Music leak
{{Short description|Unauthorized leak of music online}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
A music leak is an unauthorized release of music over 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
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.{{r|guardian-2019}} Some leaks originate from advance copies sent to journalists, and are leaked by the journalists themselves or friends, family members etc. with whom they shared the music. Journalists rarely leak music directly to the public, at least not intentionally, as doing so jeopardizes their careers and may even violate legal agreements (i.e.. similar to non-disclosure agreements). Some leaks follow a combination of both aforementioned routes: unauthorized access to journalists' storage. For example, the 2006 Joanna Newsom album Ys was leaked when a hacker gained access to an FTP server maintained by the music publication Pitchfork.{{r|pitch}} In 2015, a server controlled by the music website Spin was hacked, resulting in the leaking of albums by Beach House, Mac DeMarco, and Destroyer.{{r|guardian-2019}} It has been alleged that some record labels intentionally stage leaks to create publicity.{{r|fact}}
Distribution
During the 1990s, 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 was Depeche Mode's 1993 album Songs of Faith and Devotion, which was shared by fans in chat rooms.{{r|pitch}}
In the early 2000s, peer-to-peer file sharing sites such as Napster were widely used not only for musical piracy, but also for the distribution of leaked music. The landmark copyright lawsuit Metallica v. Napster, Inc. centered on the leak of a demo recording of the Metallica song "I Disappear", which was planned to be released as part of the soundtrack to Mission: Impossible II. The leaked demo, which made its way onto radio airplay, was traced to Napster.{{r|pitch}}
As peer-to-peer file sharing networks attached to specific, usually proprietary software (e.g. WinMX, LimeWire) declined in popularity, other channels have been used for the distribution of leaked music, such as BitTorrent and file hosting websites such as MediaFire.{{r|pitch}} The same channels that are used for music piracy more generally will also be used for leaks.
Reactions
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.{{r|cbs}} An early example of this was Eminem's 2002 album The Eminem Show. Originally scheduled for June, its release date was moved to May 28 after the album leaked that month.{{r|pitch}}
The effect of leaks on sales or popularity is unclear.{{r|fact}} In 2000, the album Kid A, by the English rock band Radiohead, was leaked online and shared on the peer-to-peer service Napster. Asked whether he believed Napster had damaged sales, the Capitol president Ray Lott likened the situation to unfounded concern about home taping in the 1980s.{{cite news |last=Farley |first=Christopher John |date=October 23, 2000 |title=Radioactive |volume=156 |work=Time Europe |issue=17 |url=http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/1023/radiohead.html |url-status=dead |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311074531/http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/1023/radiohead.html |archive-date=March 11, 2011}} In some cases, a leak may precipitate an official release for materials not planned for release. For example, in 2019, Radiohead released MiniDiscs [Hacked], an archive of recordings made around the recording of their 1997 album OK Computer, after a hacker leaked them online.{{cite web |last=Hogan |first=Mark |date=June 12, 2019 |title=Radiohead fans vs. black-market sellers: the battle to leak the OK Computer tapes |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/radiohead-fans-vs-black-market-sellers-the-battle-to-leak-the-ok-computer-tapes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612182527/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/radiohead-fans-vs-black-market-sellers-the-battle-to-leak-the-ok-computer-tapes/ |archive-date=June 12, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |website=Pitchfork}}
Labels may attempt to stop or slow the spread of leaked files by issuing DMCA takedown notices to websites hosting leaked material, or search engines which index these sites.{{r|fact}}
Prevalence
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.{{r|fact}} When Watch the Throne, a 2011 collaboration between rappers Jay-Z and Kanye 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.{{cite web|last=Gissen|first=Jesse|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/08/jay-z-kanye-west-miraculously-manage-to-keep-watch-the-throne-leak-free/|title=Jay-Z & Kanye West Miraculously Manage to Keep Watch the Throne Leak-Free|work=XXL|publisher=Harris Publications|date=August 8, 2011|access-date=August 12, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816204001/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/08/jay-z-kanye-west-miraculously-manage-to-keep-watch-the-throne-leak-free/|archive-date=August 16, 2011}}{{cite magazine|last=Perpetua|first=Matthew|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jay-z-and-kanye-west-avoid-watch-the-throne-leak-20110808|title=Jay-Z and Kanye West Avoid 'Watch the Throne' Leak|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media|date=August 8, 2011|access-date=August 12, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919061629/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jay-z-and-kanye-west-avoid-watch-the-throne-leak-20110808|archive-date=September 19, 2011}}
Prevention
= Digital software =
