How bad is the quality of that Icky Thump leak sendspacing its way around the web? You know well that we’ll ravenously consume a record regardless the bitrate, but this one’s pushing it. Each of your emails came with the appropriate caveat (aww thanks guys): it’s a radio-rip, it sounds shitty. Begs the question: Who’d be ballsy/ignorant enough to play the entire album over two weeks before release?
That, friends, is Chicago’s Q101 DJ Electra, and Jack White is PISSED. The self-professed Queen of Snark posted this in her defense after Mr. White gave her a stern talking to (via Web Vomit):
At 2pm today, during my show, Q101 became the first station in the world to play the new White Stripes album, Icky Thump. It’s awesome. It’s really, really, unbelievably brilliant and awesome. I was giddy and excited to share it with fellow fans.At 4pm today, Jack White called Q101′s main offices from Spain, where they’re touring, looking specifically for me, to yell at ME for leaking the album and, in part, being “messed up for the entire (music) business.” (Edit – I listened to the call again today, and I apologize for initially misquoting Jack.) I felt like I was going to throw up. Weirdest, most surreal conversation of my life.
So Sherman and Tingle were on the air when Jack called. They took the call with me in the studio, off the air. Jack asked me to take responsibility for leaking the record, and asked if I was sorry for what I’d done. S&T both jumped into the call – I was clearly flustered – and backed me 100%. We tried to explain where we were coming from – someone gave us a copy of a record that we were really excited to play, and the whole experience was an hour-long lovefest for him and his band – but he wasn’t having it. He hung up, very, very angry, and I thought I was going to cry. Instead, I drank some beers that the Fix had left in the studio. Room temperature Bud Light. Delicious.
After speaking to Jack’s manager and getting their side of the story, Spike and I went on the air with S&T to open up the situation to the listeners. We respected Jack’s desire not to be on the air and didn’t re-air the call, but we talked about what was said and what happened. I’m extremely grateful to everyone who called in supporting us. I don’t think I am helping to ruin the music industry. I think I made people excited for the new White Stripes record. I know that was our intention.
I also still think Jack White is an incredibly talented musician, and I still think the new record is amazing. I just don’t think I’ll be able to listen to it without feeling like crap for a good long while.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Won’t be all everybody else has to say about that, though. Feel bad for Jack, and side with him, too. What Electra did isn’t like a blogger leaking an entire album, but — and not to get all CBS/Imus about this — there’s a responsibility to using those airwaves; it involves being aware that some kid with audiojacking software is a right-click-save away from spreading all you play. It also involves being aware that if you leak Jack White’s shit he will call you up and make you cry.
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What a stupid bitch, you can’t play an entire record on the radio this far in advance without the artists permissions, that is just absurd. People do it sometimes as a planned promotion, but surely she wasn’t that dumb. Surely she didn’t think they wouldn’t be mad that she did it without even asking.
Did anyone notice thar productshop was taken down by godaddy after they posted those tracks yesterday? That idiot should be kicked off the air temporarily, same thing, only hers was worse.
they coulda just said it was awesome, from the musician’s point, it’s kind of irresponsible. i side with the dame however, it was not very gentlemanlike. boo jack black, er white.
the quality is so poor that it’s not like anyone is gonna be really satisfied with the leaked version anyway. besides, the people that look for these leaks are already relatively avid fans, so they’ll probably buy the record or wait until a better version is leaked (which happens anyway when the album goes on sale). i’d be more pissed at the guy who recorded the show and spread it than the DJ. though i agree, she should be aware of the potential permanence of anything put over airwaves. moreover, usually one doesn’t play an entire album, especially when it has yet to be released. point is: i’m gonna buy it… sounds really good.
regardless, i’d also be angry if i was j. white. the days before your album drops are always pretty nerve wracking.
oh please. a radio station played your record early and it ruined the music business? how’s the air up there, jack, on that pedestal you’ve put yourself on. sure be upset, but recognize the sentiment of where she’s coming from: that of a genuine fan, not someone out to screw over a musician. it’s not like she ripped a dozen copies and put them up on a fileshare or something. to me, it just seems very un-classy. i thought you were better than that, jack.
jeez, does anybody even listen to the radio anymore?
btw, he didn’t actually say that she “ruined the music business”. he actually said “this is what’s making the music business bad, people jumping the gun like that…” it was just taken out of context to make him seem like a dick head.
