[News] U2 Said to Play Role at Apple Event
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101983466
For Apple's big announcement on Tuesday, expect some big news about the
iPhone, and also about the company's latest product, the so-called iWatch.
And also expect something big from U2.
Read MoreThis is what Apple shares do after new products
Extending a decade-long connection with Apple, U2 will play a significant
part in Apple's event, which will be held at a performing arts center in
Cupertino, Calif., the company's home base, according to three people briefed
on its plans. In addition to performing, the band will reveal an integration
with Apple's products that is connected to its next album, which is expected
to come out by the end of the year, according to these people, who spoke
anonymously because the band's appearance — and its deal with Apple — is
supposed to be a surprise.
U2
Getty Images
U2
Spokesmen for Apple and the band declined to comment.
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U2's relationship with Apple goes back at least to 2004, when the company
introduced a "Special Edition" iPod that came etched with signatures of the
band's four members. Bono, its lead singer, was also close with Apple's
former leader, Steven P. Jobs, and recently U2's associations with Apple have
grown even closer. Jimmy Iovine, the record producer who was U2's longtime
handler at its record label, the Universal Music Group, joined Apple as part
of its $3 billion deal to acquire Beats Electronics, the headphone company
and digital music service that Mr. Iovine founded with Dr. Dre.
Exactly what U2 will reveal on Tuesday, and how it is connected to Apple, is
unclear, and people close to the band grew hushed and reluctant when pressed
for specifics. Last week, when speculation about the band's involvement began
to circulate through the music industry, the best guess was that its next
album would come installed on the iPhone 6. People close to the band
dismissed that idea, but said that U2's deal with Apple would involve the
release of new music in an innovative way, and Apple's event would partly
serve as a big, splashy stunt to generate publicity.
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The hunt for ever more surprising stunts has become a critical part of music
marketing as sales of CD's and downloads decline. Last year Beyoncé set a
high bar for other artists and record companies by releasing a full "video
album" without advance warning, using her fame and popularity on social media
to generate buzz for the release. Since then Weird Al Yankovic went to No. 1
with the help of a weeklong release of viral videos, and Taylor Swift made
the mere announcement of her new album a minor news event by streaming a
talk-show-style gathering with fans.
U2 is known to be eager to release its next album, and also anxious about its
status in the current pop landscape. The group seemed poised to release a
record earlier this year, when it unveiled a new single, "Invisible," during
a Super Bowl commercial; selling that song on iTunes also raised more than $3
million for charity. But the album has been repeatedly delayed, and Bono has
spoken publicly about the challenge of staying relevant as the band grows
older.
Read MoreThis chart says Apple's in big trouble: Trader
U2's last album, "No Line on the Horizon," released in 2009, has sold a
disappointing 1.1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen
SoundScan.
—By Ben Sisario, The New York Times
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I've seen things......you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I've watched C-beams......glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate.
All those moments will be lost......in time...
...like tears......in the rain.
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