Music Leaks Only Lead to Heartbreak
As the internet has blown up in popularity over the 37 years it's existed for the average person, we’ve seen a fast-tracked evolution in everything from commerce to entertainment. Specifically, for the music industry, the internet has killed the CD, the radio, and more recently, the concept of new music with the “introduction” of music leaks and snippets.
The times of artists being able to cook up 400+ songs in private are unfortunately long gone. With the rise of the internet and hackers, it seems every day we get new “unreleased” music from Hip-Hop artists like Drake, Playboi Carti and everyone in between. However, hacking is just half of the story when it comes to the death of the concept of new music, with the other half coming from the artists playing snippets of their new music during Instagram live sessions with their fans. However, despite the obvious legal ramifications of stealing an artist’s unreleased music, what is the impact of snippets and leaks to the common fan?
From my perspective, snippets and leaks lead to unrealistically high expectations and broken hearts. First, let me explain the latter with a story. Like a lot of people, I am a fan of the late great rapper Juice WRLD, whose hit song, “Lucid Dreams” I’m sure you’ve heard. (If you think you haven’t, yes you have… “I still see your shadows in my room,” complete the sentence… see you have.) Anyway, “Lucid Dreams” of course was my favorite Juice WRLD song until I graduated to listening to the rest of Juice WRLD’s catalog at the time. So, when I came across a snippet of “Lucid Dreams” with another one of my favorite rappers, Lil Uzi Vert on it, of course, I had fallen further in love with the song due to the potential prospect of two of my favorite rappers coming together on a remix. I would listen to the snippet all day every day with Lil Uzi’s vocals on it. It didn't matter what I was doing, I was listening to it. So, you can imagine the heartbreak I still feel to this day as you’re reading this that this remix has never come out and from the looks of it never will.
Now, when you factor into my story the fact that a lot of the music made by artists isn’t meant to come out, there becomes a clear issue with getting attached to music you aren’t sure you will be able to officially enjoy. This leads me to the idea of unrealistically high expectations. Perhaps it’s because music is subjective and everyone has their own taste but, whenever new music is officially released it seems that the “this album is trash, the leaks were way better than this” crowd grows.
The reasoning of the snippets and leaks heard before the release of the actual album being better is interesting because it shows the existence of unrealistically high expectations with the absence of any context. Adding in the damage leaks can do to an artist’s creative process, with their now leaked music becoming obsolete, many times forcing them to start from square one once again, it’s completely understandable for an artist to change direction with their officially released music.
For example, look at the split fan reaction to Lil Uzi Vert’s “Eternal Atake,” an album fans waited two and a half years to hear. While fans were waiting to finally listen to this album, it has been well documented that Lil Uzi had a series of leaks that made him push back the release date for this album. It’s important to note that Lil Uzi’s 2019 singles, “Sanguine Paradise” and “That’s A Rack” had been leaked weeks before they were officially released, with “Sanguine Paradise” able to be found by its original name “Money Keep Coming In” on Soundcloud to this day. So while it’s understandable for fans to be disappointed that their favorite leak didn’t make the album, the absence of your favorite unreleased song shouldn’t be the dealbreaker that made you shut down completely to the noble offering your favorite artist just put forth.
Leaks and snippets are here to stay, as the problem seems to only be getting worse from here. However, here’s my advice to protect your love of music. Firstly, it’s okay to listen to snippets and leaks, just don’t get too attached to them because most likely, they aren’t coming out. Secondly, when you’re about to dive into the latest body of work your favorite artist has put forth, park your expectations of what the music should sound like at the door. Lastly, keep in mind that a lot of the snippets and leaks that come out probably weren’t finished so they aren’t the most reliable prediction of what the next album will sound like. Personally, I’ve learned my lesson and will never get my heart broken by another snippet again…hopefully.
