Edna Gunderson from USA Today reported on a debate among U2’s older fans about the merits of the band’s participation in the iPod + iTunes Vertigo ad. I didn’t start listening to U2 until the early 1990s, so I never really understood the anti-corporate tendencies that the band and their fan base exhibited early on. It’s that cohort that loved the band before The Joshua Tree album that seems to be up-in-arms.
I’m from the school that thinks that U2 will go down in history as one of the most savvy rock bands around because they got fully behind digital music early on. They’ve done so few commercial endorsements in the past that their iPod + iTunes ad speaks even more loudly. It’s pretty clear from Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen’s comments that U2 considered its involvement with Apple from every angle before jumping in with both feet.
I didn’t think the Apple U2 Special Edition iPod was that significant a product until I saw that it had reached number 2 on the Amazon.com Early Adopter List for Computers. I was pretty sure that this iPod would do well simply because U2 has a tremendous following, but it’s hard to believe that it would be selling this strongly without the push that comes from the iPod + iTunes Vertigo ad.
I think U2’s association with the iPod culture is a win-win situation. I wouldn’t be surprised if U2’s new album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, achieves blockbuster status in terms of CD and iTunes sales.