U2’s new album Songs of Innocence launched today, right at the end of the big Apple event. They’ve given it out for free to all existing iTunes customers in 119 countries, and all future customers into October.
This makes the album launch the largest launch in music history.
“From the very beginning U2 have always wanted our music to reach as many people as possible, the clue is in our name I suppose—so today is kind of mind-blowing to us. The most personal album we’ve written could be shared with half a billion people… by hitting send. If only songwriting was that easy,” said U2 lead singer Bono. “It’s exciting and humbling to think that people who don’t know U2 or listen to rock music for that matter might check us out. Working with Apple is always a blast. They only want to do things that haven’t been done before—that’s a thrill to be part of.”
The new album is exclusive to iTunes customers for the next 5 weeks, after which it will see a wider launch on other platforms. Check your account for pending downloads to get your copy.