Sharon Osbourne claims that U2’s music is so mediocre that they have to give it away for free.

The former ‘X Factor’ judge has hit out at the latest material from the band – which has been made available as a free download – saying that they’ve transformed from being musicians to “business moguls”.

Reflecting on ‘Songs of Innocence’ – U2’s first record in five years – Sharon tweeted: “U2, you are business moguls, not musicians anymore. No wonder you have to give your mediocre music away for free, ’cause no-one wants to buy it (sic).

“Nothing is for free. How much you making? P.S. BTW you are just a bunch of middle-aged political groupies.”

Sharon even posted a link removal tool for the album, adding: “Here’s how you say NO to U2’s new record that was forced upon you by iTunes.

“This is an invasion of my private space. My entertainment space… Shame on you, what about up-and-coming artists who need to sell their music?”

Meanwhile, the Official Charts Company has revealed that free downloads of the album will not count towards the UK chart.