Why all of the negativity????

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Regardless of any negative headlines, this is a coup for U2. They have released a very good album, tens of millions of listeners have downloaded or streamed it and they have done something no other artist will ever attempt to do again. I can't see how this hurts them in the LONG run...

All the tags: corporate sellouts, posers, irrelevant...nothing new to this band and they'll move right past all that.

What counts is the music, and come October 13/14 and on we'll get the real barometer as to where U2 stands. And when the tour is announced that'll be another marker. U2 are a polarizing band (Bono actually), and they're dinosaurs in today's world so I understand some of the backlash, but if the music is well received this will all be a footnote in the bigger story of U2's grand re-entry into the music scene circa 2014.

 

[Sr. Poop]

I trust in time people will realize how good the album is. I also trust U2 must have felt pretty damn strong about the songs to do something like this.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[U2girl]

I think the are going to be on a lot of "worst of 2014" lists in December.

I love the album, but right now, their legacy is hurting. They need to be good and they need to do it quick.


Sent from

The legacy is fine. Then again I remember posts like this after Spiderman debacle or the tax "issue"...which no one cared about by the time NLOTH and 360 in particular rolled into town.

Once the dust settles, SOI will get the recognition it deserves (certainly the response here is vastly different to HTDAAB and NLOTH, and in good way). If Radiohead did this, everyone would be drooling all over themselves (oh wait...and theirs wasn't even free). But it's U2 SELLOUT Bono, so...

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

The legacy is fine. Then again I remember posts like this after Spiderman debacle or the tax "issue"...which no one cared about by the time NLOTH and 360 in particular rolled into town.

Once the dust settles, SOI will get the recognition it deserves (certainly the response here is vastly different to HTDAAB and NLOTH, and in good way). If Radiohead did this, everyone would be drooling all over themselves (oh wait...and theirs wasn't even free). But it's U2 SELLOUT Bono, so...

Agreed...

 

[Irvine511]

i've been a fan since the early 1990s.

they have never, ever had this kind of negativity -- at least Spiderman was just Bono/Edge.

yes, we can argue that all publicity is good publicity and people are thinking about U2, but this has not happened before. they might argue they'd prefer this hate to the previous indifference to NLOTH, but it really is out there (though, yes, i've seen the backlash to the backlash).

i'm just putting my concern face on.

 

[corianderstem]

I think we should wait a few more weeks before we start putting on concerned faces.

 

[Nick66]

The only outrage seems to be in here.

I'd venture to guess those who were annoyed at first seeing an unwanted U2 album on their phones and tweeted about it probably got over it about a week ago.

The probably Tweeted, moved on, and haven't given it or U2 a second thought.

Meanwhile, Interference has obsessed over it for a week.

It's like the guy who cuts you off on the road, and you scream and curse and throw the finger at him and he's not even aware of your existence.

 

[last unicorn]

Let's not forget that Social media, blogs, forums and basically everyone on the internet spitting out their opinion is something that hasn't really been there when U2 released their other albums. Any kind of backlash would be massively multiplied by it.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Fisher's jumped the fucking shark, man.

you know you keep saying that name and...

 

[corianderstem]

I ain't afraid of no ghosts Fake Fishers!

 

[Irvine511]

I think we should wait a few more weeks before we start putting on concerned faces.

but i have one for every day of the week.

 

[corianderstem]

Are you sure you're not talking about your concerned underpants?

 

[Hollow Island]

The probably Tweeted, moved on, and haven't given it or U2 a second thought.

Meanwhile, Interference has obsessed over it for a week.

It's like the guy who cuts you off on the road, and you scream and curse and throw the finger at him and he's not even aware of your existence.

No, people are still complaining. Search U2 on twitter.

 

[Irvine511]

Are you sure you're not talking about your concerned underpants?

my underpants are (almost) no one's concern.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

"A band that gained traction because of its rebelliousness (Sunday Bloody Sunday, anyone?) has three decades later become a signifier for the musical equivalent of corporatised fast food. Those two little characters - U2 - now have about as much integrity for serious music fans as McDonalds' golden arches do for foodies."

Read more: U2 free album verdict is in - an epic fail that could cost dearly

Can't disagree with this.

"Serious Music Fans"? Okay, what the hell is a serious music fan anyway? Is that a hipster, or someone who likes 50 cent, Miley Cyrus, or Justin Bieber? I guess im out of the loop.

Personally i tend to think that by giving away the album to 500 million people or whatever, was kind of rebellious. If for no other reason than it sure stirred up a shit storm!

