Imagine being tied down to a chair, headphone strapped around your head delivering tunes straight up into your earlobes, and it was Nicki Minaj's new song "Annaconda", or Justin Bieber's "Baby". Well, that's pretty much how everyone feels when they found U2's new album in their iTunes library, without their consent. U2 have practically force fed their album to every iTunes user worldwide. That is an invasion of privacy, and despite the fact that the album might actually be a good one, this is proof that just because something is free, doesn't mean everyone wants it. It also raises concerns to the future of digital music marketing and promotion. Who's next? Who will be forcing us to have their album in our library? Waka Flocka?



Before we go any further to bashing U2, I think we all need to remember, this is not about U2, because some people obviously rejoice to find their waking hour filled with the "Songs of Innocence" para gratis. The fact that when U2 and Apple joined forces it results in the massive invasion of over 500 Million of iTunes library worldwide, is a blatant blasphemy of privacy in our musical preference. I am not against U2 per-se, but when there is an invasion of privacy involved, I'll be marching on the front row to present my two cents of the matter. Apple, however, is one thing we should all gather and fight against. This giant evil corporation have gone from lack of security enabling the hacking of celebrity nudes from iCloud, to forcefully injected unknown, unwanted, newly released album of mega famous band, U2. My paranoid mind could as well be suspicious of this U2 injection.

Bono claimed the album was "a gift from Apple". First of all, Apple is one greedy company that doesn't go around giving "gifts" to its 500+ million users. So the next thing I want to know is what really goes on behind this U2 injection to our devices? Is it spiked or laced with deeper privacy invasion malware? I have the right to be as paranoid as I can be considering the level of the gimmick they pull. We all have the right to question them. This is a solid proof that whatever Apple wants to do to our devices, Apple could, and Apple would. A solid confirmation that we are not, haven't been, and probably never would be, in control of anything we do with our Apple gadgets. Go ahead, be afraid. Be very very afraid. Because at this point, signing Apple's Terms and Agreement could as well be a consent to your rights to remain silent, and anything you do and/or say with your Apple devices can and will be used against you. Your privacy is under arrest.

Apple reportedly spent roughly $100 million deal on this free U2 album campaign. As Bono said it, it was a gift from Apple for it's users. Bono has always been very vocal about not giving away their album for free. He has always been against free download and piracy so for the band to be giving away their album for free, it's quite out of character. The fact it, they were not giving it away for free. Apple bought it, and then distributed it for Apple users for free.

This explains the questions from non Apple users as to why the album was not given to everyone who are actually fans of U2, via free download from their website for example. Well, as Bono mentioned at Apple event, "we're not going in for the free music around here".

U2 hasn't changed. They are not about giving away their music to their fans for free. They are about quick marketing and distribution via the biggest company in the world for big dollar. It has nothing to do with appreciating their longtime fans by just this once, deliberately sharing their work of art for the masses at no charge. Sharon Osbourne rant on twitter couldn't have been more right on the spot. "U2 you are business mogul not musicians anymore...".

For U2, this is all business and marketing, no more, no less. For Apple, well, who knows? Maybe they are testing a new software that can add features to your Apple devices whether you like it or not, without you knowing, and this mass injection of and entire U2 album is how they prove that they are the almighty in the world of technology and you are but mere peasants elluded with their magnificent iOS and graphic displays, so much that you'd sign off your entire life of data to be saved in their heavenly iCloud cause you think you are ever so safe and protected. The age of digital privacy is doomed, and this U2 Invasion is just the tip of the iceberg.

Now that you can all go to sleep sweet and sound with the thought that should one day you lose your entire identity and memory, Apple would be there to save the day cause it knows everything about you, let's actually thalk about the music that they are trying to force feed you here. Let's for once try to keep a positive attitude and assume that this album is so legendary that Apple can not afford their users not knowing about it.

Having listened to "Song for Someone", "Invisible", and "A Miracle of (Joey Ramone)", I would say... it sounds like a generic prescription of U2 album. The repetitiveness of the first riffs of each songs, Bono's hoarse vocal and a little bit of falsetto, and a dash of techno.
I wouldn't say it's the greatest U2 album of all time. I would say the album is as good as any other U2 album. Is it worth getting it for free? Sure, why not. I wouldn't delete it from my library. But is it worth the invaded privacy? Definitely not.

Apple quickly moved to enabling the users to delete their entire album, or "opt-out" and dedicated it's own support page for this specific issue. Considering the worldwide outrage it was getting, it's about the only appropriate move Apple could take. As of U2, Bono said that those who are not interested in checking out their album should consider this as the "tears, sweat, and blood of a couple irish guys in your junkmail". Except it wasnt in our junkmail. It was downloaded into our gadgets.

In conslusion, this has been the douchiest move of the century done by one of the biggest band in the world, and the biggest company in the world. I rest my case.