U2's 'No Line On The Horizon' Leaks Online - And Now Streaming On MySpace For Free

U2, their manager, and their record label, have all been very vocal about their hatred towards music piracy and albums being shared online. So much so, in fact, that they were determined that new album, No Line On The Horizon, wouldn’t befall that fate.

Obviously, once an album is out there on the streets and available for all to buy, it will be made available on the Internet, via peer-to-peer networks and in the form of torrents. That’s just a fact, and there’s not really anything anyone can do about it.

However, bands can try to prevent the album leaking ahead of release in order to ensure good first-day sales. U2 has tried to ensure this is possible by limiting access to the album. Rather than sending out preview copies, the band have held ‘Listening Parties’ where journalists have had to all listen to the album together in closed rooms where recording devices are prohibited.

Unfortunately for U2, these overly-harsh precautions have been made redundant by a simple and stupid error by Universal Music Australia. It put the digital version of the album on sale at its getmusic.com.au site three weeks before the release date.

The download was only available for a few hours, presumably until someone with some nous realized the mistake, but that was enough for hundreds of fans to get hold of the album. Inevitably, No Line On The Horizon is now available on file-sharing sites across the Web.

From today, the new album is also available to stream for free on U2’s MySpace page, and will be right up until the album is officially released on Monday, March 2, 2009. You can hear the full album by clicking on the cover in the player’s sidebar.

I’ll be reviewing the album, No Line On The Horizon before it is released. Be sure to keep your browsers pointed at Brit Music Scene in order to hear my opinions and then give your own.

[Photo Source: Amazon.co.uk]