Yeah there was money that changed hands, so what? A drop in the bucket for both parties i would assume. If u2 were a poor little indie band in their 20's and did this "stunt", articles like this would likely praise them for being rebellious. Because they are famous and such, i guess its okay to trash them.

In the end the only thing that really matters here, is the product (free or otherwise) any good?

 

[corianderstem]

my underpants are (almost) no one's concern.

And by "almost" you mean The Underpants Gnomes, right? They are EVERYONE'S concern.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

In the end the only thing that really matters here, is the product (free or otherwise) any good?

Which is the point of my previous post...if "Miracle" does well on radio and the retail sales send this to #1 then all the complaining falls by the wayside...seriously...

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

I ain't afraid of no ghosts Fake Fishers!

Somewhere underground there are a bunch of pairs of concerned underpants discarded by the illuminati. If you really want to know why they are so concerned, well, imagine the shit they've been through...

 

[Nick66]

I think the are going to be on a lot of "worst of 2014" lists in December.

I love the album, but right now, their legacy is hurting. They need to be good and they need to do it quick.

At one time I would have disagreed with you. I've said many times on this site that I thought U2's legacy was set, and that there wasn't much they could do to harm it from this point out.

I still think that's probably true, but I'm not as certain as I was last week. No, this stunt doesn't erase 35 years of music, and U2 will still no doubt rank among the biggest, most acclaimed acts in rock history, but I do think it's going to influence the way their legacy is written about in the future...it will certainly be noted, and not positively, in any appraisal of U2. The story won't be how groundbreaking this is, it will be about the backlash. And no one is going to be called SOI a masterpiece, or some kind of huge comeback. I think the music will be judged for what it is...a solid collection of mainstream pop songs.

The thing is, where public perception of something is concerned, the mistakes and gaffes that hurt the most are those that tend to reinforce an existing public perception of something. There was already sort of this notion among the general public that U2 were bombastic, self righteous and corporate "sell outs". Fair or not, this "stunt" only reinforces that perception.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

Which is the point of my previous post...if "Miracle" does well on radio and the retail sales send this to #1 then all the complaining falls by the wayside...seriously...

I don't know if a song does well or not on radio if its a free download? Don't the singles charts rely on airplay and downloads as well? I guess that would make the whole "giving the album away for free" move all the more rebellious if it holds true.

It would be nice if SOI goes to #1 when the physical release happens next month....that would be a nice middle finger to all of the a-holes complaining about this now. It probably won't happen... but the ticket sales to the upcoming tour should sell quite nicely.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

At one time I would have disagreed with you. I've said many times on this site that I thought U2's legacy was set, and that there wasn't much they could do to harm it from this point out.

I still think that's probably true, but I'm not as certain as I was last week. No, this stunt doesn't erase 35 years of music, and U2 will still no doubt rank among the biggest, most acclaimed acts in rock history, but I do think it's going to influence the way their legacy is written about in the future...it will certainly be noted, and not positively, in any appraisal of U2. The story won't be how groundbreaking this is, it will be about the backlash. And no one is going to be called SOI a masterpiece, or some kind of huge comeback. I think the music will be judged for what it is...a solid collection of mainstream pop songs.

The thing is, where public perception of something is concerned, the mistakes and gaffes that hurt the most are those that tend to reinforce an existing public perception of something. There was already sort of this notion among the general public that U2 were bombastic, self righteous and corporate "sell outs". Fair or not, this "stunt" only reinforces that perception.

Nick, if the music is good, and the album is well received after all this 'hoopla' dies down what does it matter?

The tour will be telling, if it sells out and the songs are well received live, then as I said earlier, the free give-away will be a footnote and the tone about it will change.

Surely someone, somewhere in the U2 camp should have seen this, but sometimes it takes a risk to get to something amazing. The negative reaction to this is all a part of the risk...but a huge album success and a massive, sold-out tour...that's the reward, and that's where I see this heading.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I don't know if a song does well or not on radio if its a free download? Don't the singles charts rely on airplay and downloads as well? I guess that would make the whole "giving the album away for free" move all the more rebellious if it holds true.

It would be nice if SOI goes to #1 when the physical release happens next month....that would be a nice middle finger to all of the a-holes complaining about this now. It probably won't happen... but the ticket sales to the upcoming tour should sell quite nicely.

It's based on purchases and radio play...Miracle is doing well at this point, and because it's part of a promotion package for the album, it'll get pushed more-so than Invisible.

