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Final Note

Bono apologizes for free iTunes album

Lizzie O'Leary Oct 16, 2014
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Final Note

Bono apologizes for free iTunes album

Lizzie O'Leary Oct 16, 2014
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Bono has apologized for a recent self-promotion stint, albeit in a video promoting his new album release on CD and vinyl.

The U2 frontman apologized to everyone who was annoyed after the band’s new album “Songs of Innocence” just showed up in their iTunes accounts last month.  All 500 million iTunes users received the free download.

In a Facebook video posted Oct. 14, Bono said he got carried away with the “beautiful idea” of the auto-download, but artists are “prone to a drop of megalomania” and he feared the album wouldn’t be heard.

The download was announced Sept. 9 at the Apple event unveiling the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Apple Watch. Apple automatically sent the album for free to active iTunes accounts, and for some people with certain settings, that meant an automatic download too.

Billboard reported last week the album had been downloaded 26 million times, and 81 million people had listened to at least one song — it’s not clear how many actually meant to.

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