Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On - Idolator Comments

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

theSchwa — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:07:33 EDT

I feel like there is a huge difference between a leaked "album" and a few leaked tracks. Obviously if you have downloaded the whole album you are less likely to buy it, but if you have just gotten a couple of tracks on free mp3s (like most of the leaks posted here) aren't you MORE likely to want to get the album if you like it?

theSchwa

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

Faster — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:50:29 EDT

@AndrewTaylor: Right on, AT. I'm at an all time high on music buying thanks to mp3's floating around on the internet and exposing me to more music than the same 10 songs terrestial (sp) radio played when I was growing up. I'm sure I'm not in a target demo, since I am *gasp*, over 30 and I buy at least 10-15 CD's a month. The RIAA's whining and label groaning makes me laugh. One of the biggest grossing acts in music history barely made 5% of their gross from album sales and they supported an entire corporation of people: The Grateful Dead. They *encouraged* their fans to tape and trade. They made money by working for it - touring. Building a real fanbase and constantly interacting with them. Expanding their brand and producing huge lines of merch that their loyal fanbase bought year after year and continues to buy after the band's demise. Wilco gets the formula.

Faster

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

Ted Striker — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:15:47 EDT

Of course I'm serious. And don't call me Shirley.

Ted Striker

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

AndrewTaylor — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:06:10 EDT

When people talk about the huge downticks in record sales, I assume they just mean the big labels with the big acts, right? I'm only one person, but my CD buying has increased many times over in the last several years thanks to my constant "discoveries" of bands through Internet "sampling." But about 95 percent of those purchases go to smaller labels. Is it really that sales have gone down THAT MUCH or are we just seeing the standard deviation between Billboard burners and the MySpace stars shrink?

AndrewTaylor

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

revmatty — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:12:50 EDT

Here's my thing about downloading albums pre-release: The album is done. It's pressed and shipped. I'm impatient. I'll buy it when it comes out, but I don't want to wait for some arbitrary "official release date" bullshit. Hell, half the time I've already pre-ordered the album. Give me instant gratification or give me death!

revmatty

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

MC — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:44:32 EDT

Get lost lo-fi nerd!

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

NickEddy — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:42:43 EDT

That picture of the band in their super-real thrift togs puts the hurt in "shirt."

"Summerteeth" was good, though!

NickEddy

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

MC — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:35:00 EDT

Surely, you can't be serious.

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

Ted Striker — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:32:58 EDT

I don't think that they're making the argument that you get more sales from a leaked album. A leaked album could mean another concet ticket or two sold, plus merch and cds bought at the show. I've certainly found out about bands that way in the past.

Ted Striker

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

DJorn — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:16:18 EDT

Buzz-building is certainly a nice silver-type side-effect to file-sharing, but to suggest that album leaks do more to increase sales than to decrease them is patently absurd.

I'll agree with any argument that the record industry has, as usual, handled it poorly, that it needs to accept file-sharing, adapt, develop a new business model, etc., but be realistic. The past few years' dip in CD sales isn't a temporary market correction caused by this new technology, it's a long-term, permanent situation. And you can't tell me that file-sharing isn't a direct cause of that.

DJorn

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

MC — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:56:25 EDT

Oh, and what's the difference between the guy with the mat on Fulton, and the European dude who uploads a torrent? (Here's a hint: one of them is black.)

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

MC — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:51:53 EDT

Sorry, even though I partially agree about downloading helping to build buzz, to say it's just real big fans torrenting the fuck out of the industry is a cop out.

Now, I'm no RIAA apologist, and I'm no saint, but I'm deliberately avoiding downloading the new Wilco, because I am a fan and I can afford their new album when it comes out. But once I download it, there's no way in hell I'd ever buy it (as you point out in your last sentence). Also, if I do download it, all the anticipation is gone forever.

People who "scour" Torrent sites and "ping" around file sharing, may dig music, but they're not only doing it because they want to hear it. They're also doing it because it's free and it's oh so easy.

Wilco Encourages Fans To Get Their Leak On

Pete the Chop — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:48:32 EDT

Yeah, I downloaded the album a while back. And being the geeky Wilco fan that I am, I'll buy the album when it comes out. It helps they're offering a copy with a bonus DVD.

Pete the Chop