Bomb or Dud: U2 Release Their First Single For Free?

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Moser

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Because that would be kickass!

What better ways are there to promote an upcoming album? The press will have articles everywhere announcing the free single, online, in print, and radio. Plus, it's a great PR builder.

Just saying....Imagine the possibilities.
 
And really, to buy one song on itunes is 1 dollar. is 1 dollar going to make or break anybody here?
 
popacrobat said:
And really, to buy one song on itunes is 1 dollar. is 1 dollar going to make or break anybody here?
Click to expand...

I think this is a key point... saving people $1 wouldn't really be that big of a deal, anyway

however if you want the song for free i'm sure it won't be hard to find :shrug: but might as well sell it to the people willing to spend
 
popacrobat said:
And really, to buy one song on itunes is 1 dollar. is 1 dollar going to make or break anybody here?
Click to expand...

No, but there are many people out there who aren't willing to simply sign up and buy using their credit card a song.

NIN, I believe, released their entire album for free with a simple thank you. U2 doesn't have to go that far but they can say something like"Thanks for trying out the song. If you do like it, buy our album on this date", except worded probably better.

For those who are going to steal the album, will steal it. But it's a promotional idea, and attracting a larger audience, no matter what percentage will steal, is better than a smaller one.
 
Is this topic asking whether it will fail or flop? Or does bomb mean success...
 
U2's first single from their releases generally is their biggest hit (Pride, With or Without You, Desire, Discotheque, Beautiful Day, Vertigo) from the album. The one time a strategy of giving the song away could have worked was with "The Fly" as that wasn't the most radio-friendly song and was really a way of showing the world that U2 had changed directions. If U2 have another "Fly" on this future album, meaning a great album track but one that isn't all that radio-friendly, then releasing it as a "free" track could indeed be a great way to advertise the album. In conjuction with that "free" release, they could release a far more radio-friendly song as their true first single. This double whammy (great radio-friendly track plus free song) could give them a huge boost on iTunes (download the radio-friendly song and get the other song for free) and give fans a chance to hear 2 songs from the upcoming album. This could be a great marketing idea as it could give U2 a top 10 hit on the charts, while also showing they are savvy with the idea of sharing music for "free".

But just giving away the first single could backfire, much as it did with Radiohead's free album release.

I think a better promotional idea is for U2 to sign a contract with Sirius Satellite Radio. More and more cars come with Sirius and subscribers can also listen to Sirius over the 'net. I have this and love it. Springsteen, REM and the Stones have all had their own stations for a short period - usually to advertise a new album release. In this case, it would be all U2 all the time! :drool: This could bring more members to Sirius and be a great way to advertise the new album. It won't be forever either - usually these types of stations last just a few months.
 
Even though the industry is in disarray, it's making artists think more creatively for promotions, which is good.

The Sirius idea is good. Springsteen has had great success with that one - it especially works for bands with an extensive back catalog.

I could see the band giving away the single for a limited period, much like Coldplay just did. That doesn't seem so odd anymore.

I kind of hope that they don't lead off with the smasheroo single this time. I think it has a wearing effect after a while, like "Here it is, everyone! Lap it up!" I hope they have a "The Fly" or "Numb" which introduces the album in a more subtle way.

A lot of bands are streaming complete albums on their sites for a limited time prior to release. REM has had some neat visuals things for Accelerate, including a DIY video thing - fans download clips, mix them however they like, and upload them to the REM site. That was cool band/fan synergy.

Either way, I fully expect U2 to think outside the box for this round. Much like having the U2 iPod was a novel idea, I think they'll make some new advances for 08/09. They really need to be proactive on this one - people expect innovation from U2 and the cracks will definitely show if the band just cycles through the regular old promotion routine.
 
- Release it for a $4.95 physical CD single with a b-side or two and I'll rock up to my local and buy it.

- Release it only as a $1.69 I-Tunes download and I'll just Limewire it.
 
doctorwho said:
U2's first single from their releases generally is their biggest hit (Pride, With or Without You, Desire, Discotheque, Beautiful Day, Vertigo) from the album. The one time a strategy of giving the song away could have worked was with "The Fly" as that wasn't the most radio-friendly song and was really a way of showing the world that U2 had changed directions. If U2 have another "Fly" on this future album, meaning a great album track but one that isn't all that radio-friendly, then releasing it as a "free" track could indeed be a great way to advertise the album. In conjuction with that "free" release, they could release a far more radio-friendly song as their true first single. This double whammy (great radio-friendly track plus free song) could give them a huge boost on iTunes (download the radio-friendly song and get the other song for free) and give fans a chance to hear 2 songs from the upcoming album. This could be a great marketing idea as it could give U2 a top 10 hit on the charts, while also showing they are savvy with the idea of sharing music for "free".
Click to expand...

That's actually not a bad idea. Normally I'd say releasing two songs practically at once is overkill, but the one-two punch of Violet Hill and Viva La Vida seemed to work well for Coldplay.

I do hope they do something innovative with this album release, but that's not nearly as important as the music itself. As long as the music is amazing it won't really bother me if they just release it the exact same way they release any other album :shrug:
 
U2 put the U in bUy

I don't think there's anything particularly innovative/ambitious from a marketing perspective in giving away free stuff
 
So much speculation...I want "concrete"! Come on! I can't take this anticipation; I'm fully expecting some kind of official statement in July...if not, I might get a little nervous.
 
I vote that U2 release this album for free..with a bonus dvd of them recording it included..i mean think of all the cash people are going to spend for these remasters?!
 
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