As mentioned by Tim Cook towards the close of today’s big keynote event, U2’s close relationship with Apple goes way back. From the Irish quartet being featured on the iconic Vertigo ad to the release of the limited edition black and red U2 iPods, Bono and his band have been an almost permanent fixture of Apple’s romance with the music industry, and having performed as a special guest at the end of the Flint Center’s iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch announcement, U2’s new album is available to download for free on Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
Having performed “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” exclusively to attendees at the special gathering, the new album Songs of Innocence, which features The Miracle, is now a free download on iTunes.
It’s been a while since we last heard music from U2, and with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch being landmark releases, both the band and its adoring fans within Cupertino seem to have struck a deal to roll this latest album out free of charge.
Before today, we didn’t even know that Songs of Innocence was even forthcoming, but having seen how successful Beyonce Knowles’ most recent album was after a surprise release on iTunes, U2 have done deployed the same tactic.
The major difference here, mind, is that Songs of Innocence is free of charge, and provided you log in with your Apple ID, you an pick it up right now without paying a single cent.
It will remain an exclusive download to iTunes as well as the recently-acquired Beats Music streaming service until 13th October, and given U2’s generation-crossing popularity, this is actually quite a cleverly conjured system. After all, U2 fans young and old will be forced to head to iTunes or Beats Music if they wish to sample U2’s latest album, and as such, Apple’s customer base should increase by a considerable amount.
I guess the level to which iTunes and Beats sees a spike in downloads / subscriptions is all dependent on whether the music is good or not. Having quite enjoyed The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone), I’ll probably sample it through iTunes, but then again, I simply cannot resist a freebie!
(Download: Songs of Innocence by U2 on iTunes)
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