U2 Manager Calls on ISPs, Governments to End Illegal Downloading

While Bono continues working on the "Red" campaign and the rest of the band plugs concert film U2 3D, longtime U2 manager Paul McGuinness has taken on a crusade of his own. During his keynote address at the International Managers Summit in Cannes, McGuinness called for an end to illegal music downloading and placed much of the blame squarely at the feet of Internet service providers. He also called out record labels for their lack of foresight and governments for not holding ISPs responsible for what pumps through their wires. McGuinness wants to secure the financial future for all bands. "There's a lot of money in the music business, but it has stopped coming to the artists," he said during his well-received speech. "U2 decided a long time ago that it would be pathetic to be great artists but not great at business."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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