It is becoming increasingly common for artists releasing albums without promoting it beforehand. In December last year, Beyoncé gave out a whole album, also that of Apple’s iTunes music service. Then, her husband Jay Z some months earlier surprising given away an entire album through Apple’s major competitor Samsung.
In January of last year crept David Bowie released a single for the opening of a big comeback.
The tactic seems to work, Beyoncé’s album sold nearly 1 million copies in just a few days. Without any traditional marketing.
Now follow U2 in their tracks. The Irish rock band appeared on Apple’s big launch gala on Tuesday and surprised the fans to make their new album available on iTunes, free for anyone who has the music service – around half a billion users.
– From the very beginning, U2 always wanted to reach as many people as possible, as it is happening today is very big for us, said the singer Bono at the launch, according to AFP.
“Songs of Innocence” is the band’s first album in five years on “The Troubles”, one of the eleven songs involved Swedish Lykke Li.
In an interview with Rolling Stone says Bono, the band sought their roots when they worked on the plate. They’ve been among the music they loved in the 70s, artists such as David Bowie, Joy Division and The Ramones.
– I found my voice by Joey Ramone, Bono says to the magazine about one of his heroes.
After U2 played a single from the album, “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” Bono explained to the audience that the collaboration with Apple was a way for the band to reach out to as many people as possible.
As the album is given away, it will not be able to end up on the leaderboards.
A “deluxe” version of the plate with four additional songs will be released on 14 October.
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