Bono says sorry about that automatic iTunes album

Last month Apple surprised its users with U2's newest album for free, something that resulted in a huge number of downloads...not all of them intentional. Some users expressed frustration with the automatic downloads and the inability to reverse them, which eventually prompted Apple to release instructions on how to nuke the album. Fast-forward a bit and Bono has addressed the mini snafu in response to a fan's question, saying that he is sorry for the forced download and explaining what went awry with their "beautiful idea".

Bono gave his response to the album's release in a video posted on U2's Facebook page, where the group answers various questions sent in by fans. Among the questions was one from someone named Harriet, who said, "Can you please never release an album on iTunes that automatically downloads to peoples' playlists ever again? It's really rude."

"Oops. Um, I'm sorry about that. We had this beautiful idea, we got carried away with ourselves, artists are prone to that kind of thing. Drop of megalomania, touch of generosity, dash of self-promotion and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years mightn't be here. There's a lot of noise out there, I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it."

And there you have it. Artist over-enthusiasm is to blame, says Bono. On a related note, as of yesterday the Songs of Innocence album is now available to the general public for download, and can no longer be had for free from iTunes.

VIA: Apple Insider