Never one to be shy of technology or afraid to try alternative means of distributing his music, Prince announced a special release this week which also contains a purple iPod Touch.  The package, called the Prince Opus, contains the iPod Touch, which is pre-loaded with a concert film from Prince’s 21-night stand at the O2 Arena in London back in 2007; a leather-bound, velvet-encased book of photographs from the concert series; and a live soundtrack.

This limited edition (they’re only making 950 copies) release will only set you back $2100.  Yes, $2100. If you’re a big fan of the Purple One or have a very strong desire to own a purple iPod and $2100 burning a hole in your pocket, you can order your opus here.

The Prince Opus was assembled by Kraken Opus, a British publisher, so the focus is really on the book, which is printed on silk paper, more so than the purple iPod.  Still, it got me wondering.  As artists work harder and harder to do something different to boost sales or to move away from the control of large record companies, they often embrace technology in the process.  Radiohead was pretty successful with their “name your own price” approach for the original digital release of In Rainbows through their own website.  Nine Inch Nails has developed iPhone applications (the NIN version of Tip Tap Revenge and their nin:access application) and released free albums via download (The Slip).

With the idea in mind of artists using technology to further their art or their reach, let me ask you – which artists do you think are using technology best and why?