A possible 500 Million downloads with 33 million users having already made their presence felt and just over 2 million individual downloads (at the time of writing). Arguably the worlds biggest band's latest release could, theoretically, find its way onto enough iphones, iPads and iPods to cater for the aural guilty pleasures of the entire population of the EU. It could turn out to be a feat of epic proportions, of modern musical wizardry, a remarkable showcase of the Apple marketing machine at work as well as affirmation of U2s global standing, with one gaping flaw. A substantial proportion of those downloads weren't requested in the first place.
In their wisdom infinitum, the marketing geniuses (sarcastic double finger wag on each hand) from both camps have decided that, pre retail release, U2s latest opus, Songs Of Innocence, will be made freely available to any of us mere mortals who happen to hold the 'I gods' in almost as high esteem as the man himself, for a limited time of course. However, rather than putting them at the forefront of media goodwill (a la Mrs Shawn Carter) quite the reverse has happened. And to think, I always thought that U2 were quite cool (I come from Hip Hop stock, forgive me).
