Bono Admits U2’s Notorious iTunes Album Giveaway “Went Too Far”
Bono has acknowledged that U2’s 2014 release of *Songs of Innocence* to iTunes users “went too far”, taking responsibility for a promotion that put the album in people’s libraries without their consent. The episode matters as a high-profile example of how a music giveaway can provoke backlash when listeners have no choice about receiving it.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bono said Apple chief executive Tim Cook and U2 manager Paul McGuinness had questioned the plan, asking why the band would give away music after years of asking people to pay for it. Bono said U2 wanted to test whether Apple or another company would pay for music and distribute it, partly in response to musicians’ low earnings. More than 500 million iTunes customers received the album, and Apple later created a tool to remove it; guitarist The Edge said taking risks was part of the band’s work.
In short
- Bono says U2’s iTunes giveaway went too far.
- More than 500 million users received the album automatically.
- The band hoped to test a new way to fund music distribution.
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The case for
The giveaway was an ambitious attempt to reach a huge audience and test whether a technology company could fund music distribution, potentially offering musicians an alternative to relying on sales or streaming income. U2 and Apple may have seen the free release as a generous way to share the album, and taking creative risks can be part of a band’s work.
The case against
Putting an album into hundreds of millions of users’ libraries without asking first disregarded listeners’ control over their own accounts and made an unsolicited promotion feel intrusive. Even if the aim was to support musicians and share music, a giveaway should let people choose whether to receive it; the backlash showed that reach and generosity do not substitute for consent.
Explained simply
U2 are an Irish rock band whose members include singer Bono and guitarist The Edge. In 2014, the band released Songs of Innocence through Apple’s iTunes service, which many people used to buy and manage music.
At the time, digital music services were changing how listeners found and paid for songs, while musicians debated how much they earned from music online. U2 and Apple tried a large-scale free release, but placing an album in users’ libraries without asking first raised questions about consent and control over personal devices.
The episode involved Bono, U2’s manager Paul McGuinness and Apple chief executive Tim Cook. It remains a notable example of how a promotion can reach a huge audience yet cause frustration when people cannot choose whether to receive it.
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