Yesterday I was sent a text message from my boyfriend that had no explanation at all. The only thing it had was a link from the website Share Beast. I had no idea what it was but I clicked on the link
and immediately downloaded whatever was in the zipped file. When all was said and done I had ended up downloading Dom Kennedy’s album “Get Home Safely” which was set to be released on October 15, 2013 but had been leaked yesterday, October 8, 2013. Now, I have been waiting on the new Dom Kennedy ever since he dropped the “Yellow Album” so of course finding out it had been leaked was awesome. I was also able to get a hold of Justin Timberlake’s new album “The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2” the week before it was set to be released. Albums and mixtapes being leaked nowadays is nothing new but what does it all mean? Is this going to be the norm? Do artists do it on purpose? Does it change album sales? After observing peoples opinions about this on social media I have decided to share my opinion here and NOW!
Over the summer it seemed like every major album that was being dropped was leaked about one week before it was set to hit the stores. Magna Carta Holy Grail, Yeezus, Nothing Was The Same, etc. are just some examples of this. Thanks to social media sites like Twitter fans are able to get links to the leaked material and also share the links with their followers. This then creates a tidal wave across the site. Everyone is listening to the music at the same time and are able to interact with one another about the album. This is an awesome opportunity for the artists label and PR to look at this free feedback and possibly see what the sales will look like come the official release day.
Me being a marketing major, I see album leaks as a marketing strategy. Fans are able to listen to the album and get a feel for what the artist has been working on for however long it took them to make the album. The consumer is able to sample the product before they make the decision to fully invest in it. This is an opportunity for die hard fans to get there hands on the product they fein for and allows a whole new market to be opened up. People who aren’t already fans of an artist are probably not going to drop $13 on their album, but if they are able to listen to the leak for free and they like what they hear…well then what is stopping them from investing fully into this artist and their music? Nothing!
You might be saying, “Well they already got the leak for free, why would they pay money for something they already got?” I will tell you why! People will ALWAYS support good music. People will ALWAYS support an artist they believe in and an artist that loves their fans. Musicians won’t have to worry about selling albums as long as they make music that is fulfilling, meaningful, exciting, has awesome beats, and is made from the heart.
Music being leaked doesn’t seem like it is going away anytime soon. I don’t have a problem with it, but some people do. Let me know what you think about the topic! Do you think it lessens the impact of the music or does it not have an effect at all? I wanna hear your feedback! Below are some websites I know of that typically have leaked album links and files. Check them out…who knows, maybe you will find something you like! Until next time folks…MUAH!
Let The Groove In 