Apple’s forced distribution of U2’s new album, Songs of Innocence, is widely regarded as a public relations catastrophe that damaged both brands.
We asked RAIN readers what they thought about free music landing in their devices. Welcomed gift, or abhorred gaffe?
The results are fairly definitive: Nearly two-thirds of respondents thought the gambit was acceptable, and that people should chill out about receiving free music:
Very few comments accompanied the voting in this survey, perhaps indicating that opinions were black-or-white, with little nuance.
- I liked it, but…: “I’m a huge U2 fan, so it was an awesome gift. My teenagers were not interested and quickly deleted.”
- Dangerous precedent: “I’m all for artists making music available for free to people who want it, but pushing it without them asking for it sets a bad precedent. How many other acts will want to do the same? Who decides which ones get their content pushed?”