The Anatomy of an Album Leak
There was probably much panic when “Reflektor,” the title track and first single from the upcoming Arcade Fire album, escaped into the wild ahead of its official release on Monday.
You can bet that there will be many resources dedicated to making sure the full album doesn’t get heard until its October 29th release date.
Check out this article about album leaks at Pete Hates Music:
You’re a musician. You work hard on an album. It leaks to the Internet ahead of its scheduled release. Do you cancel your celebrations and go ballistic, or simply shrug? If you’re Simon Cowell, you call the police.
It’s typically viewed as a lose-lose situation for all the players involved in an album leak (except maybe the anxious listener) . Whether you’re an artist, a record label, or a retailer, you never want to see an album leak days or even weeks in advance. If you’re an Internet torrent user or belong to an online downloading group, then leaking it early will bring you “mad cred” (a term that’s surely in the Oxford English Dictionary)
Ways an Album Can Leak
Despite everyone’s apparent best efforts, virtually every album will leak. But just how does an album leak? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Very interesting and detailed stuff. I knew some of the basics, but the case studies, and your insights, were great.