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Say Goodbye To That Unwanted U2 Album

Ronin Developer writes Apple has listened to the complaints of those who object to having received a pushed copy of U2's latest album as part of their recent campaign. While nobody has been charged for the download, some objected to having it show up in their purchases and, in some cases, pushed down to their devices. While it is possible to remove the album from your iTunes library, it takes more steps than most would like to take. Apple has responded and released a tool to make it possible to remove the album from your iTunes library in a single step.

31 of 323 comments (clear)

  1. Not good enough by PvtVoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    I will not be satisfied until Apple provides a tool to remove Bono entirely.

    1. Re:Not good enough by rudy_wayne · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The most troubling aspects of this are:

      (a) Apple can push material onto your device without your knowledge or consent

      (2) It can be done in a way that is difficult to remove

      (iii) Bono

    2. Re:Not good enough by adamstew · · Score: 4, Informative

      They can not. The only people who had the album pushed to their device are those who turned on the flag on their devices to download new purchases. The only thing Apple did was flag that album as purchased for all iTunes accounts. The device then dutifully did as it was told by it's owner and downloaded all purchases.

      The album never showed up on my devices because I don't have that flag turned on.

    3. Re:Not good enough by adamstew · · Score: 3, Informative

      Apple does have that option as well. You can set a bit such that the phone will only download new purchases over wifi.

    4. Re:Not good enough by chinton · · Score: 5, Funny

      I will not be satisfied until Apple provides a tool to remove Bono entirely.

      Would that be a tool removal tool?

    5. Re:Not good enough by NotDrWho · · Score: 3, Insightful

      it's quite fashionable to hate a guy who spends a shit load of money helping people.

      No, he spends a shitload of money promoting himself and boosting his own ego and sense of self-importance.

      That's selfish, not selfless. Big difference.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    6. Re:Not good enough by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 5, Interesting

      U2 didn't used to be terrible, but at some point in the late 90s or early 2000s they seemed to start phoning it in. I haven't listened to anything new by them since then.

      I'm a pretty serious music junkie, and while I usually listen to progressive rock and jazz fusion, I liked U2's stuff starting in the late 80s and my wife brought me an appreciation for their earlier stuff. They were a talented bunch of guys who were never above reinventing themselves every couple albums, like a lot of good, creative groups. This was back in the days when a significant amount of popular music was interesting and creative.

      I'm surprised that Apple would be so tone-deaf to think everyone would automatically want this new album pushed to them. It wouldn't bother me (but I don't own any Apple devices and you couldn't pay me to use iTunes), but I can guarantee I'd want a very easy way to get rid of it if I didn't like it. I haven't spent decades curating a collection of music just to have it be carelessly junked up.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    7. Re:Not good enough by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's skirting around the issue - this wasn't a purchase, so it shouldn't have been distributed that way.

    8. Re:Not good enough by rockout · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Apparently no one is allowed to spend a shit load of money helping people without having do-nothing assholes hate on them for it, usually by accusing them of self-promotion and ego boosting. At least be a little bit original.

      --
      I've learned that they're worthless, so I don't read AC comments anymore.
    9. Re:Not good enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      it's quite fashionable to hate a guy who spends a shit load of money helping people.

      No, he spends a shitload of money promoting himself and boosting his own ego and sense of self-importance.

      That's selfish, not selfless. Big difference.

      You dipshit.

      Whether you agree with his politics or not, Bono is downright serious about his charity work.

      Good for him.

      Just compare him to Jenny "vaccines cause autism" McCarthy or Rosie "fire can't melt steel" O'Donnell.

      Hell, if you want a celebrity that's full of himself? Boosting his own ego? Take Kanye West. Please.

    10. Re:Not good enough by crgrace · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This was back in the days when a significant amount of popular music was interesting and creative.

      Also known as the days when you were most likely a teenager or young adult.

    11. Re:Not good enough by ObiWanKenblowme · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The MOST troubling part here is how disproportionally butthurt people seem to be over having a free album given to them. Also, spare me from having to read one more person prattle on about how their "curated" iTunes library has been harmed.

      --
      Obvious exits are NORTH, SOUTH, and DENNIS.
  2. Perspective by nmb3000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's nice Apple responded, but the outrage over this whole thing (especially for people who have already bought into the iTunes garden) seems way overblown.

    Some perspective might help.

    --
    "What do you despise? By this are you truly known." --Princess Irulan, Manual of Muad'Dib
    /)
    1. Re:Perspective by spire3661 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No its not overblown. The issue at hand is that Apple thinks it can alter people's libraries at a whim. I dont WANT U2 in my collection at all. I have nothing against them, but i hate the fact that it was pushed into my face and into my library. I want my library to be composed of material I choose, not apple.

      --
      Good-bye
    2. Re:Perspective by Stargoat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you were not an Apple user, your argument, indeed your wants, might matter. But you have chosen your "walled garden" and you must enjoy it. The theme music for your "walled garden" is the latest U2 Album. Enjoy your Bono.

      --
      Hoist Number One and Number Six.
  3. I must be broken by halivar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It seems like the whole world enjoys being outraged by the pettiest bullshit (and indeed goes out of its way to FIND things the be outraged about) in a world full of very important concerns no one gives a shit about.

