ToD Leak Album Themselves Six Weeks Before Release
10/09/2006 -- by merlin

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Melodic rock darlings ...Trail of Dead shocked fans and non-fans alike this past Tuesday by leaking their newly finished album "So Divided" onto peer-to-peer file sharing networks six weeks before its November 14th release date.  The move could signal the beginning of the end of their tumultuous half-decade relationship with Interscope Records.

Recent posturing by the Texas-based musicians may instigate a shift in the music industry and force major record labels to reconsider how they view the internet and illegal downloading.  At least one industry insider feels a wave of band rebellions might sweep the entire industry off its feet within the next year.  Internet pundit Timothy Vega made mention of the Trail of Dead leak in an interview with the AP.  "Yes, certainly this is going to create a backlash.  Smaller struggling bands may view this as an opportunity to escape the shackles of their major label contracts.  They wouldn't necessarily have to make it known like Trail of Dead did that they leaked the album, however they could leak it in much the same way to create a buzz.  Buzz is how you sell concert tickets and merchandise, because most internet users are fickle enough to latch onto whatever they think is trendy or popular that month just to have something to show off."

An Interscope Records spokesman had a different view and categorically condemned the premature leak, but declined to do any more than that citing private contractual stipulations that prevent the label from taking further action against the band.  "Where are we going to go from here?  All we can really do now is go after the people who have downloaded the album.  They may think that they're safe because they didn't get it through one of the more well-known channels, well, let me give a wake-up call to all the illegal downloaders out there on the 'internet underground':  We're coming for you.  BitTorrent and Soulseek users beware.  We know who you are."

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