By Mike Mulvihill
Prince has declared the Internet is dead. So the millions of folks out there viewing porn (you know who you are) have been elevated to a whole new class of deviant behavior – Internetrophilia. Yuck!
It’s a little less risqué for those of us using social media, the spawn of the Internet. We’re merely engaged in morbid behavior. Kind of reminds me of the classic scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The one where the black plague pandemic creates a Middle Ages entrepreneurial opportunity for “dead collectors” who walk about with carts barking “Bring out your dead.” However, upon collecting a body (for a ninepence fee), the purportedly dead body declares, “I’m not dead yet. I’m feeling better.”
The Internet is not dead yet. It’s feeling just fine. Prince, the performer who can’t seem to remember his name from decade to decade, is an adept publicity hound hawking a new album. Entitled 20Ten, the album will be distributed for free in the UK’s Daily Mirror as well as in other European daily newspaper and magazine – almost nostalgic, don’t you think? This is not likely to reverse the digital music trend or revive constantly shrinking print circulation numbers for more than a day or two, but it’s a good try.
Moreover, Prince’s dim view of the Internet has more to do with money than artistry or trend watching. He’s got issues dating back to the 1990s regarding copyrights issues and royalties, and recently closed down his own music distribution site. ”I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else [digitally]. 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.”
That about sums things up, but here are some parting numbers to help fill the void in Prince’s head. In the U.S., 74 percent of adults (18 and older) use the Internet. iTunes is the leading source for digital music. You Tube Exceeds two billion views a day. Twitter is at 75 million visitors a month and growing. The Internet and social media are alive and well. As to Prince’s music career, well, you be the judge. To paraphrase SNL’s Weekend Update, “Really, Prince? Really?
Photo Courtesy analog_chainsaw
Ha! I love this. The artist formerly known as Prince is not generally my go-to guy for technology trends… nor has he been a trendsetter since he made purple the new black in the 80s. But he sure does know how to get the Internet alive with buzz about him… even though it’s dead and all that.