14 DAY TRIAL // As U2’s latest album, “No Line On the Horizon,” is getting rave reviews, lead singer Bono is using the opportunity to make a stand for the music industry as well. In a recent interview, the rocker admitted to being considerably better off than most artists out there, yet at the same time complained about the illegal downloads that had made of music a commodity such as “tap water,” according to a report in the Daily Record.
That Bono is against illegal music downloads is not something new, it has been pointed out, yet this is actually the first time that the rocker admits to perhaps not being the best person to advocate stricter regulation in this sense. This is not because of his music skills, which are not brought into question (and, some say, should never be), but more on account of the fact that, throughout his entire career, he has made a fortune big enough to shelter him from the damage incurred by illegal downloads.
“People think artists like me are overpaid and overnourished, and they’re not wrong.” Bono reportedly said in a recent interview. “What they’re missing is, how does a songwriter get paid? Music has become tap water, a utility, where for me it’s a sacred thing, so I’m a little offended by illegal downloading. The music business has been thrown to the dogs. That will change when file-sharing of TV shows and movies becomes as easy as songs. Somebody is going to call the cops.” the rocker added.
While Bono is right down to the point, several other music-oriented publications are stressing, the fact that he’s preaching again can’t but harm the way the band’s music is perceived by fans. While U2’s latest album has been received with rave reviews, most critics seem to agree that Bono’s activism makes it hard to the regular audience to listen to it without filtering it through his many statements regarding non-musical aspects.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to hear U2’s music without filtering it through your feelings about the other Bono, that strident, sanctimonious swirl of idealism, agenda and ego,” J. Freedom du Lac wrote in the Washington Post a while back, as cited by a Reuters piece.