Anyway back to the thread.. here's the letter from this week's NME:
BONO WRITES
I wanted to set the record straight on behald of the members of U2 on comment made to the BBC by our much-loved and valued manager, Paul McGuinness, rearding Radiohead's decision to make the music of 'In Rainbows' available as a download, using the 'honesty box' idea for payment.
We agree with our manager that this is a head-scratching and worrisome time for many musicians who, unlike ourselves, are depending on royalty or publishing cheques to pay the rent (particularly songwriters). We also agree that it is disturbing to see so-called 'disintermediation' of the music business [the cutting out of middlemen such as record shops, labels etc. between listeners and musicians caused by the internet - Ed] when so many music lovers are losing their jobs. And while there is no doubt that it's extremely difficult for new artists to get the kind of investment on which U2 depended in the first few wobbly years of recording, we disagree with Paul's assessment of Radiohead's release as "having backfired to a certain extent". We think they were courageous and imaginative in trying to figure out some new relationship with their audience. Such imagination and courage are in short supply right now...they're a sacred talent and we feel blessed to be around at the same time.
With respect, Bono