The new U2 song 'Vertigo' from the upcoming album 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb' can be heard (or seen) here.If you've got iTunes for your Mac or PC, you'll be able to watch a 2-minute video of the song - in the iTunes/iPod style of things. Also, if you live the US or UK, or have a US or UK billing address, then you can download the new single from the iTunes Music Store. The rest of the album will likely be available in November.
Some people are calling U2 'sellouts' for doing this with Apple, but U2 frontman Bono has always had a thing for technology. He's been a champion of Apple products for many years and you've probably seen him in Apple Trade Show videos or on television speaking enthusiastically about iTunes, iPods, or PowerBooks. And if you've witnessed a U2 tour like Zooropa, you know he's no stranger to using technology.
One of the driving factors as to why 'Vertigo' is available through the iTunes Music Store is because of a 'music leak' that occurred a few months ago. While doing a cover photo shoot for the forthcoming album, the best-selling music group had a copy of the new record playing in a nearby CD player. After the shoot, the band found the CD had disappeared. Whether it was stolen or simply forgotten remains a mystery, but the band was noticeably upset. In an effort to thwart illegal downloads on file sharing and peer-to-peer networks, U2 - and probably their record company - decided to partner with Apple and get the song up on the iTunes Music Store.
There's also more news today that Apple and U2 will team up to possibly provide the new album preloaded on new iPods.
Dean thinks it could be a marketing ploy...and he very well could be right.
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