U2 Frontman Reveals The Story Of Mayhem Free Album On iTunes

In 2014, Apple wrapped up its iPhone 6 with the announcement of what promised to be the ad of the century: free access to latest U2 album, Songs of innocence, for all iTunes members; about 500 million at the time. The company, of course, did not know that this gift would cause real havoc among its users, who complained that they could not remove the album from their library and, in some way, forced the firm to create a specific tool in order to be able to remove it. In addition, behind this madness was curious agreement between Apple and the Irish group what the vocalist himself said in his memoirs, published in Guardian.

Bono, lead singer of U2, claims that it was he who offered Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the possibility of free listening to his album by users.. He did this in the company’s office, playing a few songs from the album. Songs of innocence. Tim, however, was not enthusiastic about this idea.

“Free music?” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, asked with a touch of disbelief. Are you talking about free music? “Do you want to give away this music for free? But the point of what we’re trying to do at Apple is not to give away free music. The point is to make sure the musicians get paid.”

This can be read in part of the memoirs of Bono, lead singer of U2.

However, Bono’s idea did not go in that direction. The artist wanted the company to pay for the rights to the album to later be able to distribute it for free to iTunes users.

“No,” I said, “I don’t think we should give it away for free. I think you should pay for it and then give it away for free as a gift to people. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Tim Cook raised an eyebrow. “You mean we pay for a record and then we just distribute it?” I said, “Yes, like when Netflix buys a movie and gives it to subscribers.”

Tim Cook, who wasn’t thrilled with the idea, made it clear to the U2 frontman that iTunes was not working as a subscription service. Bono responded that being able to give the album away for free could be a first step.

Tim was not convinced. “Something wrong with giving away your work for free,” he said. “And it’s only for those who love U2?” their choice if they want to hear it.”

U2 Singer Didn’t Expect This Reaction Among Apple Users

Tim Cook finally accepted the offer, which, according to estimates, as it turned out digital trends for $100 million and distributed the album for free to 500 million users. The U2 vocalist said he expects some backlash from users who are not U2 fans, but He didn’t think a promotion would cause such chaos.

“On September 9, 2014, we put a milk bottle not only on the door, but also in every refrigerator in every house in the city. In some cases, we put it in the flakes of good people. And some people like to serve their milk. Others are lactose intolerant […]”.

After the crash, the U2 singer spoke to Tim Cook, who downplayed the issue. “You convinced us in the experiment. We agreed with him. It may not work, but you need to experimentbecause the music business in its current form doesn’t work for everyone.” The company, as we recall, ended up launching a tool that allows users to remove an album from their library.