Prince goes social media silent, deletes YouTube videos

Prince fans looking for a social media fix ofthe Purple One are finding themselves in the cold after artist-related internet outlets were quietly deactivated.

A little over a year since the funky American singer-songwriter posted his first tweet, the Twitter accounts for the artist'sband 3rd Eye Girl (@3rdEyeGirl) and the New Power Generation account (@NPGOffical) havebeen deleted.

Princes official Facebook page and Instagram (Princestagram) accounts have also been shut down.And, as of Wednesday morning, all the videos on the 3rd Eye Girl YouTube account have either been pulled or been made private.

Only three videos remain on Princes YouTube Vevo account: a five-day-oldinterview and two versions of the track Breakfast Can Wait.

• On mobile? Watch Breakfast Can Wait video here

Disappearance after disappointment

The Purple Rain singer's digital withdrawal comes justthree weeks after Canadian fans lined up for hours outside Torontos Massey Hall for a suspected surprise concert. The rumours were started after 3rdEyeGirl tweeted the cryptic message: "4th day of November, we need a purple high: OTNOROT CALLING".

• Prince not playing Massey Hall tonight, promoter says

After hours of waiting, and the sighting of a drum kit emblazoned with Prince's famous symbol, concert promoter Live Nation announced there wouldnt be a show. Members of the band followed up by tweetingtheir apologies for the misunderstanding.

Prince's digital difficulties

While Prince's social media silence is disappointing for fans, it's certainly not surprising:The 56-year-old has had a tumultuous relationship with the digital realm.

The persnickety artistthreatened to sue eBay, YouTube and even his online fan clubs in 2007 over the distribution of his music and his likeness. He also declared the internet "completely over"in a 2010 interview with the Daily Mail.

"All these computers and digital gadgets are no good," said Prince."They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you.

A dispute with his record label in 1993 resulted in Prince changinghis name to an unpronounceable symbol.

Perhaps the social media retreat is just another stunt by the prolific musician.Hereleased two albums, Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, earlier this year