Album Leaks: Are Tuesday’s Gone With The Wind?
TIME ran a story this morning on album leaks; the topic is interesting to me because it highlights a shift that happened within my lifetime. Prior to the web and the social epidemic of file-sharing, Tuesday was the holy grail of the record industry. New albums came about that day. Yet, in recent years, if I've heard about a new album and want to hear it, sometimes even months before the street date, I just search for it on YouTube and have always been able to gain access to the music. Does anyone truly wait to hear an album anymore? If not, what do we lose? The music is out there, people want to hear it; they find it and do.
From The Story: "In 1995, a Los Angeles radio station somehow snagged a copy of Michael Jackson's "Scream" and began playing it on air weeks before anyone was supposed to have heard the song. But back then, fans couldn't get their own leaked copies unless they recorded them off the radio. What once required patience and a little technical know-how now asks only for the click of a mouse button."
Call me a hopeless romantic, but I avoid downloading album leaks and look forward to release day. I have plenty of music to keep me occupied until the music is “officially” released, and I generally like the wait and build-up.
While I definitely understand why people download leaks, I like to wait to listen until I’m able to do so in the manner that the artist desired (high quality with liner notes/artwork, on vinyl, etc.).
Leaks, schmicks. What’s annoying is that record labels think they are fooling people with this leak crap. Yes I’m sure somewhere along the chain, there might be employees who would try and sometimes do succeed in getting hold of an album and doing whatever with it, but can we stop with this scam.
Eminem’s I’m Not Afraid, was supposedly leaked according to Interscope yet the very next day, there goes the video for the song debuting on quite a few sites. Its also incredible that the leaker was only able to get his or her hand only on the first official single. How come they didn’t leak the whole album since I would assume they have it.
And are labels trying to tell me they can’t stop leaks. Eminem recorded the album in his home studio, then handed it to Interscope. Universal manufactures their own CDs and they knew this would be a project “leakers” would want to get their hands on, so I assume some security measures where in place.
I’m guessing Em did not leak his own album, nor would the producers who had access to the tracks, since they want to get paid on as many sold copies as possible. So unless the FEDEX guy did it, its all a marketing ploy.
very unlikely that someone from “the inside” would leak a release. however, promos go out to press/editorial folks and are leaked through those channels all the time.