The Leak - Unforgiven comments on downloading TT5B

It's been six years. Six, long, trying years. Beastie Boys fans around the world cried out and wondered when the new Beastie Boys album would surface. Nobody expected a six year wait. Sure, they released an Anthology which was nice, filled out appetites for a couple of months, but it wouldn't be long before we would again ask when we would get another record.

A couple of months before now, we got word of a new album being released. Nothing other than that it would be a full hip-hop album was mentioned. No release date, no title, only that it would be somewhere around Summer 2004. All of a sudden the website changed, we got new forums, and what's that? We got new material! AIM avatars, promise of a new Audio/Video Vault, and small teasers of beats from various tracks on this new album. News from the press, the Beastie's were in newspapers, promoting the upcoming release, and they informed us that they were being extra careful to be sure it was not leaked. Giving fans tastes of the album in "listening booths", copies of the record only given to exclusive members of the media and radio stations for promotion.

The air around us was full of excitement. Fans grabbing any piece of information about the album and the Beasties that they could, and holding onto it. Small live performances started being announced, the time for the sixth Beastie Boys album, To the 5 Boroughs, was drawing nearer.

Then, one sleepy Saturday morning, the album hit the internet. A member of the Beastie Boys message board, a devoted fan, hosting files for fellow fans to upload live, rare and bootlegged material openly, awoke to discover he may be facing legal action. During the night, someone had requested the new beats, hoping to get a taste of what he had been longing for for six years. And someone delivered.

It spread like wildfire. Two weeks before the American release, To the 5 Boroughs was being listened to, exactly what the Beasties were trying not to do. Sure, they weren't extremely serious about it, they were treating this as a game, and they got extremely close to beating the boss. They got it down to two weeks, more successful than most other artists are today.

Now granted, the album was due to be released in Japan a couple days later, so there's another point for the Beasties efforts. But it was still leaked, and I was hesitant to listen in. You can't really blame us for trying to hear it, it has been six years, which most of us have waited patiently for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that downloading the album is right, but it isn't a deadly sin. The single came early, I guess they tried to distract us from finding the album, but it was released too early. It got overplayed, and now it's a track I'll skip when I listen to TT5B. But that's a different story.

I guess what it comes down to is a moral issue. Should we wait for the official release date, or should we listen to it now? That's up to the individual. I have tried my best not to scream, shout and post my comments on it all over the Internet. That isn't fair, or right. For those of you who have waited patiently, I commend you. You've waited out the six years from Hello Nasty and it will pay off when you run to your record store, snatch the CD from the shelves, and eagerly run home to listen to the new beats. I bet you won't be disappointed.

It is unfortunate for the albums release to be clouded with this issue. The Beastie Boys online community is somewhat split at the moment. A majority have listened to the album and are loving it. Only a devoted few have resisted the temptation are left. In a perfect world we would have all lined up at our favorite music store the day of the release, all enjoying this album and collectively commenting on how good or how bad it is. Unfortunately, those who have listened to it and commented are the target of a lot of negative comments, which I guess is a reason why I don't want to post my thoughts about it. It is a definite shame.

For those who have listened to the leak, or downloaded it somehow else, this is the way I see it. You are now in a binding contract to purchase the album. If you are reading this, you are obviously a Beastie Boys fan, so do the fan-like thing, support them. Buy a copy, two, or three. Somehow make up for listening to it early. It's the closest thing we can do to make it somewhat right.

Author: Unforgiven