U2 At Apple Event Announcing New Album

Just before Apple announced their new line of iPhones, U2 took the stage to debut their new single, "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)," and then announced that they were releasing their new, surprise album, Songs of Innocence, right there for free thanks to a deal with Apple. Watch the full performance.

In a statement later posted on U2.com, Bono wrote, "To celebrate the ten year anniversary of our iPod commercial, [Apple] bought it as a gift to give to all their music customers. Free, but paid for. Because if no-one's paying anything for it, we’re not sure “free” music is really that free. It usually comes at a cost to the art form and the artist… which has big implications, not for us in U2, but for future musicians and their music... all the songs that have yet to be written by the talents of the future… who need to make a living to write them." He continued and wrote, "We’re collaborating with Apple on some cool stuff over the next couple of years, innovations that will transform the way music is listened to and viewed. We’ll keep you posted. If you like Songs of Innocence, stay with us for Songs of Experience. It should be ready soon enough… although I know I’ve said that before…"

If you haven't already, you can download Songs of Innocence for free in the iTunes store. The album was produced by Danger Mouse, Flood, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, and Declan Gaffney.