his official site was the only place where you could order a copy of his four-disc rarities album Mirror Ball (which was then shipped as a physical copy). Despite the fact that Internet access wasn't as widely available as it is now, Prince still managed to sell thousands of copies (though production and shipping problems turned the whole project into a bit of a boondoggle).
Prince also insisted that despite the fact that he has released some truly seminal albums (including 1984's Purple Rain and 1987's Sign o' the Times), he still says he's getting better. "Someone told me they saw me at my peak, but how do they know when my peak is? I think I'm improving all the time," he said. "When I listen to my old records I'm ashamed of how I played then."