  4. First world problem solved by Camembert · · Score: 3, Funny

    What else about Apple can we now whine about? Perhaps Tim Cook's recent TV interviews?

  5. Unfortunately by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny

    The tool looks at the rest of your music collection while it's deleting the U2 album and judges you accordingly. "Oh, the Justin Beiber gets to stay but you're deleting the U2 album? OK I see how it is!"

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  6. Re:Downloading music for free? Scandelous! by adamstew · · Score: 4, Informative

    You never needed to give apple any money to get the music for free. All you needed was an iTunes account/password and you got the album for free. No prior purchase was necessary. In fact, if you sign up for a free iTunes account before some day in October, you still get the album for free...no purchases required.

  7. Re:U2 poured 5 years of their soul into this album by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But it's 5 days of millions of people. So it's centuries of their souls, compared to just some years.

    U2 should pay the soul difference. Preferably not in music. Please.

  8. Misleading links by zerosomething · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yet another /. article with links that don't actually give you any useful content. When you select the link in the text "tool to make it possible to remove the album from your iTunes library in a single step." wouldn't you expect to see an article about the tool and actually have a link to the tool? Oh no can't have that because you have to prop up what ever favorite news feed you are promoting.

    --
    It all starts at 0
  9. Re:U2 poured 5 years of their soul into this album by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That means almost five month and a half to produce a single song. In the real world where you need to do real work, you'd have starved to death long before you could finish your album.

  10. Re:Biggest concern is the data usage by keytohwy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you are that concerned about data usage, I would imagine you have turned off the option to automatically download updates and purchases via cellular connection. That is, you can turn on automatic downloads, but toggle whether that is over wifi or cellular.

  11. It's a relationship argument about control. by DutchUncle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't have an iProduct that got force-downloaded. Today is my anniversary (a big number). So I don't see a first-world problem; I see a relationship problem.

    It's not about the album. It's about control. It's about changing the station in the car radio when someone else is driving. It's about putting up with his sports posters and her frilly pillowcases. It's about changing the address list so it's alphabetical by first name instead of last name, and rearranging the desktop to be organized horizontally instead of vertically.

    I feel your pain. But I can assure you that you can get through this.

  12. Which one? by chinton · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're going to need to be more specific about which "unwanted U2 album" you are talking about.

  13. Re:Downloading music for free? Scandelous! by spire3661 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If I came over and starting just randomly putting books into your bookshelves that publishers paid me to do without asking you, wouldnt you rightfully be a bit upset about it?

    --
    Good-bye
  14. Good by rebelwarlock · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People acting like users have no right to complain about free shit need some perspective.

    For example, do you like tofu? No? Well tough shit, it's free, and I'm going to force feed you three pounds of it. You have no right to complain about free food. Hell, I'll opt for stinky tofu while I'm at it. Here in Taiwan, people love that shit. Everyone who doesn't thinks it smells and tastes like raw sewage.

    U2 is the stinky tofu of the music industry. You have people who like them, and people who can't imagine why you would find it necessary to inflict such pain upon yourself.

  15. its apples device, not yours. by nimbius · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Once a company can questionlessly assert the music you like, add and remove content, and that content is no longer in your immediate control, then no, its not your device. One could argue that the DRM structure imposed upon apple devices alone should be enough to convince the buyer to re-evaluate their purchase. Apple users should seriously question what it is that theyve invested in, if anything, and review the terms and conditions of their iPods, Pads, and music service to determine just what it is they dropped $200 or more on to listen to the music they like.

    And if it comes to it, consider alternatives. You're the customer after all and your privacy and conditions should largely be non negotiable. Amazon sells DRM-free music, as does beatport. Use LibMTP for your mtp transfers, or better yet pick a device that hasnt adopted a slower, serialized transfer standard designed to cripple the users rights.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  16. Sorry..didn't have the link before.. by Ronin+Developer · · Score: 4, Informative
    Apple has now launched a tool to help disgruntled customers easily remove the album from their iTunes library.

    To remove the album, users need to:

    • Go to http://itunes.com/soi-remove
    • Click Remove Album to confirm you'd like to remove the album from your account
    • Sign in with the Apple ID and password you use to buy from the iTunes Store

    Apple warned that, once the album has been removed from a user's account, it will no longer be available for them to redownload as a previous purchase. If they later decide they want the album, they will need to get it again.

    The album is free to everyone until 13 October 2014, and will be available for purchase after that date.

  17. Re:U2 poured 5 years of their soul into this album by geekoid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Modded insightful because you think making music isn't real work?
    Idiots, all of them.
    I wonder what you consider real work?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  18. Re:Downloading music for free? Scandelous! by SydShamino · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Per Apple, this album is your own stuff. Let's flash back 20 years...

    Assume you've told your maid service to always bring in the mail. One day, a U2 album arrive, unsolicited, in the mail, and the maid puts it on your CD rack.

    Whether you paid for it or asked for it is irrelevant; once it shows up in your account/mailbox it was placed where it goes by your instructions.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.