Bono apologises for jamming new U2 album into people's iTunes accounts

Call it a mix of ego, generosity, self-promotion and insecurity. But Bono is sorry for giving away U2's latest album for free on iTunes accounts.

20141013001044698036-original.jpg

U2's Bono apologises for iTunes debacle. (AFP)

There were grumbles last month when the Irish rock band's new album "Song of Innocence" was automatically downloaded onto Apple's more than half-billion iTunes accounts around the world.

Among other things, some iTunes users griped that the record took up valuable iPhone storage space.

In a video interview hosted on Facebook Tuesday, Bono appeared with the other members of the band to take written questions from fans. One of them said, please, no more automatic freebies on iTunes.

"It's really rude," that person, identified as Harriet Madeline Jobson, wrote.

"Oops," said a contrite-looking Bono, in trademark dark glasses.

"I'm sorry about that," Bono said.

"I had this beautiful idea. Might have gotten carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that thing. A drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity, a dash of self-promotion, and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years might not be heard," he added.

"There's a lot of noise out there. I guess, we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it."

Thanks to Apple, people can now remove the album from their iTunes accounts with the click of an on-screen icon.

U2 -- who released some of the most acclaimed albums of the 1980s including "The Joshua Tree" and "Rattle and Hum" -- could have expected major sales for a new album.

While Apple did not disclose financial arrangements for the free release, U2 has collaborated for years on products with the company.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world