Copy protection software has been used on CD releases to prevent the unauthorised distribution of music onto online sites. A notable example of this was the Copy Control system, a digital rights management software system used on around 22 million CDs from 2001 to 2006, which was discontinued in the wake of its supposed use as a rootkit in the Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal.{{Cite web |title=Inside the Spyware Scandal |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2006/05/01/229261/inside-the-spyware-scandal/ |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Bob |date=October 28, 2015 |title=Sony BMG Rootkit Scandal: 10 Years Later |url=https://www.csoonline.com/article/2998952/sony-bmg-rootkit-scandal-10-years-later.html |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=CSO Online |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=July 1, 2011 |title=Sony BMG Litigation Info |url=https://www.eff.org/cases/sony-bmg-litigation-info |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=Electronic Frontier Foundation |language=en}}
Digital watermarks, typically used on CD advance copies have allowed leaks to be traced to their original source, are used to deter would-be leakers as it allows them to face legal action.{{r|fact}}{{Cite web |title=Yup, Leaking Albums Can Still Get You Arrested |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3dk8wy/yup-leaking-albums-can-still-get-you-arrested |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=www.vice.com |date=November 22, 2013 |language=en}} While the source of a leak is not usually announced, it has been in the past; an example of this was with the 2009 Converge album Axe to Fall, where the band publicly named and shamed Shaun Hand at MetalSucks.net, whom the album leak had been traced back to using a digital watermark on a CD advance copy. This can be used to create viral negative publicity.{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2009 |title=REGARDING THE LEAK OF CONVERGE'S AXE TO FALL |url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2009/10/06/regarding-the-leak-of-converges-axe-to-fall/ |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=MetalSucks |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Converge on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/convergecult/status/4634068542 |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=Twitter |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=October 6, 2009 |title=Converge Call Out Metal Site On Leaking "Axe To Fall" To The Internet |url=https://www.theprp.com/2009/10/05/news/converge-call-out-metal-site-on-leaking-axe-to-fall-to-the-internet/ |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=Theprp.com |language=en-US}}
= Fake album releases =
Prior to the release of her 2003 album American 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?"{{Cite web |date=July 16, 2018 |title=When Madonna leaked a fake version of her album to thwart pirates |url=https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/when-madonna-leaked-a-fake-version-of-her-album-to-thwart-pirates/ |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=The Industry Observer |language=en-AU}} Progressive metal band Tool also announced a fake album called "Systema Encéphale" with a fake tracklist to deter and detract from leaks of their 2001 album Lateralus.{{Cite web |date=April 7, 2013 |title=The Tool Page: News |url=http://toolshed.down.net/news/oldnews/old0101.html |access-date=2022-05-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407053401/http://toolshed.down.net/news/oldnews/old0101.html |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |date=October 13, 2012 |title=Interview with Maynard James Keenan of A Perfect Circle (NY Rock) |url=http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2000/apc_int.asp |access-date=2022-05-28 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013020808/http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/2000/apc_int.asp |archive-date=October 13, 2012 |url-status=dead}}
= Surprise or early releases =
The rise in leaks during the 2000s led to some popular recording artists surprise-releasing their albums.{{cite web| last = Finn| first = Rachel| title = Out Of The Blue: A Brief History Of The Surprise Album| work = DIY| date = March 25, 2019| url = https://diymag.com/2019/03/25/brief-history-of-surprise-albums| access-date = July 28, 2020}} Some artists have released their albums early to deter leaking, for example Greg Puciato's 2020 solo album Child Soldier: Creator of God, which was released three weeks earlier than its planned release date in response to a leak.{{Cite web |last=DiVita |first=Joe|title=Greg Puciato Album Out Three Weeks Early: 'F—k That Dude Who Leaked My Record' |url=https://loudwire.com/greg-puciato-child-soldier-of-god-album-leak/ |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=Loudwire |date=October 2, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=A "Dipshit 'Reviewer'" Leaked Greg Puciato's New Solo Album {{!}} Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/a_dipshit_reviewer_leaked_greg_puciatos_new_solo_album |access-date=2022-05-28 |website=exclaim.ca |language=en-ca}}
Notable leaks
See also
References
{{reflist|refs=
|work=Fact magazine
|last=Lea|first=Tom
|date=January 29, 2015
|title=Inside album leaks: how do they happen, how do we stop them, and do they even matter?
|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/01/29/inside-album-leaks-bjork-vulnicura-madonna-rebel-heart/
}}
|date=June 17, 2019
|last=Horner|first=Al
|title=Not OK, computer: how it feels to have your music leaked
|work=The Guardian
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/17/hackers-music-industry-leaks-radiohead
}}
|last=Moraski|first=Lauren
|date=August 22, 2013
|work=CBS News
|title=What's the story behind song leaks?
|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-the-story-behind-song-leaks/
}}
|work=Pitchfork
|date=January 28, 2015
|last=Harvey|first=Eric
|title=A History of Digital Album Leaks, 1993–2015
|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/652-a-history-of-digital-album-leaks-1993-2015/
}}
}}