“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.”

“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  At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated.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.”

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Prince offers the very cream of his artistry to his most loyal [and affluent] subjects in an exclusive and uber glitzy collector’s initiative through the PrinceOpus website, a dedicated portal to marvel at the only diamond encrusted ‘Symbol’ masterpiece going up for auction at Sotheby after a 12 city tour, and Opus limited to 950 units going at $2100 each, which includes a branded iPod pre-loaded with exclusive content.

Following his successful ‘free’ distribution initiative in the UK, Prince, who is both a pioneer and a royal pain in the industry’s ass, is following up on his previous co-venture success with an online ‘bundle’ initiative launching on the 24th March at lotusflow3r.com.  For $77, Prince fans will have access to three new albums from the artist presently known as Prince in digital format as well as physical through Target stores across the US.  The site will provide an entire experience around the music and will undoubtedly create new buzz for this extraordinary recording artist and performer.

Prince angers British music retailers with a promotional distribution deal that will make his latest album, “Planet Earth”, worthless for traditional CD stores in the UK, a sector in the music industry already facing rapidly declining CD sales.

Last Sunday, The Mail on Sunday, a British tabloid with an estimated 2.9 million copies sold, packaged “Planet Earth” with its newspaper as an unprecedented promotional giveaway.

Sunday papers are a British gem and often include various added-value magazines, digests, CDs and other eye-catching purchase incentives at a premium price point. This, however, is the first time we see an artist release an entire album in exclusive association with a newspaper as opposed to the traditional or even modern, digital means.

It is not yet clear how much Prince was paid for this campaign and how he intends to milk it (i.e. UK tour, merchandising). This controversial step appears to mirror Paul McCartney’s alliance with Starbucks earlier in the year. I think that while record companies are scrambling for marketing ideas and music retailers fighting for dear life, artists – and a new breed of artist managers – are crossing over to alternative media for mass, public penetration and leaving a weeping music infrastructure for dust.

To the determent of music retailers, the potential for something like this is obvious and exponential. Let’s face it, Prince is not where he used to be – neither is Paul McCartney – so a massive push by a media giant to blitz its readership with a new product may generate some very satisfying, financial returns for all. All except the music retailers, that is.

Is the album any good? It doesn’t matter. When 2.9 million people receive the same CD, on the same day, around the same time, the artist formerly known as.. is, now, the artist at the very fore.