Can you be forced to listen to and like music? Well iTunes sure thought they were on to something.
You may or may not know that the group U2 has returned to the music scene in stunning fashion: the legendary rock group released a new album, Songs of Innocence, for free on iTunes two months ago.
If you’re an iTunes user then you actually received that album. (if you haven’t noticed, go check… we’ll wait…)
U2’s album release via Apple was the centerpiece of a whopping $100 million deal that eventually garnered 81 million impressions, a global figure that includes plays and streams through iTunes, iTunes Radio and Beats Music. “To help put this into perspective,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of internet software and services says, “prior to this, 14 million customers had purchased music from U2 since the opening of the iTunes Store in 2003.”
Sounds great, but was everyone happy with this?
Well we asked 133 iTunes users if they listened to the new album that was now sitting in their library.
Seventy-seven percent didn’t bother. 
Of course those stats weren’t taken, but you can’t silence the cries heard on social media. Just last month, Bono issued an apology during a recent interview.
I’m sorry about that. I had this beautiful idea and we got carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that kind of thing: [a] drop of megalomania, touch of generosity, dash of self-promotion and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years mightn’t be heard. There’s a lot of noise out there. I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it.
And you weren’t the only ones who felt that way. There were so many reported complaints about the automatic album download that Apple launched a removal tool.
(FYI … You can delete the album from your iTunes but the album will live on forever in your iCloud. To hide the album from your iTunes library, launch iTunes and go to the iTunes Store. In the Quick Links section, click on the Purchased. Click on Music then Purchased to see your most recently purchased albums and tracks. Hover over the album and an “X” will display over it, letting you hide it.)
Like most people I’m an iTunes user so I too received the U2 album. The business side of me agrees that it was a pretty smart idea. However as a customer I feel like iTunes violated their fiduciary role. They should be protecting my privacy and ensuring their products are delivered as intended; not spamming me. I really think it was inappropriate for them to place this in my library without my consent or even an inkling that I’m an U2 fan. I have noting but the utmost respect for U2, however, I simply don’t connect with their music. Honestly, I refuse to even listen to the album for the mere fact that it was forced down my throat.
Thanks, but no thanks. And it looks like you agree.
So the moral of the story is NO… you can’t force “free” music on people and no one should ever use that strategy again.
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