 

[Sr. Poop]

I am actually quite interested to hear what Paul M will say about this strategy? Would he have allowed this?

Hmmmm


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

It's based on purchases and radio play...Miracle is doing well at this point, and because it's part of a promotion package for the album, it'll get pushed more-so than Invisible.

Okay, guess we shall see.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I am actually quite interested to hear what Paul M will say about this strategy? Would he have allowed this?

Hmmmm


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

...considering all the McG hate on this site, this is funny...


I have no problem w/McG...just saying...

 

[Nick66]

Nick, if the music is good, and the album is well received after all this 'hoopla' dies down what does it matter?

The tour will be telling, if it sells out and the songs are well received live, then as I said earlier, the free give-away will be a footnote and the tone about it will change.

Surely someone, somewhere in the U2 camp should have seen this, but sometimes it takes a risk to get to something amazing. The negative reaction to this is all a part of the risk...but a huge album success and a massive, sold-out tour...that's the reward, and that's where I see this heading.

I don't disagree. As a fan, all that matters to me is the music. But we're talking about the non-music aspect at the moment, and the other things surrounding this release. I agree that in a couple weeks (probably sooner) no one will care about all this.

That said, I'm not sure that all this attention U2 is getting means they are "relevant" again. People are talking about them, to be sure. But true, sustained cultural relevance would come if they released the record either without fanfare, or at minimum via a more traditional roll out, and all the stories were about how great the music was. But the music has been lost in that, no matter how good people may think it is or not.

So what you've got here is U2 buying notoriety, not relevance. It's like the fat millionaire who shows up at the party with a high priced call girl and wants people to be impressed because he has the best looking woman in the place on his arm. This is U2 masking, with a lot of glitz and glamour, the fact that they just aren't that relevant anymore. All this attention is the illusion of relevance. Though I'm not sure they had much choice other than to do it they way they did, otherwise they'd just risk being ignored (relatively speaking). Being ignored of course would be a LOT worse than the backlash they're getting now, so there's that. They did what they had to, given their goals.

But you're quite right, none of it will matter for the tour, which will sell out and would have even if they hadn't released a record.

 

[prbiker15]

I am actually quite interested to hear what Paul M will say about this strategy? Would he have allowed this?

Hmmmm


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

His comments can be heard in this radio interview:
I think you can expect a major U2 tour; Paul McGuinness discusses possible upcoming world tour | Shows

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

I just think all the Apple fallout is one-sided right now, and it's something to write/blog/bitch about for those who want to be heard for whatever reason.

The 'actual' U2 haters will hitch their wagon to it and ride it all they can, but the rest of the crowd will fall off like it always happens and forget about it.

What makes me laugh is thinking about all those people who are screaming "THIS IS AN INVASION OF MY PRIVACY" or "THIS ALBUM SUCKS"...and I'll guarantee you, if (and when) this album takes off they'll all be singing the praises of that 'awesome U2 album'......and how they got it for free (before they deleted it and then had to rebuy it).

 

[Irvine511]

hindsight and monday morning quarterbacking and all ... what i would have done, were i king, is the appearance and the commercial and the announcement either that:

1. Miracle is in your iTunes now and the album is free for one month if you want to go download it now
2. the album is free for one month, go download it now
3. the single is free and on iTunes, album is available and you have to pay

half measures? maybe.

i think there was no choice at this point but to do a corporate sponsorship -- and as these things go, at least it's about music. this isn't Sting in a car commercial, which is a fine distinction i know. but, yes, it is presumptuous to assume that everyone wants the album.

are people who whine about it insufferable? yes.
do most people actually care? no.
if you were U2 and you wanted everyone to hear your album would you have done this? yes.

but.

it comes at a cost.

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

hindsight and monday morning quarterbacking and all ... what i would have done, were i king, is the appearance and the commercial and the announcement either that:

1. Miracle is in your iTunes now and the album is free for one month if you want to go download it now
2. the album is free for one month, go download it now
3. the single is free and on iTunes, album is available and you have to pay

half measures? maybe.

i think there was no choice at this point but to do a corporate sponsorship -- and as these things go, at least it's about music. this isn't Sting in a car commercial, which is a fine distinction i know. but, yes, it is presumptuous to assume that everyone wants the album.

are people who whine about it insufferable? yes.
do most people actually care? no.
if you were U2 and you wanted everyone to hear your album would you have done this? yes.

but.

it comes at a cost.

The cost is not as much as it seems like right now...that's my take...the bumps and bruises are worth it to re-introduce yourself and to make a splash in a changing time and environment for the music industry.