It's an article of faith in the music industry that pre-release album leaks hurt sales. I don't have the statistics to argue the case in either direction, but it makes sense on a gut level: there's less reason for fans to run out and buy a new record, when they already have the uncompressed files on their hard drives.
As if the record industry hasn't tasted enough bitter irony lately, a bunch of album leaks over the weekend apparently came from a service used by music labels to share files with radio stations, media, and other trusted insiders.
According to a post on absoƖute, somebody signed up for an account with Play MPE under false pretenses, claiming to be an Australian music critic. Then this person--apparently a teenage boy--figured out how to access music he wasn't entitled to, including upcoming releases by The Black Keys, Macy Gray, Hole, The Gaslight Anthem, and many other artists.
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-20003331-27.html
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As if the record industry hasn't tasted enough bitter irony lately, a bunch of album leaks over the weekend apparently came from a service used by music labels to share files with radio stations, media, and other trusted insiders.
According to a post on absoƖute, somebody signed up for an account with Play MPE under false pretenses, claiming to be an Australian music critic. Then this person--apparently a teenage boy--figured out how to access music he wasn't entitled to, including upcoming releases by The Black Keys, Macy Gray, Hole, The Gaslight Anthem, and many other artists.
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-20003331-27.html
