Bono Apologizes

The band took some heat for the scheme, which automatically uploaded the album without asking users for permission. Apple quickly released a one-click removal button to enable customers to remove the album.

In a new video interview posted on Facebook, the band answered questions submitted by fans and Bono was questioned over the method behind the album release.

“Oops … I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I had this beautiful idea. Might have gotten carried away with ourselves. Artists are prone to that thing. A drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity, a dash of self-promotion, and deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years might not be heard. There’s a lot of noise out there. I guess we got a little noisy ourselves to get through it.”

It wasn’t completely altruistic. The band reportedly made about $30 million to $100 million for the noise.

This won’t be the last we hear from U2 and Apple, however. The band wrote in a note on its website that they’re planning on collaborating on “some cool stuff over the next couple of years” such as “innovations that will transform the way music is listened to and viewed.”