Bono 'respects' Spotify for slowly monetising the music industry again

In a blog post, written while he recovers from injuries sustained in a cycling accident, Bono said: “The reason I respect for-fee services like Spotify is that they are slowly turning people who are used to getting their music for-free, into paying ten dollars a month for a subscription model.

“These payments don't add up to replacement for income from physical or digital sales at the moment, but I think they can if everyone sits down – record companies, artists and digital services – to figure out a fairer way of doing business.”

The U2 frontman also discussed his controversial 2014 album ‘Songs of Innocence’. The album was gifted to iTunes users in an automatic update – a move the musician likened to a “bottle of milk dropped at the door of anyone interested in music and iTunes”.

However, both Apple and U2 drew heavy criticism for the album's automatic digital distribution to iTunes-installed devices, meaning it appeared without the consent of users.

On the episode, Bono said: "[There was] no flagrant abuse of human rights, but it was very annoying to people who a) like being annoyed, and/or b) felt it was like someone robbing their phone in the pub and taking a couple of photos before leaving it back on the table... a breach of privacy which was really not intended.”

Despite the blunder, the U2 frontman praised Apple’s devotion to music, dubbing the firm’s gifting of ‘Songs of Innocence’ “a beautiful thing”.