Apple paid undisclosed sum to release U2’s "Songs of Innocence" for free

As expected, Apple shelled out for the opportunity to give away a free copy of U2’s Songs of Innocence to iTunes customers, a group that numbers nearly 500 million people, reports Time.

“We were paid,” U2 frontman Bono said. “I don’t believe in free music. Music is a sacrament.” He also alluded to a broken music charting system and an industry that has tried, but failed, to keep pace in a digital age. Ironically, Apple’s iTunes nearly single-handedly brought about the seismic changes to which Bono refers.