Here's my take on the issue of the reasoning behind the Box set and its price, why they've done it, etc.
Given that the band has been around for a good quarter century, still at the height of their careers, as they've showed more pride in their latest work by the intense promotions lately, they deserve to release the collection of work as they have. If you take a look at other artists who have re-released their body of artwork, whats the difference in the track selections? U2, Tom Petty, Nirvana, etc. all dip in to their old stuff- that's what a Box Set is and IT NEEDS TO COST MONEY. Why fight the idea that someone be paid for their work, simply because they already have alot of money?
U2 have said that 'Atomic Bomb' is their first album. There are many reasons for this, but they are approcahing this financially as their first album too, as they are the Box Set- they need to be paid for this work just as they needed to be paid for 'Boy'.
U2 sets an example for the entire recording industry's community for the fair treatment of artists who MUST be paid for the work they've made and that's a huge reason why they've made this partnership with Apple. U2 wants their music readily available, as any musician would, and they want to be given credit for it, as any musician would. When U2 is paid for their work, what do you see them do? - Get right back in studio and make music that speaks to US, THE LISTENERS and that's their way of thanking us for the hard work that translates into the money we give them. What we give them comes back to us in their talents and IDEAS that go beyond the realm of a dollar bill.
There are so many artists that don't appreciate their fanbase, but U2 does. They always go for the innovation to keep us interested, while other artists's live off of tired old ideas. In order for U2 to keep up with the times, they need to be compensated and have the motivation and backing of business to succeed and remain relevant.
I personally came to terms with buying the ipod and soon purchase of the Digital Box Set because I want to support where the band wants to go with the future of the music industry. They aren't money mongers that eat up everything they see. They are setting a precendent that hasn't been set yet, in affect, being guinea pigs and voices for artists that might be fairly compensated for their work.
Think of it this way. U2 has to believe that their fans have enough money to purchase their work. OK. So, lets show the rest of the world that people are WILLING TO PAY FOR THEIR MUSIC!!! WOW what a concept, pay for your music. If they attack the problem of illegal downloading NOW by making music easily available for download for cheap ($150 for 476 songs is dirt cheap), then maybe sometime in the future the dollar amount will catch up with what artists lose by unauthorized free downloads. If the problem is gotten to now, and musicians are paid, the benefits is to the fan because the money that is lost on free downloads and high ticket prices.
If you were an artist/ musician, how would you feel if your work was traded without your permission and you weren't compensated for it? If this is you, then you have to make up your losses some other way, right? So, a musician and his people have to boost ticket costs, cd costs, merchandise costs. If the stealing is stopped, the prices might fall, and to me, this whole experiment U2 and Apple is taking on might bring the benefits of fair costs and fair payment back to music, instead of greedy listeners stealing music and music labels making up for their losses with unbareably hig prices.
Sorry for the length of this but it had to be said.
mofo82
