Why Apple Gave Everyone A Free U2 Album

On September 9th, 2014, Apple held an event where they’d reveal the highly anticipated iPhone 6. But something else happened that no one expected. The Irish rock bank U2 joined Tim Cook on stage and awkwardly announced that every iTunes user would be given a free copy of their new album, Songs Of Innocence, whether they wanted it or not. This resulted in perhaps the biggest PR disaster of Cook’s career. News outlets called the move “even worse than spam,” and caused U2 to be named the most hated band in America. So why did Apple give away U2's album in the first place? Well, it actually all began with the iPod.

[SirLoinDeRes]

To have music you don't like stored locally on your device and not be able to delete it must be a true nightmare.

[MusicChanneI]

I remember being upset because I thought someone from my family bought their album using my iTunes card I got for my birthday😂💀

[Amphy]

i always wondered why I had this on my playlist. I deleted it more than once but it always returned. The problem with U2 as a band is that if you don't like them, then you REALLY don't like them and will resent having bloated stadium rock as a permanent fixture on your playlist.

[jjwallnutts]

That album was the equivalent of someone putting a flyer under your windshield wiper 😂

[jack.h]

The idea of partnering up and giving your album out for free is completely fine. The execution was the real problem here.

[MiniMii]

Yeah I remember that. My dad likes U2, I've never really cared for them, so it was pretty annoying whenever my phone would just play their music unprovoked and I had no way to getting rid of it for good.

[zidankhan]

This is what music bloatware looks like

[WolfKierra]

The “most hated band in America” got me in tears😂

[sebastianrivero]

I remembered when I was on the plane and the only music I had was this random album downloaded in my iPhone and I had listened to their album the whole trip lol

[cecybmusic]

POV: you wake up to see your iTunes, and you find this random album

[carltonleboss]

I remember this. I might still have the album on my old iPod Touch.

[FatCatGarfield]

I remember this well, and I was one of those who went to that site Apple created to have the album removed from my account. I had zero interest in having a random album forced onto my account. I don’t mind U2, but not having a choice in the matter pissed me off.

[YJCHI]

I would have been fine with the implementation if the album art remained the same as it was when it was revealed in the keynote, but the album art changed to a more…suggestive album art by the time it was actually released, which lead to a lot of consumers being shocked and surprised at the time

[joseaipiei]

I discovered U2 with my iPhone 4 in 2015 and I ended loving the band

[EbolaGW]

They could've just added the album under the user's purchased music and have it to download as an option rather than being forced. But we know Apple has a history of forcing users rather than giving them options. 💀

[majorlycunningham]

Unpopular opinion here, but I actually enjoyed the album. Wasn’t a big U2 fan, but for a while, it gave me something to listen that I wouldn’t have normally. I just wish they had made it optional.

[Ausknutz]

As a U2 fan, I loved when the album appeared on my iPhone 5 back then.

[PhilUP]

Funny how the majority thought it was hysteria but it was just free songs. Felt bad for U2 at the time.

[griffinmccue]

Even at my youth (being born in 2001), I still listen to U2 songs and even solo songs by its members. Bono and the Edge wrote Tina Turner's theme song for the James Bond film, "GoldenEye, " the first of four to star Irish actor Pierce Brosnan as 007. The Edge himself wrote the theme song for the first two seasons of the superhero cartoon series, "The Batman, " a show that spotlights a young Batman, voiced by Rino Romano, in the third year of his crime-fighting career as he struggles to establish himself as the protector of Gotham City, while balancing his public persona as billionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. I'd be more than happy to try that album.

[keijijohnson]

Personally, I never really minded them giving out that new album. I haven’t heard of the band up until this point, and after hearing and seeing that performance during that Apple Event, it was pretty generous of them to give out their new album back then.

Honestly couldn’t help but feel bad for the band but at the same time they really should’ve gave users the choice of wether they’d want the album or not.