UK Edition
Feeds
Bono has said that the pressure on bands to release their music for free could harm up-and-coming acts and songwriters.
The U2 frontman told The Sun that he still gets as nervous about releasing an album now as when the group first started.
Bono said: "The difference now is for new bands. They are under so much pressure to release their material for free.
"It's different for us, we have a loyal fan base who buy our records. We can also make money from touring, thanks again to our fans, who go out and buy tickets.
"The danger in giving music away free is for writers."
He added that classic writers like Cole Porter would not have been able to earn any money in the current climate, as they do not play live shows.
Last year, Bono publicly disagreed with his manager Paul McGuinness's claims that the pay-what-you-like release of Radiohead album In Rainbows had "backfired".
The singer praised the group's imaginative thinking and courage for the experiment, and described Radiohead as a "sacred talent".
