SONGS OF EXPERIENCE

When U2 delivered their new Interscope set, Songs of Innocence, to every iTunes user on 9/9, they not only hijacked the entertainment news cycle (and drove traffic to a sale on the band’s catalog) but also prompted a spirited conversation about how music ought to be distributed in this era of transition. Manager Guy Oseary insists that the album was a “gift” and not a “giveaway”; but this talk with us is a package he probably wishes he hadn’t opened.

How did the Apple initiative come about?
It started with a conversation I had with the band. It took them five years to finish this album, and it’s a very personal one—the songs are about the early years, about getting together as a band, listening to the Clash and the Ramones, their first times falling in love and getting in trouble. All of these early moments. We were very proud of it, very confident, and thinking, in today’s world, what can we do to make sure as many people as possible hear it?

That was the seed of the idea: How do we do this? It took time, and we went back and forth. Organically, we landed on Apple’s doorstep, for various reasons. One of the band members has a clear relationship with this company; they’ve done groundbreaking things together before and they work well together. Now, of course, Jimmy Iovine’s there.

It was practically 10 years to the day since they introduced the iPod. The universe basically brought us there. They’re forward-thinking and amazing collaborators.

How involved was Jimmy in the process? Who else at Apple played a big role?
Jimmy’s involved in every process—he’s part of the fabric of the U2 family. He was very helpful and supportive. We also worked closely with Eddy Cue, Robert Kondrk and his team, and Jimmy Dickson. There are a lot of things we’re hoping to do with Apple, with Robert leading the charge.

How do you respond to criticism that delivering the album for free devalues the music?
Apple paid for it, so the band was paid for the content. It’s a gift to the consumer. The deluxe album will come out and will have more [material]. I’m just happy so many people are seeing it.

So as far as you’re concerned, it was more like sponsored content?
It wasn’t free. The label made a deal. If Starbucks wants to present someone’s album and pay for it, great. Every artist has their own needs. This is paid for; it was a business transaction. If this means other companies will be approaching bands to pay them to use their music to reach the consumer, as a gift or a celebration or whatever, I think that’s a good thing.

I think Bono made it clear that we’re not in the free music business. We made it clear on our end that content should be paid for. Everyone’s got to figure out their own path. But people can jump to conclusions. There may be a course on this one day: All the good, all the bad, was it right? It’s new; it’s disruptive. When they were launching the iPod I’m sure a lot of people thought, who the hell’s gonna put music on that gadget? No one will ever buy music again!

That was another crossroads for the biz.
I wasn’t working with U2 then, but to me they were trying to do something brand-new. Yes, it was with a corporation, but one that we’re all using. They’re a great, forward-looking company and I’m glad that they’ll spend some time and money working on music. A lot of big companies out there don’t do that.

Some people want to see the glass as half-empty, and others see it as half-full. Everyone’s got their opinion. But to have 33 million people in six days engage with the band’s music is pretty exciting.

A lot of times, the reason people don’t buy an album or go to a tour is because they don’t know it exists. People work really hard on their art and if you have the ability to get a lot of people pay attention to it, it’s a great thing.

Do you think the Apple TV spot will expand the reach of the single?
The TV spot’s great—it’s very much a music video. We worked with Mark Romanek, who’s a great collaborator with the band. The idea, going back to that first conversation, was how do we get as many people as possible to hear the album? If the gateway is through iTunes, or other things, or music video, which will be done at some point, or a commercial or radio, we’re just happy that people will get a chance to experience the music. Every bit helps.