If you buy the iPhone 6, you get a free “gift” whether you want it or not. U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence” will be installed free of charge on your iPhone until October, and afterwards, it will be available for purchase.
Not everyone wants this free gift, and some people are even severely annoyed by it. One of them is X-Factor judge, former reality show star and music manager, Sharon Osbourne. She tweeted, “U2, you are business moguls and not musicians anymore. No wonder you have to give your mediocre music away for free cause no one wants to buy it.”
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And she didn’t stop there:
“Guys, nothing is for free. How much are you making? P.S. btw, you are a bunch of middle-aged political groupies.” (perhaps she was generous by saying they were only middle-aged).
And she didn’t stop there:
“Whose political ass are you going to pull out of today? Or are you front row of another tragic fashion show.”
And she didn’t stop there:
“Jamie Iovine (boss of U2’s Interscope label), iTunes, U2. You are a bunch of megalomaniacs. FUCK YOU.”
And she did stop there, but her son Jack took the torch from his mother, tweeting:
“Hey U2. Just because you are giving away free shit doesn’t mean I want it. Thanks, now stay out of my iphone.”
U2’s Manager, Guy Oseary, gave a rather calm, common-sense response, given the intensity of the tweet battering from the Osbournes, ” It’s a gift from Apple. If someone doesn’t like the gift, they should delete it.” Even though Apple paid the band $1o0 million for the album to distribute for free, it had a space on its website devoted to instructing iPhone 6 customers on how to remove U2’s “Songs of Innocence” from the phone. But if you do take it off, keep in mind what you are throwing away. “For people out there who have no interest in checking us out, ” said lead singer Bono, “look at it this way. The blood, sweat and tears of some Irish guys are in your junk mail.”
There are few free gifts that aren’t paid for with guilt.
