Apple’s development of a special tool to remove U2‘s new album ‘Songs Of Innocence‘ from iTunes users’ purchase history was hardly the most glowing endorsement, and now retailers have branded the marketing venture as a ‘dismal failure’ after the band’s thirteenth LP being made available to a potential 500 million music fans for nothing apparently led to just a small boost in interest on the high street.
Indeed, the Entertainment Retailers Association have claimed the idea, which saw ‘Songs Of Innocence’ uploaded for free to iTunes last week, is ‘as damaging as piracy’. “This vindicates our view that giving away hundreds of millions of albums simply devalues music and runs the risk of alienating the 60% of the population who are not customers of iTunes,” ERA chairman Paul Quirk has said.
“If one of the justifications of this stunt is that it would drive sales of U2’s catalogue through the market as a whole, then so far at least it has been a dismal failure.”
“This promotion is a failure on so many levels. It devalues music, it alienates the majority of people who don’t use iTunes and it disappoints those who prefer to shop in physical stores since few shops had U2 stock available. Giving away music like this is as damaging to the value of music as piracy, and those who will suffer most are the artists of tomorrow.”
“U2 have had their career, but if one of the biggest rock bands in the world are prepared to give away their new album for free, how can we really expect the public to spend £10 on an album by a newcomer?”
According to reports, the campaign has cost Apple $100m in lost revenue and promotions, though U2 themselves are likely to cover that and much more when they head out on the inevitable money-raking world tour soon enough.
“Free U2 album accessed by 33 million iTunes users” – Just long enough for 33 million users to demand it be removed from their iTrash/phone.