Music leak
Amusic leakis an unauthorized release ofmusicover the internet.Songs or albums may leak days or months before their scheduled release date. In other cases, the leaked material may be demos or scrapped work never intended for public release. Leaks often originate from hackers who gain unauthorized access to the online storage of an artist, label, producer, or journalist.
Sources
[edit]Unreleased music is often acquired by hackers who gain unauthorized access to the e-mail or cloud storage accounts of artists, producers or record labels.[1]
Some leaks originate from advance copies sent to journalists, either being leaked by the journalists themselves, or by individuals who gain unauthorized access to these advance copies. For example, the 2006Joanna NewsomalbumYswas leaked when a hacker gained access to anFTP servermaintained by the online music publicationPitchfork.[2]In 2015, a server controlled by the music websiteSpinwas hacked, resulting in the leaking of albums byBeach House,Mac DeMarco,andDestroyer.[1]
It has been alleged that some record labels intentionally stage leaks to create publicity.[3]
Distribution
[edit]During the1990s,leaked music was occasionally shared on the internet, despite relatively slow transmission speeds and music codecs being in their infancy. One of the first albums to leak on the internet wasDepeche Mode's 1993 albumSongs of Faith and Devotion,which was shared by fans in chat rooms.[2]
In the early 2000s, peer-to-peer file sharing sites such asNapsterwere widely used not only for musical piracy, but also for the distribution of leaked music. The landmark copyright lawsuitMetallica v. Napster, Inc.centered on the leak of a demo recording of theMetallicasong "I Disappear",which was planned to be released as part of thesoundtrack toMission: Impossible II.The leaked demo, which made its way onto radio airplay, was traced toNapster.[2]
As peer-to-peer file sharing services declined in popularity, other channels have been used for the distribution of leaked music, such asBitTorrentand "File hosting"services such asMediaFire.[2]
Reactions
[edit]When a song or album leaks ahead of its scheduled release date, record labels often react by moving the release earlier, a process which became simpler as music has shifted from physical to mostly digital distribution.[4]An early example of this wasEminem's2002albumThe Eminem Show.Originally scheduled for June, its release date was moved to May 28 after the album leaked that month.[2]
The effect of leaks on sales or popularity is unclear.[3]In 2000, the albumKid A,by the English rock bandRadiohead,was leaked online and shared on thepeer-to-peerserviceNapster.Asked whether he believed Napster had damaged sales, theCapitolpresident Ray Lott likened the situation to unfounded concern abouthome tapingin the 1980s.[5]In some cases, a leak may precipitate an official release for materials not planned for release. For example, in 2019, Radiohead releasedMiniDiscs [Hacked],an archive of recordings made around the recording of their 1997 albumOK Computer,after a hacker leaked them online.[6]
Labels may attempt to stop or slow the spread of leaked files by issuingDMCAtakedown notices to websites hosting leaked material, or search engines which index these sites.[3]
Prevalence
[edit]Album leaks have become increasingly common, with some record executives stating that, beginning in the late 2000s, most albums leak "as a matter of course", though many of these leaks occur shortly before the album's scheduled release and therefore have relatively little effect.[3]WhenWatch the Throne,a 2011 collaboration between rappersJay-ZandKanye West,was released without being preceded by any leaks, this was noted as an unusual circumstance for a highly anticipated album in the Internet age.[7][8]
Prevention
[edit]
Digital software
[edit]Copy protectionsoftware has been used on CD releases to prevent the unauthorised distribution of music onto online sites. A notable example of this was theCopy Controlsystem, adigital rights managementsoftware system used on around 22 million CDs from 2001 to 2006, which was discontinued in the wake of its supposed use as arootkitin theSony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal.[9][10][11]
Digital watermarks,typically used on CDadvance copieshave allowed leaks to be traced to their original source, are used to deter would-be leakers as it allows them to face legal action.[3][12]While the source of a leak is not usually announced, it has been in the past; an example of this was with the 2009ConvergealbumAxe to Fall,where the band publicly named and shamed Shaun Hand atMetalSucks.net,whom the album leak had been traced back to using a digital watermark on a CDadvance copy.This can be used to create viral negative publicity.[13][14][15]
Fake album releases
[edit]Prior to the release of her 2003 albumAmerican Life,Madonna planted files on file sharing websites purporting to be leaked tracks from the album; in fact, the audio files consisted of Madonna saying: "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"[16]Progressive metal bandToolalso announced a fake album called "Systema Encéphale"with a fake tracklist in order to deter and detract from leaks of their 2001 albumLateralus.[17][18]
Surprise or early releases
