Band Frontman Wants to Strangle File-Sharer
Maxïmo Park’s latest album was leaked onto BitTorrent, a full month ahead of its official launch. Now, band frontman Paul Smith has told the BBC that he’s remaining philosphical: he knows he can’t stop it but he still wants to strangle the file-sharer who pre-released the album.
UK indie band Maxïmo Park formed in 2003 and in 2004 released a single called ‘Graffiti’; not on CD but on 7″ vinyl, several generations of technology behind their current problem: their second album being pre-released onto digital file-sharing networks.
The band’s second album “Our Earthly Pleasures” on Warp Records is not due for official release until April 2nd but has been available on torrent sites for some weeks.
Speaking to the BBC’s 6Music channel, Smith said “I’d like to strangle the person who did it” and with an air of inevitability continued “part of me says this is the way it happens these days.”
It appears that Mr Smith does have a point. Things like this do seem to happen a lot.
A resigned Smith said “People are online and searching it out and seeking it, and you can’t do much about it. I’m philosophical about it.”
Mr Smith will be comforted to know that the album X&Y by Coldplay was also pre-released and subsequently went straight to the top of the charts in 20 countries, including the UK (464,000 copies) and the US (737,000 copies) simultaneously, a feat matched only by a Beatles compilation in 2000.
Maxïmo Park are holding their album launch party in their home town of Newcastle on April 2nd. They should expect a lot of people to be singing along.
