Prince’s dark prophecy on the internet, algorithms and music: ‘be very careful’

Rock has had a complete relationship with technology, in fact the technological advances of sound recordings have been criticized many times and also, at the end of the 20th century, David Bowie and Prince predicted the growth of the Internet in its most complex aspects.

“I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg,” Bowie said in a published interview in 1999.. And she added a gloomy look. “I think the potential of what the internet will do to society, both good and bad, is unimaginable. I think we’re on the verge of something exhilarating and terrifying.“.

“I mean the real context and state of content is going to be so different than anything we can imagine right now, where the interaction between the user and the provider will be so cute that it will crush our ideas of what media isBowie added.

Another of the artists who had a complex look at the internet was Prince who had a long struggle with technology and its relationship with the music business.

Prince and his stern warning on the Internet

Also in 1999, ’80s icon Prince echoed a similar warning during an awards speech.s Yahoo Online Music Awards presenting Public Enemy with the “Online Pioneer” award.

“One thing I wanted to say is don’t let the internet fool youPrince warned: “It’s okay to mess with the computer, but don’t let the computer mess with you. It’s okay to use the computer, but don’t let the computer use you. All seen matrix. There is a war. The battlefield is in the mind. And the prize is the soul. So be careful. be very careful. Thank you,” Prince said.

More than a decade later, in 2010, Prince issued another more direct and distressing warning in an interview with the British publication The Daily Mirror. “The internet is completely dead,” she said venomously.

And I add: “I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me upfront for it, and then get mad when they can’t have it.”

Prince: visionary or pessimist?

Prince’s comments came at a time when MP3 downloads hadn’t yet been fully subdued by streaming platforms, but they foreshadowed the inequality that has plagued the industry over the past decade.

even, to bolster his internet claims, Prince demanded that his songs be removed from Spotify and instead gave away his 35th studio album, 20Ten, copies of the Daily Mirror and Daily Record in protest.

“The internet is like MTV. At one time, MTV was all the rage and suddenly it went out of style. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are useless. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you”Prince added in his 2010 conversation with The mirror.

In 2014, Prince appeared to give way in his ongoing fight against the internet by setting up accounts on Facebook and Twitter, but both were canceled soon after, with very little activity.

Before his tragic death in April 2016, Prince seemed to get over his differences with the internet by joining Tidal, a service. Back then, Prince also pointed out that the internet is good for keeping artists engaged and honest.

“Look, everyone knows when someone is lazy, and now, with the Internet, it’s impossible for a writer to be lazy because everyone notices.“, said to Keeper in 2015. “They used to say some things out of place, so it had nothing to do with them. Now it’s embarrassing to say a false thing, because you put it on the internet and everyone knows about it, so it’s better to tell the truth.“