Stop it, DJ!! How dare you play my record on-air and give my new album an hour’s worth of free promotion time? Who do you think you are, a DJ?? You have ruined the music industry by playing music.
Record release dates are obsolete, but I don’t expect Jack to know that since he severed ties with reality years ago.
Fucking lunatic.
saying it ruins the business is a stretch, but the woman fucked up. big time. if you’re that inexperienced, you shouldn’t be in charge of playing music for people. nice thought, poor execution. i think she had the right to get bitched at by the artist because she was the final stop before putting it on-air.
Assuming that the album was ripped from the station’s web stream, then, technically, they’re in the wrong. I believe it’s the case that you can play as many tracks as you want over the air, but, because of some stupid regulations, the most of a single artist you can play in an hour over a stream is 4 songs. I’m not 100% sure on that, but if that’s the case, technically they should have shut off their stream for tracks 5-13.
As a former alt rock radio DJ myself, I’ve gotta say that I would have done the EXACT SAME THING if I were in her shoes. I realize this is all about “respecting an artist’s wishes” and things of that nature, but in the age we live in you have to start wondering how much that matters anymore (no offense intended, musical artists).
If you’re exceptionally excited about a bit of music and just happen to have a microphone and some open airwaves, I don’t think there should be anything to stop you from putting it out there (aside from maybe some copyright laws, which are less and less respected these days). So sorry Jack White, these things happen. Albums leak every day, and once you let a copy out of the manufacturing plant, it’s all up in the air until the actual release when you know it’ll hit the internet. The crappy quality radio rip now floating around the internet? I know I wouldn’t download it…mostly because I like quality over actual content. Will the leak ruin sales of “Icky Thump”? That remains to be seen, but it would have hit the internet before the release date anyways. But I guess since Jack had the opportunity to point the finger directly at somebody, the radio DJ who first aired the album was as good of a person as anybody. What he should be doing is looking for the person who’s going to put that high quality album rip onto the internet. THAT person truly deserves blame.
Also, to put the blame entirely on this DJ’s shoulders is more ignorant than anything. The DJ is less responsible for what goes out over the air than most people realize. Fact of the matter is there are several programming managers who carefully plot out and make executive decisions about what goes out over the airwaves and when. She couldn’t have just taken the CD and put it on without getting explicit permission from her bosses (who, by the way, were probably the ones who gave her the copy of the CD in the first place). So to suggest that this is entirely her fault and that she alone should be punished for it is a bit too harsh. If somebody should shoulder the blame, it should be some of the station’s programmers.
i think that playing the whole album would be fine, just have the DJ cut in for some annoying “you’re listening to…” or “this is awesome” type banter, which would then fuck up the continuity of the song, but still let people have the taste their looking for. I remember the last Built To Spill leaked record had all this annoying Mike Jones crap in it, and it made me want to buy the real album, after knowing how much the album would have kicked ass had it not been for that “Who is Mike Jones” shit interstistially shoved into the songs. Anyway, in these days, what did she expect, and really, what did Jack expect: if it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else.
Erik, if you listen to the rip you’ll hear that she did, in fact, break up every song with a ‘you’re listening to…’. I still think she didn’t commit the terrible faux pas Jack thinks she did.
Raise your hand if you don’t care!
Check out some random mirr here:
http://mirrworld.blogspot.com/2007/05/mix-cd-seed-down-in-soil.html
Good thing there are no White Stripes on this bad boy.
Albums leak. Get over it. This is the new paradigm, and even if it’s not legal, fair, morally just, or pleasing to rock stars worried about the decreasing commercial viability of their self-obsessed bullshit, it’s how the fucking game works now.
