By Lisa J

So the artist Formerly known as Prince had a right royal tantrum two weeks ago by- wait for it – refusing to release any of his material online. Can someone please toss out the tumbleweed because I really can’t be bothered this time around.

‘The internet is over’ he proclaimed courtesy of the Daily Mirror, ‘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 At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated.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’.

It could just be me but this seems to be a rather royal sulk- and all because the music game has changed since anyone last dared to care about his music. The days when artists received an advance and labels prayed that money was made back are long gone. Now you are only as good as the music you shift. Instead of having faith in his legendary talent, silly-Billy, pint-sized Prince has shut down his website, and has made it clear that he is not afraid of issuing a legal suit or two. He has already attempted to sue mega site Ebay in the past for misusing his music. Whatever that means.

In wonderful contrast, we have a new breed of celebrity that is making it sexy to be social. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher both famously have Twitter accounts but there is another beast that has made the game even sexier (if that’s possible, seeing as I have just recently signed up to Twitter!). I am referring to, in case you seriously thought it was me, the monster media strategist- Lady Gaga. Miss Gaga has made history by being the first living person to have more than ten million fans of Facebook, topping the likes of U.S. President Barack Obama (and my good friend James) and not bad for someone who only burst onto the music scene a mere two years ago. So how did she achieve this?

Firstly, Lady Gaga is an image, a modestly attractive woman that works with what she has and looks fantastic while doing it (and thus gives us mediocre Molly’s a glimmer of hope). As far as we are concerned she has no birth name, she is a ready made Queen-esque prodigal package wrapped up with her stage name emblazoned across the front and it saddens me to think this mojo is similar to what Prince had, once upon a time in an age known as the 1980’s…

The decision to become social has made Gaga accessible to her fans, which is wholly important in this day and age as we clearly just can’t get enough of which celebrity is eating what, went to the gym when or dating who. We want to know! She successfully pleases her audience by making specially extended music videos online, laden with controversy like her recent hit Alejandro, and addressing her fans personally, to whom she calls ‘Monsters.’ She does everything that feeds the desire to touch her, to hear her and try to know her.

Long live the Gaga and all that is social as the Prince is no more…Formerly.