With 40 years of rock history behind them, U2 are taking a somewhat futuristic approach to hyping their upcoming album, teaming with Amazon Music for a first-of-its-kind broadcast called “The U2 Experience.”
Fans of the Irish band will be able to tune into what Amazon calls a “new type of radio” that will feature historical music, live performances and interviews as well as exclusive new content. The event will launch simultaneously across multiple time zones on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EST in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Austria and will be available to Amazon Music account holders via multiple platforms.
The one-time broadcast is designed to end just before the Friday release of the band’s new album, “Songs of Experience.”
Amazon Prime members and Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can also access the audio through Alexa on Echo devices, by simply sayng, “Alexa, play The U2 Experience.”
According to a news release, “The U2 Experience” features a chronology of the band’s career, including commentary surrounding the significance behind iconic songs and legendary stories from the road, as told through live broadcast interviews. Some of the band’s biggest hits are also included, along with live recordings of songs from “The Joshua Tree” and “Songs of Experience,” recorded during “The Joshua Tree Tour 2017.”
Alex Luke, Amazon Music’s global head of programming, also interviews the band, in a recording that took place during a stop in Sao Paolo, Brazil, during the tour this fall.
“Few bands have as storied a career as U2, and we saw an incredible opportunity to build a broadcast for their fans,” Luke said. “This all goes back to voice innovation, and what we’ve built is an immersive, ephemeral listening experience for our customers, with a wealth of interviews and content going back nearly 40 years.”
Meanwhile, check out a deluxe edition of the new album — in blue vinyl — coming off the presses in this Twitter post from U2’s official feed:
The Deluxe Extra edition of Songs of Experience rolling off the presses. Translucent cyan blue double vinyl , CD digipack with 4 extra tracks, exclusive poster, 16 page SoE newspaper & download card. Pre-order now – https://t.co/XhGU0nJ5zL #U2SongsofExperience pic.twitter.com/8IdYD714MB
— U2 (@U2) November 23, 2017
