U2: No multiplatinum on the horizon

Set against the current backdrop, you might feel that "only" flogging half a million albums in the first week in the US is the sort of "fail" most bands would chop their drummer up into little pieces for.

But from U2, No Line On The Horizon managing that is pretty humiliating. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb outsold its follow-up nearly two-for-one.

DigitalMusicNews is pointing the finger at the album being led out by a clunking single; certainly, there are signs of mounting panic at U2central in the deal that now sees the record being more-or-less given away as a four bucks download on Amazon.com. That's presumably to try and shore up the numbers.