On Demand
Smackdown: Music Leaks
Some artists, like Bono and Deerhunter, accidentally leak their forthcoming albums. Others boost their songs over the release-date transom. And fans who know where to find leaked music will gobble it up. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we debate whether music leaks are ultimately good or bad for music fans. We're joined by Eliot Van Buskirk, columnist for Wired.com, and Ben Goldberg, owner of independent label Ba Da Bing.
Ba Da Bing Records
Eliot Van Buskirk's "Listening Post" blog (Wired.com)
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I really think that leaks are great for band development. I recall a story about New Order and how they'd bring an acetate of that day's work to the club at night to see how it played.
The thrill of sharing something fresh, and the immediate response was instrumental in the development of their tracks.
Peter
Nobody talks about the economic impact of bootlegs on a band. Bootlegs can kill an indy band. When I used to tour in US and Europe in the late 80s, record sales at shows put gas in the tank and fed the band.
Some clubs made live bootleg tapes off the board which sold cheaper than the albums. This can kill a tour and ultimately kill a band.
Regarding reviewer leaks the labels should send out vinyl to review or flexi-discs. They aren't leak proof but they take a lot more effort to rip to a digital format. Totally cost ineffective with pressing, and shipping fees but everyone knows vinyl sounds better anyway.
Hey guys, good topic - leaks of imperfect low quality files do probably help rabid fans obsess more completely - I'm all for that kind of support, but I think if artists thought it was all that great, you'd see more "accidental" postings of incomplete songs by artists. I suspect artists want things to sound perfect, and just like the unfortunate pix of celebrities without their makeup, sometimes it's the final polish that makes all the difference turning something you wouldn't even notice into a knockout. But - this is just a collateral distraction to the real battle which sounds as if it's already conceded; that is, the rampant theft called "sharing" of fully viable files, which may be all great for music would-be consumers, but for a non-touring act it's economic murder, and criminal, and I can't condone the ongoing ho-hum attitude that since everyone can do it so easily that it's ok! That's not how society needs to make ethical decisions and I regret that you feel that way Eliot... but love the discourse!
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