At some labels, if you can't beat the leaks, join 'em
Today Britney Spears fans and rubberneckers will be able to pick up a copy or legally download her hotly anticipated new album, "Blackout," a full two weeks prior to its initial Nov. 13 release date, courtesy of the Internet.
Jive, Spears's record label, announced earlier this month that it was rushing "Blackout" to "avoid any future illegal distribution of songs." Annoyed at sneak peeks popping up on gossip and file-sharing sites as frequently as Spears does in the tabloids, the label filed a copyright infringement suit against Web-based mudslinger Perez Hilton.
But then a funny thing happened on Jive's way to stemming the tide. Last week, the label authorized MTV.com's album preview site, "The Leak," and
Although a representative from Jive was unavailable for com ment, the distinction the label seemingly wants to make about leaks is one of quality control. In its statement, Jive took issue with sites like Hilton's presenting "unfinished material and demos" as "completed, legitimate songs."
"I think labels have learned that our leaks are protected," says Amy Doyle, senior vice president of music and talent at MTV, which has previewed more than 200 albums on "The Leak" since 2003. "So, if you're confident about the quality of an album, why not put it up and let people sample it? It's like a musical test drive."
Indeed, leaks have become a useful tool in buzz generation, and the labels are often behind them, sanctioned or not. But do they help or hurt sales when the actual product arrives?
It likely cuts both ways, according to Chris Tyler, assistant program director at Kiss 108, which has Spears's single "Gimme More" in heavy rotation and has had "Blackout" streaming on its website since last Friday. He offers Kanye West's widely leaked "Stronger" as an example.
"The bottom line is it's a good song, so once it's out people are still going to want it," Tyler says. "If it was a bad song and nobody liked it, I think the leak would hurt record sales."
In Spears's case, Jive went with an earlier release date, and "Gimme More" has proved a sizable, if not universal, hit. But more often a label's public lament over unauthorized file sharing causes an album to be pushed back, not forward, and rejiggered according to the public response, says Sean Ross, vice president of music and programming at Edison Media Research.
"I always thought that strategy was a little transparent, since hit songs leaked on the Internet, too, and nobody ever thought to hold those albums back," he says.
MTV's Doyle thinks availability on "The Leak" and other sites boost more than they hinder an album's fortunes. She says "Blackout" is "on track to be our biggest leak of the year."
Whether that interest translates into sales remains to be seen.
"I think initially it will get a lot of response, good or bad," says Kiss 108's Tyler about Spears's album. "The quality of the music will answer the rest of the question."
