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Long time U2 manager Paul McGuinness put in his two cents on the “free”/illegal digital music debate that’s been raging.  With ISPs setting up copyright alerts and “sanctions” to deter online piracy, it’s only a matter of time before the onus is put entirely on ISPs to prevent downloading altogether.  McGuinness even cited Spotify and their shift toward a payment model.  McGuinness has been a long time advocate of intellectual copyright protection and he and U2 have a lot to gain if they can protect their extensive catalog from illegal downloads but they’ll never recoup the millions in potential revenue already lost to U2 over the years.

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The famous U2 “Claw” stage from the slowly winding down 360 tour is going on the auction block. Probably for some astronomical fee, your city or town can install the claw on your waterfront, parking lot or stadium complex. The band’s management actually had three of the stages built and believe that wherever they go, they’ll provide an attraction that will bring large crowds of concert goers. Unfortunately for fans, U2 won’t always be playing at those shows : (

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This fall U2 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the album that represents the single most dramatic change in sound for the band in its storied career.  Following the two album arc of the The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree which solidified U2′s reputation as the best rock band on the planet at that time, U2 wanted to reinvent themselves and experiment with a new sound.  They brought on Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to produce and moved their gear to Berlin following Germany’s reunification.  The result was a game-changing album and the evolution of U2 from a rock band to global phenomenon.  Now, 20 years later, the band is reissuing the album with rare never-before-seen footage and outtakes from classic songs on Achtung Baby and Zooropa.  Early comments from the band suggest that the outtakes are interesting and the footage is startling.  Warm up those wallets…

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Every day U2 become more and more politically important.  It appears that during Obama’s speech regarding the military withdrawal from Afghanistan, US House of Representatives Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi was AWOL.  Instead of attending the press conference where she could have sat lazily to the side looking bored and less important than the President, Pelosi was rocking out at a U2 concert.  Sources say that Pelosi was able to score great seats.  That this is a story at all surprises us.

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With U2 landing at Glastonbury this weekend with their enormous stage and coming off being awarded the title of highest-grossing touring act of all time and highest earning musicians of the year, a gaggle of protesters has decided to face the rock band with placards and signs denouncing their tax evasion practices.  U2 often promote civil rights and debt relief among other social causes but have moved their entire corporate base out of Ireland to the Netherlands which doesn’t tax music royalties as heavily.  Protesters claim that U2 moved a significant amount of wealth out of Ireland at a time when the country is facing austerity measures and could use the taxes from the money U2 earns to help face the economic downturn.

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It’s official!  U2 is definitely playing Glastonbury this year.  The rock giants had to pull out of the famous British festival last year and haven’t played there since the 80s but this year they’re on the bill, and they’re bringing their own stage to play on.  The U2 360 tour’s now infamous “claw” is coming to Glastonbury with them.  It’s a curious decision given the other bands that are attending but U2 have now become synonymous with extravagance.  Maybe they should trade in their claw stage for debt relief.