They incurred the wrath of millions of Apple users around the world when their last album was automatically downloaded to people's iTunes library, but U2 have not ruled out releasing their new record in a similar fashion.

The band are due to release their follow-up album, 'Songs of Experience', next year, and guitarist The Edge has said they are currently exploring "all options".

"We haven't figured it out yet, but our intention would be to get it out sometime in the back end of next year.

"It's the same problem, sort of. I can see so many great albums get released and they just disappear. It's so hard now to capture people's attention," he said in an interview with 'Hot Press' magazine ahead of U2's homecoming tour later this month.

The 54-year-old said that, despite the controversy of the automatic download of the album last October, it actually had its benefits by bringing U2's music to a new, younger generation of fans.

"When it was first released the music wasn't really the focus of the attention from the media. The method of the release was what people were concentrating on. So it's great now, with all that s**t forgotten, that people are discovering it's a great record and that the songs are really strong," he said.

"I would not rule out doing something similar with the next record," he added.

"When we're coming out with the next release, we'll try to think something that is a new thing, and a fresh way of getting music out there."

Irish Independent