# New U2 album free to all iTunes subscribers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995 "2014-09-09T18:59:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/1 "2014-09-09T18:59:57Z")
So, apparently every single iTunes user, as of about 1 minute ago, now owns the U2 album. For Free. So, is this: [ol] [li]The biggest album release of all time,[/li][li]A gimmicky marketing trick, or[/li][li]Both.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/2 "2014-09-09T19:07:11Z")
Can I opt out? ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/3 "2014-09-09T19:11:45Z")
Did you get it? My iTunes store says “purchased” but when I click on it, it says “Not available in U.S. store.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/4 "2014-09-09T19:13:08Z")
I wouldn’t buy a new U2 album if you paid me, so I’m one step closer to my goal. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/5 "2014-09-09T19:22:08Z")
I just looked it up on my iPhone. The album shows as PURCHASED in iTunes, but I can’t “see” it under downloads, nor on the iPod app. I really liked No Line on the Horizon from 2009 and would like to listen to this new one. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/6 "2014-09-09T19:48:35Z")
Interesting, I look forward to listening to it when I get home. U2 is inconsistent, but I still enjoy most of their stuff. I also look forward to listening to the next episode of the podcast U Talking U2 to Me?, the podcast where Adam Scott and Scott Aukerman were discussing each U2 album. It’s pretty great, I recommend it if you like U2, or even if you don’t because they go on a whole lot more tangents than they actually talk about U2. > [@leftfield6](#): > > So, is this: > > [ol] > [li]The biggest album release of all time,[/li][li]A gimmicky marketing trick, or[/li][li]Both.[/li][/ol] I don’t know how Billboard or whoever else will measure the actual release. If all 500 million iTunes users actually download it, it would be by far the biggest album of all time, but I doubt everyone will. If only 10% download it, it will still be the biggest of all time, topping the current biggest of Thriller at 42.4 million. It is a lot harder to sell albums now, so there have been more artists doing gimmicks like this it seems. Radiohead gave their album away a few years ago. Lady Gaga had an album selling for 99 cents on Amazon when it first came out and gave it bigger numbers than it probably otherwise would have. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more stunts like this in the future. It doesn’t bother me, it’s not like your ipod or itunes will start automatically playing the new album or make you listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/7 "2014-09-09T20:29:41Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > Did you get it? My iTunes store says “purchased” but when I click on it, it says “Not available in U.S. store.” Looked under “Purchased”, it was there, clicked on the icloud download icon, it began downloading. It completed, and is now in my library. ---
**Author:** ![Shaggy\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Shaggy\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaggy_Z)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/8 "2014-09-10T01:34:12Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Looked under “Purchased”, it was there, clicked on the icloud download icon, it began downloading. It completed, and is now in my library. I had to go to preferences -\> store, then check “show itunes in the cloud purchases”. Then I went to album view and the album was there with a little cloud icon next to each track. I clicked each cloud to download the tracks, then went back to preferences and unchecked that box. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/9 "2014-09-10T13:39:47Z")
“Free” fits within my budget and I’ve always liked (though not actively followed through the years) U2. Thanks, **leftfield6**! ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/10 "2014-09-10T13:58:50Z")
> [@Shaggy\_Z](#): > > I had to go to preferences -\> store, then check “show itunes in the cloud purchases”. > > Then I went to album view and the album was there with a little cloud icon next to each track. I clicked each cloud to download the tracks, then went back to preferences and unchecked that box. I’m iTunes illiterate, so how do you get to preferences? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/11 "2014-09-10T14:03:35Z")
Just do a search in the store for “U2”. The album should appear, priced “Free.” Click on the button marked “Free” and it should begin downloading. … at least, that’s how I did it. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/12 "2014-09-10T14:30:45Z")
Unfortunately, my experience is like some if the ones listed above. It shows “purchased,” but nowhere I look says that it’s downloaded. So I’m stuck. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shaggy\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Shaggy\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaggy_Z)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/13 "2014-09-10T14:31:31Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > I’m iTunes illiterate, so how do you get to preferences? I’m using it on Mac. I went to the top left of the toolbar and clicked itunes which opened a drop down menu and I chose preferences. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/14 "2014-09-10T14:36:57Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Unfortunately, my experience is like some if the ones listed above. It shows “purchased,” but nowhere I look says that it’s downloaded. So I’m stuck. ☹ It’s probably not downloaded, they can send the album to everyone’s iTunes accounts but they can’t make it automatically download, especially since a lot of people wouldn’t want it to automatically download. Just keep clicking around, there should be a button that will let you download it. I’m not at my home computer that has iTunes right now so I can’t offer any more specific help or I would. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/15 "2014-09-10T14:47:26Z")
On the iTunes store homepage, there’s a list of “Quick Links” over on the right. Click on “Purchased” and find the album. You should see a “Cloud” icon on the upper right corner of the album cover. Click on that to download. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/16 "2014-09-10T17:16:12Z")
Thank you all. I’m on my phone and had to go in and change my settings to automatic download. Then, when I went back to iTunes to check the progress, the mysterious little cloud icon finally popped up (yay!) and it’s doing its business as I type. Way to get me in the right places, the right way, guys. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/17 "2014-09-10T17:38:49Z")
It is ok, if a little Lite Pop for my tastes these days. Kinda wishing Bono would go back to writing his big political anthems. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/18 "2014-09-10T17:57:02Z")
In true hipster fashion, Reddit today is full of people bitching that Apple dared to put U2 in their purchased music folders, apparently because if the music is there, someone is going going to strap you down and make you listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/19 "2014-09-10T18:01:13Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Kinda wishing Bono would go back to writing his big political anthems. Give the man a break. He can’t spend every bloody Sunday writing songs. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995/20 "2014-09-10T18:18:36Z")
Well U2 is no YOB but a free album is a free album. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-u2-album-free-to-all-itunes-subscribers/697995.md?page=2)