U2 Threatens to Release Album Early on iTunes

Uninvited Guest writes "After a rough cut of U2's latest unfinished album was stolen earlier this week, the band has vowed to release the entire album on iTunes if the music appears on P2P networks. Bono told the London Daily Telegraph, 'If it is on the Internet this week, we will release it immediately as a legal download on iTunes, and get hard copies into the shops by the end of the month.' Is this the exact opposite of the Smashing Pumpkins' last album, which the band rushed to release on P2P networks, before it could hit the stores?"

Comments

U2 encouraging p2p?

[prof_peabody]

I think this just promotes a P2P release. Post it and we'll release it, almost a reward to the fans...

Even worse threat

[cr@ckwhore]

... and in a related article containing an even worse threat, "U2 Threatens To Release Another Album".

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! THE CRAPPY MUSIC COMETH!

Re:sooo?

[GlassHeart]

If it's available both legally and illegally, fans will be faced with the same old choice. History tells us that a good number still choose to buy.

However, if it's available only illegally, then a fan who wants to hear the album has no choice but to break the law. Having acquired the music, the fan will be less likely to pay for it when it is released legally.

Once you understand that this is not meant for the people who never would've paid for it, the logic becomes quite simple.

Two words:

[vegetablespork]

Publicity. Stunt.

Senate bill needed...

[neil.pearce]

A rough cut of the disk disappeared from a recording studio in Nice during a photo shoot .
It's clear that a photo shoot in Nice has proved itself to be a device that could be used to illegaly copy music. I propose an immediate Senate bill to ban such technology.

The band was putting together the finishing touches. Most of the album had previously been recorded in Dublin.
It's clear that being present in Dublin has proved itself to be a device that could be used to illegaly copy music. I propose an immediate Senate bill to ban such technology.

U2 Threatens to Relase (a new) Album

[Jesterboy]

Am I the only one who read this headline "U2 Threatens to Relase (a new) Album"?

I suppose I just need to skim less...

Re:sooo?

[Anonymous Coward]

No chance but to break the law? Are you serious. How about exercising the slightest bit of self-restraint and waiting another 2 weeks. Oh I forgot, there is nothing we shouldn't have for free and damnit we deserve it right? I feel sorry for you.

It's a hoax.

[sakusha]

This story doesn't pass the smell test. Nobody brings a live CD to a photo shoot, where this CD was supposedly stolen. The usual industry practice is to shoot a photo of the packaging, which is provided without the actual CD, which may not even be complete at the time of the photo shoot.
I used to work in product packaging, and many many times I produced package comps (full quality mockups) for CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes that would not be finished for many weeks or months. The advertising production usually precedes the finished product. Anyone who would take the final unreleased product to a photo shoot, where there are a whole lot of bozos floating around just waiting to steal anything that's not nailed down, well, they're just asking for trouble. That's the whole reason to send faked comps instead of live product to shoots.

Re:It's a hoax.

[typhoonius]

Who knows; the band has a history of stupid leaks:

• Around 1981, before the release of their second album, October, a suitcase containing Bono's handwritten lyrics was stolen. Apparently, he sort of ad-libbed it in the studio.
• In 1990, a three-disc bootleg of outtakes from the Achtung, Baby sessions was leaked. It contained rough takes that would eventually become the songs on the album
• In 1996 or so, an MP3 of a rough edit of "Discotheque," the lead single for their Pop album, was leaked onto the internet.
• Around 2000, Bono apparently lost a laptop containing rough mixes of songs from their upcoming All That You Can't Leave Behind. It was returned safely, though, and there wasn't a leak.
• Later that year, though, the band decided to post 30-second snippets of each song from their new album. They were going to release one new snippet a week until the album was released. Unfortunately, the clueless webmasters had already uploaded all of the songs and just didn't link to them yet, so fans just guessed at the file names and downloaded all the snippets early.
• In 2002, several different mixes of "Electrical Storm" were played on radio stations and were leaked onto the internet.

In any case, this new album is about three years overdue. Their last album was released in October 2000, and the tour supporting it wrapped up in December 2001. What the hell have they been doing since then? I dunno, I sort of lost track. Kind of sad when you don't know that one of your favorite bands is releasing a new album soon until you read it on Slashdot.

Pink Floyd

[Mattwolf7]

U2 is just being babies....

Pink Floyd had Dark Side of the Moon bootlegs in stores....

"Pink Floyd played a concert version of Dark Side at London's Rainbow Theatre in February 1972. To their dismay, a bootleg recording of the concert sold 100,000 copies about a year before the official release." Article

And look what it became...

"In the USA, DSotM is the 18th best-selling album of all time and has spent a total of over 740 weeks on the Billboard magazine music charts with the longest continuous period lasting 591 consecutive weeks. It reached the #1 chart position in the US, Belgium and France; even in 2002, thirty years after the album's release, over 400,000 copies were sold in the United States, making the record the 200th bestselling album that year. "Time", "Money" and "Us and Them" have become radio call-in favourites (with "Money" having also been a bestselling single in the USA)." Wikipedia

If it is good enough people will still buy it. So if this record is phenomenal U2 should just finish it.

Priorities

[realStrategos]

"French police have launched a major operation to find the disc."

I just realized how screwed up this world really is. A major police operation has been launch to find a CD. Aparantly all other crimes have been defeated.

I pity their legal team...

[the_illuminatus]

...which is forced to ALWAYS work pro bono...

Summary of new U2 Album

[spezz]

To save you the trouble of downloading it (pay or free):

1. war is bad
2. the common man is good
3. we'd like another stadium tour now, please

In other news....

[ElvenMonkey]

... A French police spokesman talking about the stolen U2 album confirmed that "We still haven't found what we're looking for."