Bono apologises for U2's iTunes album release (forced on consumers)

BBC ^ | 15 October 2014 Last updated at 07:47 ET | no byline

[a fool in paradise]

U2 frontman Bono has said sorry after their latest album was automatically added to the libraries of all iTunes users around the world.

Speaking in a session on Facebook, the star said the move was a "drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity".

In response to a questioner who told him it was "rude" to impose their music upon everyone, Bono said: "Oops, I'm sorry about that."

Apple later released a one-click tool enabling iTunes customers to remove it.

Some users complained that the 11-track Songs of Innocence had been added to their music library without permission and that it was not clear how to delete it.

...The music was made available for free to more than 500 million iTunes customers in 119 countries last month. It has been reported that around 5% of those have downloaded U2's latest opus.

...Bono's apology comes after rock legend Iggy Pop criticised the band for "giving away music before it can flop, in an effort to stay huge"...

[lee martell]

After all this time, I could not name any of the other guys in U2 if my life depended on it, and they’ve been active for as long as Madonna. I would not recognize any of their faces either.

[South40]

How to permanently delete U2's Songs of Innocence from your IOS device

[rktman]

Just the album he apologized for? I know he does some good work but the whole band just rubs me the wrong way.

[RIghtwardHo]

Why does anyone care? Don’t like it ... delete it. Good grief.

[Bullish]

Iggy Pop’s dead and so is U2.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I’m going to join the lawsuit.

[The_Victor]

Seems to me the problem is Apple forcing the download to all iTunes users. If U2 wants to give away their music, that's their business. It's Apple that forced the download without offering an option.

[GeronL]

Weird Al has “Word Crimes” and “Tacky”

They rock, check out the Youtube videos.

[GeronL]

Apple is as crazy as Microsoft for that.

At least Microsoft got “Minecraft” or something

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

“drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity”

Obama’s legacy.

[rlmorel]

I like a couple of U2 songs, but I largely detest what that group "stands for".

So, this was a complete surprise to me when, lo and behold, I looked and my phone and saw it, my first reaction was:

ARGHHHHHHHH!!!! Get it off! GET IT OFF!

Heh, what must it do for the ego of a washed up bunch of "We are the World" rockers when they get that reaction from so many people? THAT made me laugh just to think of it...:)

[rlmorel]

Exactly.

[rlmorel]

I think a lot of people feel EXACTLY the same way they would if all of Obama’s speeches were automatically added to your device.

I suspect that is why. It sure is why I feel that way.

[rlmorel]

Right. See my post at #33.

[GeronL]

lol

And like someone mentioned earlier, a lot of young people are going to see that and think “Who in the world are they?”

[rlmorel]

Hahahaha...I followed your link, but...I just couldn’t bring myself to put in the information it asked for.

Intellectually, I see the https security thingie and all, but...I just couldn’t do it.

Some things are ingrained too darn deep!

[rlmorel]

This is what Apple has on its website, and is kind of at the root of why it irritates ME:

I feel that I have been utilized, against my wishes, to "make history" for some POS liberal a-hole band that is hypocritically against capitalism (but loves raking in profits) and is best buddies with nearly every liberal around the world that I detest.

I know Apple is a fever swamp of liberalism (as is Microsoft, who is even worse and gives a lot more money away to causes I despise) but if I use iTunes, it is my conscious decision to do so. Not so having this pap deposited on my device.

I don't OWN it, and I resent that I am represented as owning it just because they saw fit to sneak it onto my device.

This is very bad juju from Apple towards its customers. It is a mistake, and they didn't think it through.

[ops33]

So what’s to stop someone from hacking into apple and downloading something really bad to everyone’s iPhone?

[rlmorel]

It could happen.

But there are a lot of things on computers that can happen to as well. Think Adobe Flash or Microsoft Siverlight updates. Those damn things come up so often, one of these days I am just going to click on it without thinking.

And I have the auto-updates turned off. Think of how many people don’t.

[ClearCase_guy]

Biggest album of all time!!!!!

I mean, there's like 500 million copies out there, man! It's bigger than "Thriller"!