Jack White’s music sounds like he’s masturbating over the dead, flogged corpse of soulless ’70s white blues-folk-rock. Why anyone tolerates that kind of shit three or four decades removed is baffling, but this new confirmation that he’s an out-of-touch asshole who enjoys biting the hand that feeds him should wake up a good portion of his trendwhore fans.
Whew. Was that rabid enough?
Faronheit, are you suggesting that laws shouldn’t matter if a lot of people don’t follow them?
Oh please, having Jack White yell at you is really not that big of a deal, she’s fucking milking it.
Wow, I was flipping through earlier yesterday and I heard her say they were going to play the whole thing at 2 which surprised me. I went home and checked oink and it wasn’t even there yet so I was thinking man, that radio copy is going to be everywhere tonight.
Elektra, who btw is an annoying retard on a shitty station, has done this before to no outrage. A couple weeks ago, she was flipping out about playing the entire Linkin Park album. Then they fucking played the entire thing again like 3 hours later. Aaanyway..
ummm…..don’t artists WANT radio stations to play their songs? And as far as a whole album being played that could be ripped, what about a few weeks from now when it’s released, ripped and shared? What difference does it make?
And somebody sharing music? You mean turning other people on to his music?
He should be saying “thank you”.
faronheit, i don’t buy that argument for a second. nowhere does this DJ insinuate that anyone above her head was trying to *make* her play that record. It sounds like it was her choice, or at least she was compicit in the choice to “leak” it. Now I’ve been a DJ, too, so I can understand how she may have not realized the far reaching consequences of her actions (the web-wide world is a scary place), how she may have just gotten overly-excited about being able to share something exclusive with her listeners, how she thought of herself more as a fan of music than as an employee of the music industry. In short, I see how this was just a boneheaded move that she should simply apoogize for and move on. But she doesn’t get my sympathy for fucking up or being some sort of pawn in Q101′s evil industry kabal. She sounds either kinda stupid or kinda naive. Her lame explanation reveals more about her outsized sense of entitlement than the douchiness of Jack White.
Jack White is an asshole if he thinks that he bithced out the right person. What DJ in this day and age of corporate controlled radio can just, on a whim, say, “gee – think i’ll take up an hour of programming by leaking the new White Stripes record.” Sorry to burst your bubble, but there was a station programmer behind the whole thing and if Jack has a problem with anyone, it’s with him. Not the DJ who was just doing her job!
Granted that Jack has every right to be upset, but the man has been around the block long enough to know where he should be directing his anger.
BTW – Jack just gave that station way more free publicity for this stunt than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams.
What do you do when you’ve DLd a hot new album that hasn’t released yet? You play it, loud, in your car, to your friends, at your enemies, at the BBQ, by the pool, near the hot girls because they might get the mistaken impression that you “know somebody”.
This DJ played it because, in the dying realm that is radio, anything that grabs a couple new listeners is gold. Exclusives are gold. Exclusives are cool.
Should she have aired it? No. It was a fatal error. Am I justified in looking down upon her actions with scorn? Oh, hell no. Anyone who has participated in Stereogum’s “Premature Evaluation” must, right now, drop those stones lest ye be slaughtered in a hailstorm of rocks.
DwD
She’s in the wrong. If I were him, I’d be equally as pissed. You play one or two tracks on-air, you don’t play the whole damned album. He had every right to be angry with her, despite his overexaggeration. They misused the preview that the label/artist let them have. And as such, they are at fault. How about taking responsibility for fucking things up? Just because they COULD play it, doesn’t mean they SHOULD play it. Good grief, people.
Oh boo fucking hoo.
This is one of those unique situations where I can look at all parties involved, label them all fucking cunts, and not feel guilty about it when I eat my Cocoa Pebbles in the morning.
Whether she was right or wrong, she’s still ugly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqzUPzrZ7i0
are they referencing this? weird
Do you think JW deserves a little credit for CARING enough to call the station and bitch about it directly to the people involved? Setting aside the issue of whether he has a legit reason to be pissed, I respect the fact that he called up the station himself, rather than sending an army of lawyers after them. He may be wrong here, but at least he gives a damn. I think that should count for something.
