“U2, one of the most popular rock bands in the world, gave a new album for free to half a billion users of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iTunes software,” Crayton Harrison and Tim Higgins report for Bloomberg. “Not cool, some recipients said.”
“‘Who is U2? And why do their songs keep popping up in my iPhone?’ a Twitter user named Natalie said yesterday in one of a number of tweets compiled on Storify. ‘I’ve never bought their music,’ Harrison and Higgins report. “The album giveaway was announced two days ago following Apple’s unveiling of new iPhones and a wearable device called Apple Watch. U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ album, featuring 11 songs, is free to active iTunes account holders and those who sign up within five weeks, the company said then. The album began appearing in users’ libraries within a day or so after it was announced.”
“‘Nothing pisses off the audience more than pushing something they don’t want and didn’t ask for to their devices,’ Bob Lefsetz, author of a music industry blog, wrote yesterday. ‘Even if you don’t download the album, it’s sitting there in your purchases, pissing you off,'” Harrison and Higgins report. “While some complained online about the free album, others praised it. ‘Thanks for the #gift what an awesome album, it’s on repeat in my car!!’ said a Twitter user named Jason Steenkamp. Users who had auto-download turned on can delete the unwanted album if they want. It will remain among a list of purchased items, meaning it can be re-downloaded later.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
FWPOS.
Apple, anytime you want to give us stuff for free, as long as we can delete it, go for it!
Related: RollingStone‘s review of U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ album.
Related article:
Apple and U2 release ‘Songs of Innocence’ exclusively for iTunes Store customers – September 9, 2014