Iggy Pop criticises U2 at lecture on free music

Last night, Iggy Pop hosted the annual John Peel Lecture to discuss "Free Music in a Capitalist Society", and how the music industry's approach to the value of music has changed in the last decade.

One of the main criticisms was how he saw U2 link up with Apple to deliver their new album for free to anyone with an iTunes account earlier this year. The stunt received a huge amount of public backlash, mainly because there was no option to opt out of it.

Iggy summarised this by saying, "The people who don't want the free U2 download are trying to say, don't try to force me. And they've got a point. Part of the process when you buy something from an artist, it’s a kind of anointing, you are giving people love. It’s your choice to give or withhold. You are giving a lot of yourself, besides the money. But in this particular case, without the convention, maybe some people felt like they were robbed of that chance and they have a point."

The lecture continues to explore the ethical minefield that is music piracy, as well as discussing how the industry has begun to branch itself out in order to make up the lost funds from the sheer drop in album sales in the last few years.

The lecture was broadcast on BBC 6Music and can now be streamed via the iPlayer here.

More News

Abby Sage shares new single 'Soak'

With her eagerly-awaited debut album landing early next month, Abby Sage has now dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length... 1 month 1 week ago

Lauran Hibberd unveils new single '2nd prettiest girl (in the world)'

With her eagerly-awaited new album set to land next month, Lauran Hibberd has now dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length... 1 month 1 week ago

Wallows return with new single 'Your Apartment'

Following on from the release of their highly-praised studio album 'Tell Me That It’s Over', Wallows have now returned to share a brand new single... 1 month 1 week ago

English Teacher deliver new single 'R&B'

With their eagerly-awaited debut album set to arrive in the coming months, English Teacher have now dropped the next cut to be lifted from their... 1 month 1 week ago

Head Sound deliver new single 'Like A Painting'

Following on from the release of their much-loved 'Demos' EP back in 2022, New York-based outfit Head Sound have now made their eagerly-awaited... 1 month 1 week ago

Kim Gordon unveils new single 'I'm A Man'

With her eagerly-awaited new album now less than a month away, Kim Gordon has dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length.... 1 month 1 week ago

Holly Humberstone announces new EP 'Work In Progress'

Following on from her incredibly well-received debut album 'Paint My Bedroom Black' last year, Holly Humberstone has now announced her plans for a... 1 month 1 week ago

Georgia returns with new single 'Too Much Too Little'

After the rousing response to her much-loved studio album 'Euphoric' last year, Georgia has now returned once again to deliver a brand new single... 1 month 1 week ago

Pearl Jam announce new album 'Dark Matter'

After returning with their long-awaited comeback LP 'Gigaton' in 2022, Pearl Jam are now back once again to announce the details of their new studio... 1 month 2 weeks ago