Many Apple users weren't all that pleased about the "gift" that appeared on their iPhones in the form of U2's Songs of Innocence following its Sept. 9 iPhone 6 event. The new album was available to 500 million iTunes users as a part of a promotional stunt with the band.

But it seems negative remarks didn't stop millions from listening to it.

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More than 81 million people "experienced" songs from the album, a global figure that includes plays through iTunes, iTunes Radio and Beats Music, according to Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services. About 5% of overall Apple users downloaded Songs of Innocence in its entirety; it was downloaded in full 26 million times.

Apple previously said that to "experience," in this context, means to have "listened to it," taking into account when people pushed play on iTunes or streamed the album through iTunes Radio and Beats Music. It's unclear how long these "experiences" took place, as Apple hasn't commented specifically on the length of the experience, be it a few seconds or a whole song.

"Previously, 14 million customers had purchased U2's music since the opening of the iTunes Store in 2003, Cue told Billboard.

Of course, 81 million is only about 16% of 500 million users, but Apple's free gift means the music spread to significantly more people than it would have otherwise.

"Apple is a tech company fighting to get musicians paid," U2 said in a statement to Billboard. "The idea that they wanted to make a gift to the very people that actually purchase music is both beautiful and poetic, and for that we are very grateful."

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