Bono Admits That Giving Millions of iTunes Users a U2 Album Download They Couldn’t Get Rid of ‘Went Too Far’
· Vice
Anyone who had an iTunes account in 2014 should remember the Songs Of Innocence incident. For those not in the know, that was when U2 gave iTunes users a digital copy of their new album for free. Unfortunately, it was downloaded automatically to everyone’s accounts whether they were a U2 fan or not. Also, it was impossible to get rid of.
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U2 fans were likely thrilled to suddenly get Songs Of Innocence for free. Meanwhile, everyone else had this album they didn’t want taking up valuable space in their iTunes library. Showing up overnight with no warning. Effectively feeling like someone hacked your computer, but instead of stealing your identity they just downloaded the new U2 album to your iTunes. It was arguably one of the most incomprehensible album releases in recent memory.
The move garnered so much backlash, particularly the part where you couldn’t get rid of it. Eventually, Apple was forced to design a tool allowing users to finally remove Songs Of Innocence from their iTunes library. At the time, frontman Bono admitted it was a “gross invasion”.
He described it as “[putting] a bottle of milk in people’s fridge that they weren’t asking for.” Allegedly, the album wasn’t initially supposed to automatically download. But, as Bono described then, “I had this beautiful idea and we got carried away with ourselves.”
U2’s 2014 Automatic Album Download Was Allegedly an Attempt to Test the Depth of the Music Industry’s Pockets
As of 2026, it’s been 12 years since that fateful Songs Of Innocence debacle. Now, it’s just something to look back on and laugh about its inherent ridiculousness. At the time, however, it caused genuine outrage among many.
Speaking with The New York Times in October 2026, Bono revisited the album’s unique release strategy. Once again, he admitted it was an overreach on the band’s part, adding that he “went too far on that one”.
Bono has often worked to call attention to financial disparity in the music business. How little artists get paid, how inconsistently, and the importance of supporting artists directly. According to the frontman, giving away Songs Of Innocence was just another tactic he was trying.
“We were experimenting,” he told the NYT. “We wanted to see if we could get Apple or another company to pay for our music and then they distribute it.”
The Edge Felt They Learned From Their Mistakes; Producer Flood Felt It Asked Important Questions About Art
Guitarist The Edge felt that the whole experience was just part of learning from their mistakes. “We take risks. We have to,” he said. “So you fail, you fall on your face at times? That’s part of the gig.” It’s also part of the unique human experience. Even internationally famous bands like U2 still have to try, fail, and learn.
The band’s long-time producer, Flood, shared a similar sentiment in 2015. Speaking with Gigwise at the time, he was asked for his opinion on the album release. Specifically, whether he felt it was a mistake to automatically download the album on more than 500 million iTunes accounts.
“I think what it did was raise whether music is valued in society right now, and I think that’s something that still hasn’t been answered correctly,” said Flood. “It brought about the question of ‘What are peoples’ listening tastes?’ And maybe the biggest question it raised was ‘Are people allowed to have choice or is choice actually being eliminated?’”
It’s interesting to consider these questions in 2026, when it feels like we’re further from the answers than ever. Maybe if U2 puts another bottle of milk in our fridge, we’ll finally learn how to heal the music industry. Perhaps we’ll even achieve world peace.
Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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