This is becoming an increasing problem. I’m a huge U2 fan and agree with what you say. I’m also a big Sinatra fan and the record companies have been doing the same thing over the past several years with his new material – they’ll add one or two unreleased tracks on a previously released album and make them unavailable without purchasing the whole thing. An even sneakier tactic is the way they’re adding special tracks to albums that you can only buy at certain stores. The regular version is sold everywhere while the ‘special extra track(s)’ version is only sold at one or two retailers.

Steal the songs and be done with it. Sheesh. If they can’t be bothered to sell you music in the format you want it, than they’re just stealing from you by making those three songs cost more.

“Part of me wants to complain to Apple, and part of me thinks it’s probably not them…it’s probably the music industry bigwigs.”

You’re right – it’d be the Recording Industry. Apple don’t call the shots on stuff like that. Jobs is flat-out keeping those vultures to the 99c flat rate.

I mean, the Recording Industry wanted different prices for new songs, different song packages with different prices – you think they aren’t behind this as well??

I think the agressiveness of your attacks should be directed towards the band itself instead of their label (licensor and bludgeoner) or the host of said music. If they truly “care” about their fans, they will push for this change. Good luck with that.

The RIAA may not like it, but U218 is available on allofmp3 for US$3.30 for the entire album (oddly, not the same as iTS) as well as each song being available on its own.
Pick your format, bitrate and download. All DRM-free.

It’s a commercial decision. They put 3 new tracks on the Greatest Hits album to get fans like you to buy the whole album.

Otherwise, they would have released it as an EP.

I understand how you feel. Not sure whom to blame though, but think about it: Someone says “Let’s put out a greatest hits album, just a few years after the last one.” They only put on the new tracks so that someone would buy the thing. Do the math and you would conclude that everyone stands to make more money to buy the whole album than to just allow fans to buy a couple songs. Otherwise, who would buy it? Further, you shouldn’t be too upset. Afterall, before ITunes, you really couldn’t buy one or two songs (with the exception of 45′s or CD singles). I’ve bought more than a few albums (from other bands) with only one or two good tunes on them. As a huge U2 fan, I purchased the Deluxe Limited Ed. and was very pleased with the Milan concert DVD. It makes it all worth it and necessary for the serious U2 clloector. Anyone know where I can find it on vinyl?

I understand the feeling, but it seems kind of useless to complain. U2 is a big business. And the record company even bigger. If they only sell 3 news songs for $2.97 to their loyal fans on iTunes, it’s hardly worth the bother. After Apple, the credit card companies, and the government takes their cuts, the record company and U2 will have less than a buck to share, probably much less. Can’t really fault them for trying to make it a commercial success. It’s like asking them to go on tour, charge $10 a ticket and gome home with $500 at the end of the night. If you were U2 would you leave all that money on table?

The “music industry” is, of course, really the “disc industry”. And, their business model generally depends on selling discs or some other package that has a similar cost / profit ratio.

Apple’s main concern with the iTMS is that you continue to be willing to pay “disc prices” per song and get, in return, no physical disc and a locked-down, un-owned, TOS-licensed file. Maybe Apple’s own concerns would be different if they weren’t trying to work within the parameters set by the disc industry–it’s hard to say.

But, either way, you’ve got big, self-interested, corporate enterprises mediating between you and the musicians. In the case of U2, you might best direct your complaint to them–at this point, they are the ones who give the disc industry and iTMS the power to get in between the band and their fans.

Many bands get locked into contracts with record labels–record label contracts are very scary. But, a band like U2 with fans like you could choose to work outside of those contracts, and succeed.

Thanks for all the great discussion so far! There seems to be a trend toward pointing my frustration at U2 themselves…which is an interesting idea.

Also, I wonder, is there a precedent for this? Has there been a case where a band has overridden or otherwise chosen to release new songs singly on iTunes?

If you’re not familiar with it, you might find interesting this Negativeland interview with The Edge. And, coincidentally, there’s already a petition to get Bono to take a stand against DRM.

I think there’s some sense that the members of U2 care about their fans and, because of their success, could have more impact on the policies of the record labels that are not so much in the fans’ interests.

I appreciate that you keep your blog going and allow comments. To me feedback is an interesting part of a website.

I’m not sure how to take the whole band/industry angle on this. Tonight I tried to buy single songs from rather obscure bands (Television, Yo la Tengo, etc.), and discovered this phenomenon for the first time. I’m not sure who’s still alive from Television, and I DO think YLT would take $10 for a concert ticket! Maybe the music industry is in on it, but it simply makes sense that Itunes feels more revenue can be generated, and without going into reasons why, they will certainly cut off their nose to spite their face. If it is the industry, then Itunes ought to grow a sack & use its own leverage to stand up to them. It’s all misguided in any case. I agree with above comment…”just steal the music.” I know plently of outlets where I can get exacly what I want for less than ITunes.

ITunes is of course also making profits from this complete scandal… I will go find another place to bring my business.

I heard a song on the soundtrack to Bully i want by fatboy slim…went to the album i already own half the album, i guess i downloaded them at different times off the same cd…the song i want is the album only song i wouldn’t mind shelling out the 6 dollars for the other 5 songs i don’t have but i’m not buying the other six that i ALREADY bought off itunes.

I’M VICTIMED AS THE ARTIST. I’m an indie rock artist (Sleeping dogs lie) and I have 5 cds on there through my distributer CD Baby and iTunes has changed all of my cds to “album only”. I’m a small artist and very few people will by my music as a full cd. I was doing just fine with the single song downloads. Now, my downloads have dramatically decreased since this lame action from iTunes and the greedy corporate music sleezness. I’ve contacted both CD Baby and iTunes with no response. This is ridiculous. All of my downloads and cd money goes to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure anyways… I’ll keep fighting as the little guy.. as usual. KEEP UP THE FIGHT!
Best,
Eric

You know what happens when I see “album only” for a song I would like to download? I immediately download it illegally. The entire album. And I don’t feel all that bad, either. I would estimate that this has occurred 7 times. That would have been $70 when I really only needed to spend $7. I realize we’ve gotta work together to make legal downloading work, but this can’t be the way.

I’d rather send a buck to the people who made the music….

It’s not only U2. I found it for “The End” by the doors, and “Mondo Bongo” by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. Maybe I am just lucky, but 2 songs out of my last 3 searches….

I have to qualify your argument though by saying that before the internet was used to sell music, albums were made for the purpose of being able to profit off of music. Artists couldn’t really release songs individually because of the cost of shipping and packaging, etc. It would have costed them more than they would have been able to make on it. And now with the internet they have no such costs, so yeah, they could stand to sell songs individually while still making a profit.

But I think you’re forgetting something. And it must be noted that we are spoiled. Before iTunes, no one was really able to purchase just a single song from an album unless it was indeed released as a Single. Be grateful that now you have the luxury of picking apart an album in the way that we can now.