On September 9th 2014, as part of its major iPhone announcement, Apple had another surprise. It announced that 500 million users across 119 countries would received the the new U2 Album, "Songs of Innocence." If you are an iTunes or iPhone user you only need to sign into your iTunes account. If you're not, sign up by October 13th 2014 and get your free album.
The album give away was intended to help celebrate the release of the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch. Needles to say, some Apple users were not happy about this at all. Younger Apple users claimed that they didn't know who U2 was. Others decried the further devaluing of music by giving away the new release of of an iconic band. The idea however, was to promote U2"s new album by exposing it to the largest audience possible.
U2's album was paid for by Apple to the tune of $100 million. So, the band got paid. Those who like U2 and use Apple products gained an opportunity to hear their favorite artist's new music before its official release, or the tour that will surely follow. While it is tough to imagine a give away of this magnitude, especially when it is hard for independents and/or label new comers to carve out a niche, you still have to be amazed at how effective this promotion has been. It got people's attention, which is what it was designed to do.
The key to all of this is the word, "promotion." Both Apple and U2 believe that artists should be compensated for their work. The two brands have said that they are teaming up to create a new music format that will revive the album. Realizing that not everyone who makes music, tours, U2 says that the new format will be interactive and audiovisual in nature. They also said that the new format can't be pirated and will bring back the lost art, of album art. The new format's release, however is still 18 months away.
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