Prince, who said the 'internet is over,' finally gets his own YouTube channel

Sign o' the times....
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

They say you "can't take it with you" when it comes to money after death, and we now know that that applies to music as well. At least in the case of Prince it does.

Six of The Purple One's music videos appeared on an official YouTube channel over the last 24 hours, directly countering a stance he took on the digital distribution of his music when he was alive.

Hits including "When Doves Cry," "Baby I'm A Star," "I Would Die 4 U," and "Let's Go Crazy" now appear in music video form on the site. None of the videos -- which include tracks from Purple Rain (the movie) and three live performances of songs from the same album -- are available in high-definition formats.

Prince famously sued YouTube a decade ago to remove unauthorized use of his music on the site, which was in keeping with his general view that the internet was not a friend to music artists.

"The internet's completely over," the artist said back in 2010. "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."

In addition to getting YouTube to remove about 2,000 videos featuring his music back in 2007, Prince policed most major internet and streaming services, which made finding any of his music online nearly impossible.

That policy cracked a bit in over time, with some of his music occasionally showing up on various services. However, in 2015 Prince once again demanded that his music be removed from all streaming services except Tidal.

Well, that's all over now, as his estate has decided to put his music videos back on YouTube.

The appearance of the videos coincides with the release of the deluxe version of Purple Rain, which came to Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon on June 23.

Topics Music YouTube

Mashable Image
Adario Strange

.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
YouTube Premium Lite now gets background play and downloadable content
YouTube Premium Lite

These YouTube creators, hacked by scammers, have yet to recover
YouTube logo

Get your 1st year of the Criterion Channel for 20% off
The Criterion Channel logo with pink and red background


Apple Vision Pro finally gets an official YouTube app
Apple Vision Pro YouTube interface

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

The quirky stuff NASA packed in the Orion spaceship for Artemis II
Rise floating in microgravity with the Artemis II crew
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!