Bono apologises for mandatory iTunes U2 giveaway
U2 frontman Bono has apologised to disgruntled music fans who became the unwitting recipients of his latest album, Songs of Innocence, via a mandatory iTunes download.
The free ‘gift’ was given to everyone with an iTunes account, U2 fan or not, causing many to complain that their playlists had been polluted by the warblings of the Irish singer.
During a Facebook question and answer session the musician said sorry for the episode for the first time, blaming the stunt on a ‘drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity, and a dash of self-promotion.’
Justifying the promotion by expressing his ‘deep fear’ that his latest masterpieces might ‘not be heard’ Bono added: “There’s a lot of noise out there — I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it.”
After being bombarded with complaints Apple eventually relented and released a tool to remove the offending tunes.