I certainly have nothing against U2, but I think it's fair to say that if Apple wanted to make a huge splash by gracing the iTunes world with a free album, there are any number of bands Apple could have chosen that would have generated more of a buzz. Still, there may be even more to Apple's rejuvenated relationship with the boys from Dublin than meets the eye.
A new report in Time suggests that Apple may be working with U2 to develop what we presume is a new higher quality audio format in an effort to convince consumers to purchase songs outright instead of relying on increasingly popular music streaming services like Pandora and Spotify.
Bono tells TIME he hopes that a new digital music format in the works will prove so irresistibly exciting to music fans that it will tempt them again into buying music-whole albums as well as individual tracks. The point isn't just to help U2 but less well known artists and others in the industry who can't make money, as U2 does, from live performance. "Songwriters aren't touring people," says Bono. "Cole Porter wouldn't have sold T-shirts. Cole Porter wasn't coming to a stadium near you."
Also of note is a blogpost from U2 published last week.
We're collaborating with Apple on some cool stuff over the next couple of years, innovations that will transform the way music is listened to and viewed. We'll keep you posted.
Call me cynical if you want, but I think partnering up with U2 on "innovations" won't lead anywhere interesting. As for this rumored new digital music format -- unless it's absolutely out of this world mind blowing, most consumers simply don't and won't care how much better the sound quality is. The audio quality on many songs you find on YouTube, for example, is subpar -- but guess what, non-audiophiles simply don't care.
The real innovations in music consumption going forward will center more on how and where music can be accessed, not on impeccable and pristine studio-quality tracks. I can only hope this talk of U2 collaborating with Apple on anything technical is nothing more than Bono and Co. simply puffing out their chests.
As a final point, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the animosity pointed in Apple's direction from users who were none to pleased with a free U2 album being dropped in their laps was a bit extreme, and comically encapsulated by this cartoon.
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