Brady is right - U2’s deal with Apple

Musician Paul Brady’s criticism of U2’s $100m (€77.3m) — reputedly — deal with Apple to release their new album free to iTunes users will resonate with anyone whose work can be accessed through the internet without payment.

“Music costs money to make. It has value. It should not be given away free. Shame on you, U2,” Brady wrote on Facebook. “This is a further and highly visible nail in the coffin of a sustainable music business from a band that continually waffles on about fairness and human values,” he continued.

This criticism will hardly perturb U2, as they have already weathered a storm over their self-serving decision to become tax exiles. But maybe it should. The Apple deal seems another indication of where their values really lie. The authors fighting Amazon over what they get paid for their books, and maybe even farmers fighting retailers over the price of beef, will empathise with Brady’s assertion. Maybe it is time to reconsider the balance of power between those who control access to the markets and those who produce goods.