http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/busin ... .html?_r=1
To release U2’s album free, Apple paid the band and Universal an unspecified fee as a blanket royalty and committed to a marketing campaign for the band worth up to $100 million, according to several people briefed on the deal. That marketing will include a global television campaign, the first piece of which was a commercial that was shown during the event.
Bono, U2’s lead singer, alluded to the deal himself at Apple’s event. After the band performed, he and Mr. Cook playfully negotiated over how the album could be released through iTunes “in five seconds.” Mr. Cook said it could if the album was given away free.
“But first you would have to pay for it,” Bono said, “because we’re not going in for the free music around here.”
Mr. Oseary, who took over management of the band less than a year ago, stressed in a phone interview after the event that the music still had value even though it was being given away.
“This is a gift from Apple to their customers,” Mr. Oseary said. “They bought it and they are giving it away.”