# U2 “Songs of Innocence” iTunes giveaway

> Apple offered U2's album to over 500 million accounts, then built a tool to remove it.

- Owner: U2 / Island Records / Interscope Records; Apple (distribution partner)
- Kind: Music
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2014-09-09
- Milestone date: 2014-09-15
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 50 (Notable), v1.3
- Mechanics: Controversy, Transgression, Response chain, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

Apple added U2's album to iTunes accounts without an opt-in. Complaints spread on Twitter, into press and a Conan parody. Apple supplied a removal tool and Bono apologised. The paid US release opened with 28,000 sales.

## Timeline

- 2014-09-09 — U2 / Apple (Audio) — Apple released Songs of Innocence free to iTunes accounts in 119 countries after U2 performed at its event.
- 2014-09-09 — The Verge (Press) — The Verge reported that the album had appeared in iTunes users' purchased sections within moments.
- 2014-09-09 — Jacques Greene (@jacquesgreene) (X) — Jacques Greene joked on Twitter about sending recordings to Bono's iTunes after the giveaway.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/u2-songs-of-innocence

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “U2 “Songs of Innocence” iTunes giveaway.” Case HIS-01547. Spread Score v1.3: 50/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01547