U2 ALERT -- UPDATE: FIRST TWO LEGS OF TOUR ANNOUNCED

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Take that back!

I respect your opinion, but torrents are not going away, as The Pirate Bay case will prove.

Albums are still selling well (thanks in large part to online stores like iTunes and Amazon), people (including myself) will continue to support great live acts, and the box office seems to be setting records every year, despite a poor economy and rising ticket and concession prices.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Thought it meant "I Am The Shit."

U2 lost me around the Zooropa era. I wasn't huge on Achtung, Baby (Bono songwriting session: "It's all right . . repeat, repeat . . she moves in Mysterious Ways! Awesome! That will stand up next to the lyrics for Sunday Bloody Sunday, absolutely!"). And the whole Zoo TV thing looked like a band that was saying "We're experimenting! New styles!' when in actuality image had overtaken music. And Bono at some awards show - MTV Video music? - saying in a speech that "We're going to keep f%$#ing the mainstream!" didn't ring true because by that time, it was easy to note that U2 IS the mainstream.

I heard that the last album was sort of a comeback, a return, but the first single in the iTunes commercial - Vertigo? - was a turnoff for me personally. I did hear that their tour was awesome, and I'd see them if tickets were reasonable and I wasn't saving for a show of an artist I really like. Still love their old stuff, and consider the 1990s a lost period for them (sort of like Metallica).

I agree with those who say that illegal downloading for albums that are available in stores is the wrong thing to do. Hell, I'm a Metallica fan; I supported the fight against Napster. (Where's McNulty to freak out and justify stealing music because artists already have enough money, whereas it's wrong for people to steal our work because we're not rich?). The only non-iTunes music I download is live bootleg recordings, because only pricks out to make money on artists' work are charging for those.

Anyone who is a journalist wants to be paid for what they do. Anyone who is a ditch-digger, engineer, doctor, etc. wants to be paid for what they do. We have no right to deny anyone that, while also seeking to be compensated for our own work.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Since I perceive at least part of this post to be directed at me, I would like to point out that I did, in fact, pony up the $3.99 for the U2 album, which I find to be a perfectly reasonable price. I will also repeat that I get most of my music from eMusic, which I'm also happy to pay a reasonable price for. I choose to buy very few actual hard-copy CDs these days, because I don't have a decent used CD store near me, which is where I got most of the 1,000 or so of those relics that I still own.

And I suppose none of the holier-than-thou folks piping up on this thread have ever had a friend burn them a copy of something? Yeah, right.

I never said it was OK to illegally download music. It's wrong -- period. But I understand why people do it, and the recording industry should also understand and should adjust its stance on and pricing of digital downloads. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would happily pay $3-5 to download a hell of a lot of albums that I would certainly not pay $10-15 for.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Burning a copy is different. People making copies of music they purchased has been around for a long time.

But in those cases, at least someone paid for the music in the first place. And, amusingly, people understood that copies were of lesser quality. They don't get that many online illegal downloads are already of downgraded quality. heck, iTunes is of downgraded quality according to some audiophiles.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

So as long as the torrent you download it from was created from a purchased copy, it's all good?

Ridiculous argument.

With rare exception, digital downloads are nowhere near a lossless format. They're all compressed, and many have that DRM bullshit. iTunes is the worst offender in both regards. Why someone should pay anywhere near the same price for a digital download as a CD is beyond me, and that's my primary argument in this whole debate — the industry needs to lower the price of digital downloads.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Sure it is. That's why I never made that argument.

I instead noted that downloads are never of high quality, yet people don't seem to care like they did when copies of buddies' tapes were of downgraded quality.

You mentioned friends burning copies. I continued on that line. Never mentioned torrents, never thought of torrents.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

I got it this morning. I'm on my second time through it now, and while I'm enjoying it, I don't think it's the best thing since Joshua Tree (I believe Rolling Stone was touting that). I actually think I like Atomic Bomb better, but I'm still very impressed with this one.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

The CD is not very good.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Did Bono save the world in the process of making this record?

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

I understand where you're coming from, madhavok -- as I noted above, even I think he's overboard at times.

I just checked the link again, and it's still at $3.99. Thought it might just be a one-day deal; maybe it goes until midnight Pacific. Or maybe, as Barsuk rightly pointed out, people are finally realizing that digital downloads should cost a lot less than CDs.

Again, hope the thread was helpful for those who like the band. That was its only intent.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

Of course Dave, you're just helping. I'm 27 and do find myself listening to U2, just the older stuff. If I saw the link I'd probably post it as well as a service to the U2 fans on the board. I wish a lot of my favorite bands offered this kind of del via digi albums.

 

Re: U2 ALERT -- Amazon offering full new album download for $3.99

It's all good, madhavok. And the older stuff is a great listen, so I'm glad that works for you.