AfterDawn: News

U2 fanclub exclusive available on P2P

A 2 CD album offered exclusively to U2's paid website subscribers has been spotted on internet torrent trackers for download via BitTorrent. This follows the leak of their latest album earlier this year.

U2 frontman Bono and Manager Paul McGuinness have been very vocal in their criticism of P2P downloaders, and even stronger criticism of ISPs, whom McGuinness referred to as "shoplifters."



McGuinness spoke out in support of France's 3 strikes plan at last January's MIDEM conference in France. Would his opinion change knowing it would mean cutting U2 website subscribers from buying their product?

If not, what does that say about his understanding of the economics of music and the internet?

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 22 Apr 2009 18:45

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• 2 comments

• windsong

  I wonder, if the technology became available to instantly clone any tomato in the supermarket simply by looking at it, going home and replicating that visual image into something tangible (a la Star Trek replicators)..would grocery stores consider that "shoplifting"?

  22.4.2009 19:44 #1

• varnull

  yeah they would... hahahaha
  
  u2??.. who????
  
  seriously.. it serves them right.. start shooting their arrogant rich boy mouths off and the p2p community will work to deliberately deprive these spoiled a$$hats every penny of blood money they can ..
  
  I remember when u2 were a bunch of nobodys who played in the rain when none of the big names had the guts (because the stage was slippery and they might fall over).. they were relevant to something then.. now they are just bloated lazy rich pigs we could all well do without.
  
  btw.. the last new music I bought was The Cult - Love.. back in.. was it 85 or 86? The music companies don't lose anything in the way of profits to me.. I'm not a customer.. and never ever will be.

  22.4.2009 19:52 #2