Mind you, he said this three years ago...

"The Internet's completely over," he said. "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."

Prince's famous and longstanding battle against the web gained steam in 2007, when Prince declared his intention to file lawsuits against YouTube, eBay and The Pirate Bay for users' appropriation of his music. He's banned such sites from using it, and he's also refused to work with legal, legitimate outlets such as eMusic and iTunes.

And don't try to find his official site; it's been shut down, as well.

"The Internet's like MTV," the star said to The Mirror's correspondent. "At one time, MTV was hip, and suddenly it became outdated."

"Suddenly" — a.k.a. around the time the Internet started taking off, perhaps?

Not only is Prince down on the web; he also is decidedly not a fan of consumer electronics. "All these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

Wow. He's either evolved into a superior species or he's way out of touch.

Superior.  There are a few forward people in my network who think of the future, and in stubborn terms, believe the internet represents the past.  Their argument goes: "Because, if it's on the net, it IS the past."

Also, spending too much time in front of light and frequency emitting devices probably does take its toll, imperceptible or not.  And if you look at the nature of attention span, literacy, language skills, behavior of today's netizens, would you say we're better off?  

The key: He doesn't need the internet to be Prince; He never has needed, and likely never will. Pointed statement about us.

Could anyone become popular in 2013 with his attitude if they started from scratch?

I'm not sure if the public would ACCEPT anyone who isn't net savvy.  Although, technically, there are lots of artists that retain NO contact to the world via internet.  Burial is probably the leading producer, who is notorious for "his" reclusivity, so much so that it works in an inversely proportional relationship.  Make something truly unique, get it to the right people, and they will blast it for you.  Harajuku.