Nowadays no one has to wait until the release date to hear their favorite artist’s new album, because they can find it weeks earlier online.
With many records being leaked online weeks before their shelf dates, the traditional business model for the music industry is being challenged, and some artists have responded by releasing their music online prior to the traditional date of release.
Artists including Fiona Apple, The Dave Matthews Band and Brand New had their demos leaked prior to the official release of their finished products.
Some artists including independent label bands The Format and Stars released their albums digitally prior to their shelf date to combat this phenomenon.
“The horse is out of the barn,” said Brad Pope, owner of Compact Disc store located on Jefferson Highway and Government Street, regarding technology’s involvement with music today.
Pope said he fears the day he has nothing to stock in his store as music becomes more digital. The traditional model for releasing a record involves months of marketing before its actual shelf date. Scott Heisel, Alternative Press magazine music editor, said he thinks at some point all music will be released digitally after an album is finished.
When a band announces it has completed a record, online searches of that artist are at their highest.
“The impact of a leaked record comes down to whether or not the record is any good,” Kyle Anderson, Spin Magazine assistant editor said. “A leaked record from a relatively unknown band can create a lot of buzz.”
Some independent artists have embraced online album leaks, because they want fans to hear their music regardless of personal profit.
But Heisel and Anderson both said a leaked album hurts the label more than the artist because the majority of the album sales go toward the label.
“It’s the independent labels that don’t have a lot of money – supporting these bands that are saying it is OK to steal from them,” Heisel said.
Mass communication professor Emily Erickson said college students are the most likely to indulge in the album leaks and illegal downloading.
“College students download the most,” Erickson said. “They’re more likely to try new music. They have access to huge T1 lines, and they have less money.”
Some students on campus did not know they could download an album before its release date, but some said they were obtaining their music online – legal or not.
Erickson said she thinks album leaks have made official release dates obsolete.
But Anderson said he thinks some form of release dates will always exist.
“Media outlets will still want to time things out, and there will always be albums that people anticipate,” Anderson said.
But Bradley said he thinks people will be less likely to buy an album if they have been listening to leaked songs weeks prior to its release.
“Once you hear the song for awhile, that ‘boom’ day is over,” Bradley said.
Erickson said she thinks the music industry is in need of change.
“What we’re talking about is a [business] model being challenged, and whoever has stakes is going to be mad,” Erickson said.
Anderson agreed with Erickson.
“Honestly, the people who are most hurt by illegal downloading are record executives who have been stealing from artists for years so I consider this development as a bunch of talentless [record executives] getting their just desserts.”
—Contact Adam Pflieder at [email protected]