Surprise release of Songs of Innocence

On 9 September 2014, U2 appeared at an Apple product launch event to make a surprise announcement of their thirteenth studio album, Songs of Innocence . They released it digitally the same day to all iTunes Store customers at no cost, making it available to over 500 million people in what Apple CEO Tim Cook called “the largest album release of all time”. Apple reportedly paid Universal Music Group and U2 a lump sum for a five-week exclusivity period in which to distribute the album and spent US$100 million on a promotional campaign. Songs of Innocence recalls the group members’ youth in Ireland, touching on childhood experiences, loves and losses, while paying tribute to their musical inspirations. Bono described it as “the most personal album we’ve written”. The record received mixed reviews and was criticised for its digital release strategy; it was automatically added to users’ iTunes accounts, which for many, triggered an unprompted download to their electronic devices that was difficult to delete. Chris Richards of The Washington Post called the release “rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail”. The group’s press tour for the album was interrupted after Bono was seriously injured in a bicycle accident in Central Park on 16 November 2014. He suffered fractures of his shoulder blade, humerus , orbit , and pinky finger, leading to uncertainty that he would ever be able to play guitar again.