AfterDawn: News

New U2 album makes early P2P debut

Some bands welcome the exposure that P2P file sharing gives their music. U2 is not one of those bands. They recently announced plans to release just one single from their upcoming album, "No Line On The Horizon" as a free download. Before they were ready to do that it seems the entire album has made it way onto P2P networks.

It apparently started with an Australian online music store putting the tracks up for sale early. Someone at the store, GetMusic, noticed and it was removed, but not before several people had managed to buy it. As you would expect torrents quickly appeared on trackers like The Pirate Bay.



This isn't the first time a U2 album has been available via P2P before its official release. In 2004 "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" appeared on the internet more than two weeks ahead of its official debut. The new album isn't slated for release until March 2.

Perhaps their management will see this as another opportunity to call out ISPs, for not spying on their customers.

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 19 Feb 2009 13:52

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• 14 comments

• windsong

  This is similar to what would happen in 1983. Someone would buy Van Halen's album and record it with a dual cassette boom box and then give to all his friends via memorex cassettes.
  
  Then of course most people would go out and buy the real deal when the memorex cassette got eaten up by the car's stereo cassette player. Then they'd make backups.
  
  Same deal here.

  19.2.2009 15:01 #1

• varnull

  get it downloaded.. U2 have way too much money.
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work.
  I would rather you hate me for who I am than love me for what I am not.
  Welcome to the other side of the looking glass Alice

  19.2.2009 15:03 #2

• jony218

  U2 is blaming everybody for the early unauthorize release of there beloved cd, but it was a member of there "inner circle" who sold them out. Bono probably yelled at his "hired help" for not working fast enough in polishing his sunglasses and unfortunately payback is quite painful in the pocketbook.

  19.2.2009 15:28 #3

• ivymike

  That's an ugly picture of Bono I must say. Is that his Driver's License picture?

  19.2.2009 15:59 #4

• EricCarr

  I've heard one track on the new U2 album. Get On Your Boots is the crapper they are playing on the radio here. If I was to base the whole album as this being the best tune on there. I would not waste my bandwidth allowance on this piece of crap CD.

  19.2.2009 16:04 #5

• pensfan12

  Originally posted by EricCarr: I've heard one track on the new U2 album. Get On Your Boots is the crapper they are playing on the radio here. If I was to base the whole album as this being the best tune on there. I would not waste my bandwidth allowance on this piece of crap CD.
  If Get On Your Boots wasent a U2 song the radio wouldnt have touched that shit.

  19.2.2009 16:15 #6

• blueboy09

  Doesn't matter if U2 wanted to avoid the P2P ordeal, cause eventually songs will get leaked through the internet, and there's really no point for them to fight over this. For every cause there is an effect.

  19.2.2009 17:15 #7

• hikaricor

  Who would want Bono's crappy music anyway?

  19.2.2009 19:41 #8

• nintenut

  U2 hasn't been good since the mid 90's... I thought they stopped releasing stuff in 2004. They would have been better off if they had, left a less tarnished memory of the band.

  19.2.2009 21:35 #9

• windsong

  Just listened to this album. Only liked ONE song: Magnificent. Thats it..just one good song. Sigh.
  
  *delete*

  20.2.2009 01:30 #10

• maryjayne

  I think I am going to download this album only so I can delete it from my HDD.

  20.2.2009 10:57 #11

• kingy1213

  make sure u upload back 2 me b4 u delete it.

  21.2.2009 06:46 #12

• malcarada

  U2 singer Bono has millions and millions of Euros, download it for free, the guy is a jerk telling others to fight poverty while he baths in wealth.

  21.2.2009 16:42 #13

• atomicxl

  I hate when albums get leaked. Thats the ultimate scumbag move. People spend ALOT of time and money to make this stuff. Once it's in the wild, its in the wild, but leaking something early is just like... its really low imo.
  
  I make music so I always have a totally different view on this piracy stuff. Free music isn't bad. My band has given out over 400 free 6 song CDs over the past 2 months, but I still hate the idea of people stealing music and thinking that somehow, that helps everyone.
  
  Originally posted by malcarada: U2 singer Bono has millions and millions of Euros, download it for free, the guy is a jerk telling others to fight poverty while he baths in wealth.LOL. If him donating money and time to charity and speaking at the UN to get funding for poor nations make him a jerk, I'd hate to think of the word that describes you. Do your actions honestly stack up to his? Even if you made it relative to income, do your actions equal out?

  22.2.2009 14:34 #14