That being said, albums get leaked. I guess an artist has some right to be angry when it happens, but getting angry doesn’t do any good, so why bother?
Some people here really need to get a grip. It’s not like this was some stolen album that’s not due in stores for months – it comes out in THREE WEEKS. In THREE WEEKS (probably less), it’ll be all over every file sharing network in existance. What exactly is the big deal here?
To clarify my earlier statement, I wasn’t suggesting that Electra was “forced” into doing anything. All I meant was that while she did ultimately hit the “play” button on the CD player, there were other forces at work besides her own complicity in this whole thing. The person who should share the blame in this is the programmer at Q101 who gave permission for the whole CD to be played in the first place.
I’m going to have to side with the comment above me – blame the programming staff, not the on-air talent.
I know of one former ‘it’ band (they shall remain nameless because I don’t want to give them free publicity) who would give their right arms to get just a single track from their new album played on the radio. Schadenfreude, baby!
Electra has now clarified in her blog that she misquoted Jack about the whole “ruining the industry” thing.
If we have gotten to the point where we can no longer act reasonably or rationally or “if I do this my ass is going to get sued”-consciously in the midst of even the most incredible excitement, then we need to re-examine where we’re headed.
Whether or not it was right for her to play it, whether or not it was right for Jack to yell, one thing remains clear: her streaming that album was probably one of the biggest lapses in common sense I have ever observed.
So what if she gives awesome reviews? She’s still shitting all over the respect she says to have for them.
I’m sorry, since when is it some kind of offense to play an album on the radio? The radio station was GIVEN the album by the record company… If they didn’t want it all played, they should have just given them singles. The people here who think something wrong was done are below the age of 35, I guarantee it. Ya see kiddies, there was this thing called “Album Rock” where they played WHOLE ALBUMS on the radio… and people even sometimes RECORDED THEM on CASSETTES, and shared the cassettes with friends, and somehow Led Zeppelin still managed to sell records. Posting it on the internet is a seperate issue, but don’t blame a radio station for playing a record!
I agree mostly with Jack on this .. but the statement the DJ released was endearing to me .. she didn’t back track about loving the album or return the vitriol to Jack or his management. Most knee-jerk reactions would call Jack White a talentless masturbating vomiter – or whatever that guy posted in the comments.
iburl, imagine how it would feel to slave over a creative project that is 100% your doing, go through all the necessary bullshit that being in the record industry involves, be on tour preparing to celebrate the release of the record only to have a “self-professed fanatic” DJ abuse her power to play a shitty version of the thing you slaved over for months just so she can say it’s “exclusive.”
I cannot believe anyone would imagine such a move is a good idea.
Years ago here in NYC I remember Kane, the afternoon-rush DJ @ 92.3 K-rock, played clips of each song from the entire Korn album that was to be released about 2 – 3 weeks later. He did get permission from the programming director but, of course, the station did not get permission from the band nor their label and the next day, the label sent a “cease and desist” fax to K-rock and just about every mainstream rock radio station in the country, which requested they only play the “single” and nothing else. Three weeks later, the album was released and went platinum within the first week.
Now will Icky Thumb go platinum within the first week? Of course, NOT! But what the lady @ Q101 should’ve done was only play “clips” from each song, and btw – she either got permission from the PD, or the PD told her to play it. Either way, with all this publicity, they’re probably gonna get fined by the FCC for breaking the playlist and that whole four-songs-played-in-one-hour-by-same-artist thing. So the PD and the station should be held responsible, more so than the DJ.
Now Jack White just overreacted because I bet he never listened to a radio-rip because the quality IS bad. In fact, I’m listening to it right now and after the first four songs, which by coincidence or not, were the first four to leak, the guality just tanks. I think Jack White is an affable guy with a bad temper and a control freak. I remeber when “Get Behind Me Satan” leaked about a week prior to release and he posted something on the website about how we’re spoiled children possessed by the devil, or something. Week later, album was released and was like #3 on Billboard. No harm, no foul.
she sucks, she’s stupid, but they DID send Q101 the album. Fuck em.
