ANTICIPATION

Baffled that there is this pic and no leak. Im revelling in this.

I am sitting here and waiting impatiently for the leak to happen.

There is a phenomena amongst downloaders that only happens a handful of times a year, and it only lasts for few days if not hours. It is the time right before the online leak of big album. In an online world of free media and instant consumption, this phenomena brings even the most savvy of downloaders back to the anticipation stage of waiting for an album to drop.

This brief timeframe is the exact situation that major labels, if they were smart, could take advantage of the very people that have brought their business to its knees.

I have been saying for quite some time now that leak dates are the new release dates. The unbearable anxiety, impatience and subsequent joy that online music fans go through waiting for big albums to leak, is akin to the days when people lined up at stores to buy the latest CD in the day of release. Its not about getting something for free, its about accessing before it anyone else at any cost.

And music fans are going thru that very stage right this moment. The Carter III is one of the most anticipated albums of all time, with an unprecedented amount of attention being placed on the album's leak. Now, as an avid downloader and music fan on a budget, I don't usually buy albums outright without downloading first and making judgment. But my impatience is so great for this thing, if Universal put up the retail of The Carter III on iTunes right now, I would buy it, no questions asked. And I wouldn't be the only one.

What I am trying to say is, the only time the labels have any power over the wider online music community, is the time right before an album leak. There is nothing stopping them from factoring in the leak into their marketing strategies and having the album ready to go, right as the interest for it is at fever pitch. As I said, its about access for die hard fans. They will download an album for free if its widely available. But trust they will pay good money on iTunes if its only way they can get it.

But of course the major's never have and never will think like that. They will continue to prosecute and attack illegal downloaders instead of thinking like them.

Bit of a ramble, but I'm on three hours sleep, sue me.