In an interesting move, Universal Music has agreed to allow U2’s music (along with the rest of its song catalog) to be downloaded free-of-charge through SpiralFrog.com provided that the downloader watch a commercial while waiting for the download. The other catch - you can’t burn the song onto a CD. It can only be played on the computer the file was downloaded from and will not be compatible with iPods.

Reported in Sydney, Australia’s The Daily Telegraph, and picked up on around the world from various entertainment news sites, SpiralFrog plans on making the downloading available in the US and Canada starting in December and Europe in 2007. The New Zealand Hearld is reporting that this free download deal will not be available in New Zealand. It goes on to say that “It is understood the New York-based company will track visitors to the website through Internet Protocol (IP) address, preventing those from outside the United States and Canada from downloading the free tunes.”

So, in the spirit of ZooTV, enjoy the advertising while waiting for the tune to download later this year when the service becomes available.

Australia’s 873AM is reporting that Internet ticket scalpers will be targeted under a new crackdown on auction-based websites, such as eBay. The state government will consider forcing online sellers to publish ticket seat and row numbers to stop people being ripped off. It’s hope the move will create a fairer system, after six U2 tickets were sold on eBay for $12,000.

In case you missed last Tuesday’s episode of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert took the time during his “Word” segment to talk about how Jay-Z and MTV are partnering with the United Nations to help raise the issue of people in developing countries needing clean water. As part of the segment, Colbert referenced Bono’s work and how rock stars should be, well, just rock stars, claiming Jay-Z is joining the “Bonoreich.” To view the full segment from Comedy Central’s Motherload, click here. (It’s called 99 Problems - in case you have a pop-up blocker)

For those of you following the Red Campaign, Forbes.com (now partically owned by Elevation Partners) has a story about the rollout of the Amercian Express Red card, where 1% of purchases charged on the Red card will go towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The story quotes Bono from his press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland during January: “This is really sexy to me. It’s sexy to want to change the world.”

Based on the success of the card in the United Kingdom, American Express may roll it out in the United States. I guess we’ll have to stay tuned.

To read the full story, visit the forbes.com site here.

Story from Ireland Online:

Late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence’s brother Rhett made sure the upcoming biopic about his brother was kind to former lover Kylie Minogue and friend Bono, because they have both been “so respectful” of the singer’s memory.

Hutchence is a consultant on the film Slide Away, and insists the movie will give people a true sense of who the New Sensation singer really was.

He tells website TheHollywoodNews.com: “Michael’s life was an interesting one. God he lived. The project (handles the subject matter) in a way I believe everyone is treated pretty fairly.

“(It’s) a very difficult task to constrict something like this in such a manner that is honourable to Michael’s memory, to my niece (Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence), to Kylie, etc.”

Hutchence says he “can’t say enough good things” about the Spinning Around singer and is grateful to her and U2 frontman Bono for being discreet after Michael’s death.

He adds: “They’ve been respectful to Michael’s memory. They know how they feel and what their personal relationship to Michael was and they don’t, in my mind, feel they need to prove what they were to my brother in any way, shape or fashion.”

This list of Chuck Norris-style facts is making the rounds and was sent to me by @U2’s Marylinn Maione. The following facts were edited by me–I thought they were funniest.

Note: if one of you came up with this, good job, and if you know who wrote this, could you send that person my way? I wish I would have thought of it! Cartoon possiblities abound.

