A few individuals were unhappy by something U2 and Apple did two weeks ago. If you weren’t aware of this, let me briefly recapitulate.
Songs of Innocence, the latest album from U2, has been added to 500 million Apple iCloud accounts. The album may be downloaded for free onto all of the accounts’ devices by doing this.
Whatever you may think of Apple or U2, this has unmistakably made a statement about the condition of the music business today.
To promote records, musicians, record labels, and record companies used to send bands on tour. That was how the traveling began. Releases were sold as a result of show promotion, and everyone profited. Artists now create albums to sell concert tickets since distribution is all but extinct in the digital era. tickets. Why else would they cost so much?
500 million people now have free access to the music thanks to this marketing gimmick, which is exactly what it is. Does U2 require the little download fee? No. Does U2 still want to fill arenas to capacity? Yes. This was the clearest indication yet that the music business has prioritized live performances above CDs.
Consider it in this manner. Many individuals despise U2, claiming that it violated their privacy and was inappropriate. Sex Tape and the most recent celebrity picture hacks have shown us that nothing is secure on the cloud. However, Apple owns it, not us, so they are free to do as they choose. desire with it. However, I digress.
Then there are some like me who enjoy U2, but not really. What was the purpose of the stunt? It was, after all, free advertisement. I was reminded of U2 Concert U2 and I do enjoy some of the songs. Would I have purchased the CD? Nope. But now that I’ve got it, I might want to watch them perform live!
They essentially eliminated paid distribution from sold-out performances. They did not use the middleman! “Here you go!” they yelled, “If giving you our music sells tickets to shows, then here you go!”
We all know that the music business has changed, but will more musicians follow this lead? Time will tell, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Taylor Swift’s new album could be available for free very soon.
