Prince: "The internet's completely over"

Prince has announced that the internet is "over".

The singer-songwriter will give away his new album 20Ten with copies of The Mirror and Daily Record on July 10. The album will not be available to download.

Prince told The Mirror: "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 At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated.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."

Of the title of his new album, he added: "I just think it's a year that really matters. These are very trying times."

Prince was an early adopter of internet-release platforms, making a number of records available through his NPGMusicClub subscription service, which was shut down in 2006 after five years.

He released Planet Earth as a covermount with The Mail on Sunday in 2007, a distribution method later imitated by artists including McFly.