[edit]The rise in leaks during the 2000s led to some popular recording artistssurprise-releasingtheir albums.[19]Some artists have released their albums early in order to deter leaking, for exampleGreg Puciato's 2020 solo albumChild Soldier: Creator of God,which was released three weeks earlier than its planned release date in response to a leak.[20][21]
Notable album leaks
[edit]| Album | Artist | Release date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Untouchables | Korn | June 11, 2002 | Leaked in a slightly unfinished format four months before the album's planned release. The band said the leak originated from a hacker stealing files fromJames Shaffer's laptop,[22]though it has also been suggested the band's vocalistJohnathan Davisintentionally leaked the album due to a spat between the band and their record label,Epic Records.[23]The album's release date was moved forward a month.[24] |
| Hail to the Thief | Radiohead | June 9, 2003 | An unfinished version ofHail to the Thief,comprising rough edits and unmixed songs, leaked online ten weeks before release.[25]The guitaristJonny Greenwoodwrote that Radiohead were "pissed off", not with downloaders but because of the "sloppy" release of unfinished work.[26][27] |
| Dangerously in Love | Beyoncé | June 24, 2003 | Multiple songs from Beyoncé's debut solo album leaked online, leading to the sale of physicalbootlegCDs. The album's release date was moved forward two weeks as a result.[28] |
| X&Y | Coldplay | June 6, 2005 | Leaked a week before its official release, with an early recording ofTalkleaked in early 2005.[29] |
| Guapa | La Oreja de Van Gogh | April 25, 2006 | Two days before its official premiere, the telephone company Movistar offered a Sony Ericson phone with the 13 tracks from the album and the video of the first single preloaded in the phone, causing the album to already be pirated before its official release. |
| Axe to Fall | Converge | October 20, 2009 | Leaked from an CD advance copy fromMetalSucks.netstaff member Shaun Hand. The band traced the leak to him, and publicly named and shamed him onTwitter,prompting an apology from MetalSucks.[13][14][15] |
| 4 | Beyoncé | June 28, 2011 | 4was originally scheduled to be in the United States on June 28, 2011, however, the album was leaked in full on the internet on June 7.[30]The album would be released on schedule anyway. In August 2013,NMEreported thatSony Musicwere suing a 47-year-old man from Gothenburg for US$233,000 concerning the leak of4.[31] |
| Rebel Heart | Madonna | March 6, 2015 | Rebel Heartwas originally planned for an early 2015 release, with the lead single, "Living for Love",to be released onValentine's Day.Two tracks from the album leaked on the internet on November 28, 2014,[32]with an additional thirteen leaking on December 17.[33]In response to the leaks, Madonna made the album available to pre-order on theiTunes Storeon December 20 and gave those who pre-ordered early access to six tracks from the album. The lead single "Living for Love" was rush-released on the same date, far ahead of its planned release date.[34]On January 21, 2015, an Israeli man believed to have originally acquired the leaked tracks via hacking was arrested. He was ultimately sentenced to fourteen months in a Tel Aviv prison.[35]In social media postings at the time, Madonna described the leaks as "artistic rape" and a form of terrorism.[36] |
| Yandhi | Kanye West | Unreleased | The album was originally teased in September 2018, with a release on the 29th of that month. West went on SNL to promote the album, but it didn't release on that date.Yandhiwas reannounced asJesus Is Kingin August 2019; it was released on October 25, 2019. The album's tracks would go on to leak, and one track "Hurricane"made it to 2021'sDonda.[37] |
| XCX World | Charli XCX | Unreleased | The original third studio album by Charli XCX, unofficially referred to asXCX Worldby fans, would have been preceded by the singles, "After the Afterparty"and"Boys".The album's official release was cancelled after it leaked on 20 August 2017. Charli released a different album,Charli,in 2019.[38] |
| Future Nostalgia | Dua Lipa | March 27, 2020 | The album leaked in full over the weekend of 21–22 March. Lipa subsequently announced over Instagram live that it would be released a week ahead of its originally scheduled April release.[39] |
| Harry's House | Harry Styles | May 20, 2022 | Reportedly leaked in its entirety on April 20, 2022, a month before its release.Sony Music,who ownsColumbia Records,advised against listening to the leaks on Twitter,[40]and provoked a strong reaction from a portion of Styles' fanbase, who pleaded for people to not to listen to the leaks.[41]Regardless, the album was released on its originally scheduled release date of May 20.[42][43] |
| Renaissance | Beyoncé | July 29, 2022 | Two days before the scheduled release, on July 27, the album arrived in retailers in France and eventually leaked online.[44]Beyoncé would post an open letter onto her website the following day concerning the leaks. |
| The Tortured Poets Department | Taylor Swift | April 19, 2024 | Leaked in full on April 16, 2024, three days before the album’s official release date. Fans on Twitter (or X) had mixed reactions, ranging from shock to rage. Swift never commented on the leaks. |
See also
[edit]References
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- ^ab"Converge Call Out Metal Site On Leaking" Axe To Fall "To The Internet".Theprp.com.2009-10-06.Retrieved2022-05-28.
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