Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that he had “one more thing” up his sleeve before introducing the Apple Watch at Apple’s gargantuan event on Tuesday, but as it turns out, he had two. Legendary rock band U2 took the stage post-Watch to jam out “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone),” a track from its new Songs of Innocence album—an album that Apple released to all iTunes users immediately after the performance for the low, low price of absolutely nothing.
Yes, the blockbuster new album from one of the biggest bands in the world is free on iTunes right now. The whole thing. All of it. Seriously, go check it out.
“It makes music history,” Cook said after hitting a mock button that sent the album out over the Internet. “Largest album release of all time.”
You’ll already find Songs of Innocence in the Albums section of iTunes or the iOS Music app, and it will hit Apple’s Beats Music and iTunes Radio streaming services on September 10, if you prefer renting to owning. The album will be an Apple exclusive through mid-October—you won’t even be able to buy a physical copy of the album until then. Even if you’re not signed up with any of Apple’s music services today, anybody who gets on board with iTunes before October 13 will receive a free copy of the album.
Apple and U2 have a long history of collaboration, from the old U2 iPod released in 2006 to Apple’s participation in the (RED) charity, which was founded by U2 frontman Bono.
Updated 4:10 E.T. with details about Apple and U2’s past collaboration efforts.
Author: Brad Chacos, Executive editor
Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and tweeting too much. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.