notes on breaking release

Strange post-CMJ observation that I suspect someone (probably one of the fine people at Idolator) has already made: for a long time, I can remember going to shows and seeing bands play fast and loose with record release dates. You know: “This song’s from a record that’ll be out in three weeks. We’ll have copies of it for sale today.” More and more, though, I’m seeing that not be the case — bands on indie labels will announce that a record will be out in two weeks, or a week, or a few days, but not have it for sale. It doesn’t seem like a case of labels clamping down as much as, well, the obvious internet/leaking/filesharing debate, but it does make for an interesting contrast from years past, and an observable characteristic of how the internet has changed things.