AfterDawn: News

Apple spent over $100 million when they gave away U2's 'Songs of Innocence' to 500 million iTunes account holders

Earlier this week, when Apple announced its new iPhone 6, 6 Plus, Apple Watch and iOS 8, it made a less splashy but also significant announcement: It would be giving away U2's new 'Songs of Innocence" album, for free, to all iTunes users.

Over 500 million people have iTunes accounts, and U2 lead singer Bono joked around that Apple "would have to pay for it. Because we're not going in for the free music around here."



Apple is spending over $100 million to market the album, and paid U2 an undisclosed lump sum for the album itself, making it one of the biggest album launches of all-time. The company is integrating U2 into its new iPhone TV spots, billboards and more, thus helping themselves, as well.

The giant has over $160 billion in cash on hand (more than most countries), so the figure is a drop in the bucket but it certainly shows the power an A-list musician has and how little power the record industry has nowadays in a world where people will always prefer to consume their music for free.

Source:
Billboard

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Sep 2014 0:08

• Previous article

• Meizu confirms new MX4 with Ubuntu Touch for this year

• Next article

• Microsoft acquires Minecraft creator Mojang for $2.5 billion, Notch will not stay on

• 14 comments

• molsen

  I admit, I did d/l the free music. Didn't listen to it yet, did not have that much time. Interesting marketing idea.
  
  I know it has to deal with Apple and there will be some negativity, but still and interesting move on U2's part.
  

  15.9.2014 08:50 #1

• elduderino

  U2 is awful. Why couldn't they have chosen a good band??
  

  15.9.2014 10:53 #2

• bhetrick

  Originally posted by elduderino: U2 is awful. Why couldn't they have chosen a good band?? I know, right?
  
  Should have been someone like the Bay City Rollers or maybe Captain & Tennille.
  
  No one needs this U2 hippy crap.
  

  15.9.2014 11:06 #3

• scorpNZ

  bollocks it should've been villie vanillie :p
  

  AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
  Console Mod Tuts: http://www.realmodscene.com/
  
  

  15.9.2014 13:04 #4

• pcrazy99

  Maybe Bono could donate the whole $100 million to help erase the debt of a developing third world country. Lead by example.

  15.9.2014 13:46 #5

• hearme0

  Originally posted by bhetrick: Originally posted by elduderino: U2 is awful. Why couldn't they have chosen a good band?? I know, right?
  
  Should have been someone like the Bay City Rollers or maybe Captain & Tennille.
  
  No one needs this U2 hippy crap. Agreed! U2 is now 'irrelevant' and their music does suck! And Bono.........yet another celebrity loser that involves themselves with the troubled world trying to "empathize" with a situation that he clearly can't relate to because of a variety of reasons.

  15.9.2014 14:19 #6

• Mrguss

  Apple spent !?
  
  Crapple like to count sheeps on the wind.
  - No offense for all the iSheeps.
  
  U2, Metalica, Eagles, Rolling Stones, etc. all those together don't make one now on days: they can't keep up with today's music.
  - A "single hit from an album' for all of them, is like a Grand-Pa resurrection.
  
  Just saying.
  

  Live Free or Die.
  The rule above all the rules is: Survive !
  Capitalism: Funnel most of the $$$ to the already rich.

  15.9.2014 15:01 #7

• ThePastor

  Who is "U2"?
  

  Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?

  15.9.2014 17:42 #8

• scorpNZ

  An Airplane
  

  AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
  Console Mod Tuts: http://www.realmodscene.com/
  
  

  15.9.2014 20:10 #9

• ThePastor

  Aren't they that Reggae band that did "Red Red Wine"?
  

  Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?

  16.9.2014 19:57 #10

• Mrguss

  You right.
  But No.
  
  U2 play the "White White Wine" KKK song in Ferguson, MO. for the FergusonPD as charity for Darren Wilson Racist Pig.
  
  If I'm not mistaking...
  

  Live Free or Die.
  The rule above all the rules is: Survive !
  Capitalism: Funnel most of the $$$ to the already rich.

  17.9.2014 14:32 #11

• DVDBack23

  Originally posted by ThePastor: Aren't they that Reggae band that did "Red Red Wine"? UB40 lol
  

  AfterDawn News
  AfterDawn Guides
  One of the largest collections of software on the Web: AfterDawn Software Section

  19.9.2014 00:04 #12

• raunchynm

  But who wants to listen to U2? I'm surprised it cost them anything to give that away

  19.9.2014 12:39 #13

• Jemborg

  Not my cup of tea.
  
  Never got into 'superbands' myself.
  

  Its a lot easier being righteous than right.
  
  
  DSE VZ300-
  Zilog Z80 CPU, 32KB RAM (16K+16K cartridge), video processor 6847, 2KB video RAM, 16 colours (text mode), 5.25" FDD

  22.9.2014 02:38 #14