U2 Quietly Release Songs of Innocence Vinyl, Now Eligible for 2015 Grammys

You probably already have a copy of U2‘s Songs of Innocence, because it was given away for free by the band and Apple. (In fact, there’s probably a chance you don’t want your copy of Songs of Innocence, and have specifically endeavored to delete it.) But in case you want to buy it on vinyl, it’s in stores today in limited amounts, as Rolling Stone points out. And you have the Grammys to thank, apparently.

The Grammys’ guidelines state that in order for an album to be eligible for next year’s awards, it must be made commercially available by a certain date—whether on CD, vinyl, or digitally. (A free iTunes giveaway doesn’t count.) The eligibility date for the 2015 Grammys is today, September 30. 

Previously, Songs of Innocence wasn’t scheduled to receive a commercial release until October 14, since the album is free on Apple’s iTunes store until then. That would have put Bono and the boys out of luck until the 2016 awards. But Rolling Stone reports that a Grammys spokesperson has confirmed that U2 are now eligible for 2015 with today’s limited release. The album is still set for a wide release in regular and deluxe forms on October 13.

As Rolling Stone points out, it’s unclear whether this was U2′s plan all along, releasing a limited amount of vinyl two weeks before the wide release.

Watch a 2009 interview with U2:

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