Larry Mullen Jr does not play drums, he beats them.
The real reason Larry couldn’t be the leader of the band was his 17 different kinds of awesome caused fans’ heads to explode during concerts. To balance out the situation the lamest was selected.
Larry Mullen Jr CHOOSES when to grow wrinkles.
Larry Mullen Jr’s body naturally produces his own styling gel.
Once at a press conference, Larry Mullen Jr. was asked what he thought about drum machines. There were no survivors.
Larry Mullen Jr does not run. Instead the ground beneath his feet rotates faster.
Larry Mullen Jr’s rhythm keeps the rotation of the Solar System in balance.
Larry Mullen Jr does not need to adjust for tempo. Time adjusts itself out of fear.
Larry Mullen Jr owns Norway.
When asked why he never gets to solo Larry Mullen Jr replied “I don’t want to shatter your perception of reality.”
When Larry Mullen Jr gets drunk he actually gains braincells.
Larry Mullen Jr once met Chuck Norris and it was declared a “draw.”
When the Grim Reaper dies Larry Mullen Jr. will come to collect him.
Larry Mullen Jr has two settings. Drum, and be annoyed at Bono.
NATO made Larry Mullen Jr grow his hair to produce air drag to slow him down. Be glad it does.
Larry Mullen Jr’s *glare* cannot be photographed by man-made cameras.
The British retain possession of Northern Ireland only because Larry Mullen Jr. lets them.
Larry Mullen Jr’s heart is a smallblock V8 engine.
Larry Mullen Jr. will never die. The only way he can die is if you kill him. Larry Mullen Jr. would like to see you try.
Larry Mullen Jr challenges statues to staring contests. The score so far?
LARRY MULLEN JR - 1,345,147
STATUES - 0

(Trend chart courtesy of the Center for Global Development)

A lot has been said over the past few weeks about U2 moving some of their business out of Ireland to the Netherlands. In earlier blog posts, I listed some stories that quoted some Irish politicians who were quite irate at Bono in particular for taking away potential tax dollars that Ireland could have spent on helping those in need, going so far as claiming he was being contradictory.

What some news organizations missed was the Center for Global Development’s recent announcement that the Netherlands ranks #1 among the 21 richest nations in allocating tax dollars to combating global poverty in seven key policy areas: technology, security, environment, migration, investment, trade and aid.

So, perhaps U2’s asset move isn’t that bad after all? Sure, it’s easy to point out that it’s because of a major tax law change, but maybe the decision might have been different had Ireland made the same level of commitment as the 13 other countries who scored higher.

The New England Patriots NFL football team is asking fans to select the new touchdown song for the 2006 football season. Apparently, “Rock and Roll part II” was getting a little old so they’ve decided to change it up.

Fans are being asked to select either:
The 1812 Overture (a favorite in Boston around July 4)
Ain’t Talkin’ About Love - Van Halen
Song 2 - Blur
Thunderstruck - AC/DC
Yeah - Usher
Elevation - U2

If people don’t like those choices, the Patriots are allowing folks to suggest something different.

Voting is going on now at the New England Patriots’ Web site. Click here to cast your vote!

Hello everyone! Just back from today’s session at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit and I wanted to give a quick update. A full story will follow in the upcoming days on @U2, but for those who want the quick soundbyte as to what was covered, here you go!

If you caught any of Bono’s speeches at UPenn, Harvard, the National Prayer Breakfast, or any of the DATA-related speaking engagements, then you didn’t miss much. Speaking to a global audience of over 80,000 people simultaneously, Bono took the opportunity during his interview with the founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago to challenge christian church leaders to take up the cause for Africa.

The interview was recorded a few weeks ago at a hotel near Bono’s home in Dublin.

The one thing I’d like to comment on is how awesome it was to 1) enjoy U2’s music in a church setting, 2) watch the audience’s reaction to things U2 fans have heard millions of times (Bono drinking game anyone?), and 3) hear Bono state “I am not Mother Teresa” and realize I wasn’t the only one laughing. (OK - maybe that’s 3 things to comment on.)

More soon….

Jerry Aronson’s documentary The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg is being released on a deluxe 2 DVD set to educational institutions. Included in the film are interviews with Joan Baez, Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Paul McCartney, Hunter S. Thompson and yes…our own Bono just to name a few.

U2 has had some fun with Ginsberg. Many will remember the memorable reading of U2’s “Miami” atop a building in New York City on February 12, 1997 by Ginsberg which made it into their Pop coverage on MTV. (This is not in the film, I’m told.)

The DVD is available to colleges, universities, public libraries and high schools at the moment.

For more info and to see a short clip with Bono talking about Ginsberg, visit here.