Why U2’s ‘innovative’ album release plan won’t change the music industry

U2 and Apple planned the gesture for maximum publicity — a concert by the Irish megastars at the tech giant’s latest product launch, with the surprise that their new album had just been released for free to the world’s half-billion iTunes customers. As physical copies of the album, “Songs of Innocence,” go on sale Monday, the band that earned global critical acclaim three decades ago has faced a backlash with some accusing U2 of turning music into spam. The September 9 free release will still pay off handsomely but few predict that U2 has created a new model, with lesser-known bands unlikely to survive by giving away their music.

The first major artist that makes a mistake as grand as not providing a physical artifact will be the laughing stock that, in some circles, U2 is today.

Eric Levin, owner of the independent store Criminal Records in Atlanta

U2 is not the first band to experiment with free releases amid the rapid changes in the music industry. Radiohead in 2007 let fans pay whatever they wanted for album “In Rainbows.” But the move by the acclaimed experimental rockers, who eschew corporate sponsorship, triggered more curiosity than criticism. Beyonce last year released her self-titled album without warning on iTunes, causing a public sensation but angering major US retailers Amazon and Target, which initially refused to stock the physical version as it was not out simultaneously.

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