Colin Meloy on the Picaresque Leak

Okay folks.

While I know there’s really nothing in our power (ethically, that is) to stop people from leaking promo copies of the new record on the internet, we can’t rightly be supporting that sort of information exchange on our own message board.

Now: we have always been very open to P2P exchanges; I think’s it been nothing but beneficial to us. Without the likes of you kind folks exchanging mp3’s, I doubt we’d be where we are today. I get the feeling that your average person who comes to a Decemberist show is of a very special fabric, someone who often finds other ways to support the band if they did get the records from a P2P network.

That said, leaking a promo of a record that does not come out for another three and a half months is not so cool. We spend a lot of time prepping for the release of a record — we have a lot of folks working very hard to make sure the record gets a proper release at the scheduled time. It’d be nice to think that we have enough control over our art to keep our records veiled until we see fit to unveil them.

And on top of that issue, there is the issue of record sales. If a record is leaked this early, I have no doubt that, unchecked, it could make a serious impact on the sales of the record once it is released. If someone really wants to hear the songs at this point, they’d have no recourse but download it; it won’t be available in the stores for months. Keep in mind that ourselves and KRS are not a bunch of money-grubbing corporate CEOs. We are a bunch of folks who have worked very hard to get where we are, working independently of corporate largesse, and count ourselves very lucky to be making our art for a living.

I realize that it’s a new day and age and I can’t stop this sort of stuff from happening — I think that all attempts in the past of stopping this stuff legally has smacked of corporate bullying — but please (and this is the sentimental bit) reach into your heart of hearts and realize that if you really really loved us, you’d wait until the record comes out, on March 22nd, to get the record.

Hope that doesn’t sound too stern or preachy. We’ve deleted that thread. I know that’s kind of a silly action to take, but decemberists.com can’t be a place for disseminating information that’s decidedly contrary to the band’s interests.

I will, though, give you the correct tracklisting for the record — it was printed wrong in early press releases:

1. The Infanta
2. We Both Go Down Together
3. Eli, the Barrow Boy
4. The Sporting Life
5. The Bagman’s Gambit
6. From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)
7. Sixteen Military Wives
8. The Engine Driver
9. On the Bus Mall
10. The Mariner’s Revenge Song
11. Of Angels and Angles

Best,
Colin Meloy

Previously

Decemberists’ Picaresque

Colin Meloy Solo Tickets for Sale

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