U2's Bono on Collaborating With Apple: 'They Let Us Into the Labs'

[numlock]

I think bands also hurt themselves when tickets started being that expensive.

Back during the Pop Mart tour, I wanted to go see U2 when they came to Denver but once they told how expensive the tickets were on the local news, I couldn't go.

Sadly, the ZooTV tour was the last time I was able to see them live.

yes. it seems strange to ignore the short term greed that is pervasive pretty much everywhere else.

 

[MrCornfed]

.

 

[JackieInCo]

Still?? I'd hate to think how long you'd hold a grudge over something that actually mattered. And nothing was pushed to any device, you had to initiate the download.

This is true. I had to go into my purchases and then into recent purchases and download from there. It did not automatically download as that would have been going to far.

 

[Music_Producer]

This is no different than the current conversation around Apple Pay and CurrentC.

Consumers are happy with streaming services and the benefits they offer. Then someone comes along, rips out their end of the system, and tells consumers that it is for their benefit.

If people were content buying CDs, they'd buy CDs. That hasn't been the case for the better part of a decade.

You're not looking at it from the musicians' point of view. Sites like spotify pay a pittance for streams. As an example, one of my tunes would garner around $500/month in royalties before Spotify. Once all the streaming sites took off, the same tune gets around $5/month because sales dropped drastically.

Yes, I'm sure everyone thinks that music should be free and should only be created by hippies who have nothing else to do in life, but for some of us it's a profession and I pay the bills with my talent and hard work. I don't have a problem with streaming as long as they pay the artists' fair compensation.

The only reason people stopped buying CDs (and music in general) is because of Napster. That pretty much revolutionized piracy

 

[LLIBSETAG]

Oh Rocky!

Come up to the Lab and see what's on the slab.
I'll see you shiver in ant-i- ( SAY IT! ) pation!

 

[freediverx]

U2 stopped being cool a very long time ago. What was once an edgy, rebellious band with a distinctive sound slowly degraded into a derivative, blatantly money-hungry pop group desperately trying to mimic every passing music trend in an effort to remain relevant. The term "sellout" would be a gross understatement.

I actually feel bad for most of the band members as Bono seems to be the main culprit behind this transformation. It seems Bono's ego and greed are so huge that he would prefer to garner hatred and ridicule than fade gracefully into obscurity, hence his desperate attempts to get media coverage at any cost.

 

[freediverx]

You're not looking at it from the musicians' point of view.

The only reason people stopped buying CDs (and music in general) is because of Napster. That pretty much revolutionized piracy

Napster merely provided a conduit for years of pent up anger and frustration with the music industry. It was a much needed rebalancing of power in consumers' favor. Revolutions are messy but they often serve a useful purpose.

Before we shed a tear for the good ol' days let's remember that before music went digital, consumers were forced to buy albums at increasingly exorbitant prices. It was generally impossible to buy just the singles you wanted, and many were frustrated after spending up to $20 for an album that only contained one or two decent tracks. There was often little or no opportunity to sample songs on an album before buying it, and returns were flat out forbidden.

The recording industry is not led by artists, but is instead dominated by corporate thieves. It focuses primarily on manufacturing double platinum superstars while routinely cheating smaller artists and forcing them into one-sided contracts that commit them to a virtual indentured servitude. They manipulate the record charts through payola and other sleazy tactics, promoting a few crappy artists while hurting many promising ones. They've repeatedly introduced restrictive DRM technologies that destroy the user experience for paying customers while remaining completely ineffective against piracy. They've lobbied both successfully and unsuccessfully for insanely Draconian laws (e.g., DMCA, SOPA, etc.).

Artists can still do well through live performances. Forgive me if I don't shed a tear for those who got into music primarily to make fortunes rather than to just produce great music and make a decent living.

 

[Z3man]

U2 stopped being cool a very long time ago. What was once an edgy, rebellious band with a distinctive sound slowly degraded into a derivative, blatantly money-hungry pop group desperately trying to mimic every passing music trend in an effort to remain relevant. The term "sellout" would be a gross understatement.

I actually feel bad for most of the band members as Bono seems to be the main culprit behind this transformation. It seems Bono's ego and greed are so huge that he would prefer to garner hatred and ridicule than fade gracefully into obscurity, hence his desperate attempts to get media coverage at any cost.

They couldn't stay how they were, they would have had a hundred million pound in the bank and have had to pretend they were skint, they had to move on to what they are now or they would have faded away like Simple Minds. I know what you are talking about but they had to move on or die.

 

[dannyyankou]

Slightly off topic, but my Target store uses iPods for enterprise and I found this.

 

[kwikdeth]

I hope you're both being sarcastic. Bono's involvement clearly started and stopped at being another set of eyes to provide an opinion. He wasn't making any of the decisions.

As for his involvement now, we'll see. I don't think things are going to get too far out of hand with Trent Reznor in the mix. He won't stand for shenanigans.

100% sarcasm.
and i hold out hope like you that Reznor will bring some sanity to the mix.