But mode7, I agree with iburl. The label sent the ENTIRE album to them. If the label didn’t want the whole album, and HIGHLY ANTICIPATED – if I can shamelessly use a ‘buzz” term here – album at that, they should’ve saved their own asses, and Jack’s, and sent excepts or clips of songs.
red. white. black. and YELLOW!
The other day, I was standing outside a bar. There were two doors. One was locked and had a sign that said “No entrance” with an arrow pointing to the other door. I saw no fewer than five people walk up to the door with the sign, read it, and then try to open the door. Not very clever.
In a similar vein, I cannot fathom why any responsible radio professional would receive an album, see that it has a release date that is in the future (arguably a condition on the transfer of the album to the radio station) and think to him or herself, “I should play this right now.”
I can’t believe she didn’t apologize.
“Begs the question: Who’d be ballsy/ignorant enough to play the entire album over two weeks before release?”
If I ask you about apples and you answer about oranges, then you have begged the question.
A couple summers ago, several cable newscasters trying to appear erudite started to misuse this term.
It now often serves to flag someone who doesn’t know what he’s taking about.
Try “That raises the question: Who’d be ballsy/ignorant enough to play the entire album over two weeks before release?”
.
The phrase “That’s life, get over it” is one that Jack should – but has never and will never – learn. Being a spoiled rock star will do that to you.
Oh, so there ain’t a good copy on the net yet? Damn. Noticed Easy Tiger hasn’t leaked early either.
Two releases I’m really keen for and looks like I’ll have to wait for the release date like the good old days.
I can understand artists getting upset about the leaking of their albums online and wanting someone to blame for the mass pirating that occurs, but Jack White just looks like a twit going after the DJ and not publicly lambasting the piraters.
She might have been naive to the protocol of not playing a full album before its release date (which i wasn’t aware of) but maybe record companies need to give clearer instructions to stations when they send these copies out.
I’m sorry the DJ is wrong. You can’t just do whatever you want with someone else’s music before it’s come out. It’s completely irresponsible. Promotion, free air time etc…that’s all irrelevant in the face of being unprofessional. I think artists have a right to approve photos etc.
The DJ thinks she’s more important than the music and wanted the attention. She’s a nobody and should be fired.
I have seen White Stripes advance CDs and they are clearly marked as listening copies only. This is a joke.
WHO CARESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Those anger management classes don’t seem to have done Jack much good. Surely there are far worse things going on in the world right now to get agitated about other than a radio station playing an album. Big bloody deal.
Jack White is an asshole if he thinks that he bithced out the right person. What DJ in this day and age of corporate controlled radio can just, on a whim, say, “gee – think i’ll take up an hour of programming by leaking the new White Stripes record.” Sorry to burst your bubble, but there was a station programmer behind the whole thing and if Jack has a problem with anyone, it’s with him. Not the DJ who was just doing her job!
Granted that Jack has every right to be upset, but the man has been around the block long enough to know where he should be directing his anger.
BTW – Jack just gave that station way more free publicity for this stunt than they could have imagined in their wildest dreams.
People here having been mentioning that since they sent them the entire record, they should have been able to play it. But under that presupposition, every station that had it in their possession should have been playing it by now. So then, why hasn’t everybody been playing it? She said something in her blog about being the first station to play it. Being the first to do something is always an incentive. Perhaps this thought ran through the minds of DJs throughout the country, but they had the common decency to resist temptation.
It’s not the radio station at fault here, they were likely provided the CD in advance by the label. If you give someone that without strings attached and they play it, so it goes.
It all comes down to respect. More and more people have no respect for other people’s property.
Let’s say for instance that you were going to have an opening at an art gallery. You spend 3 weeks, non-stop, creating your art. You spend probably another couple of weeks framing and preparing your art. Then some more time getting postcards printed, promo stuff together, etc.
Then, a few weeks before your opening, someone who is trying to promote themselves and their art gallery photocopies all of your artwork, in black and white, on a shitty xerox machine, and plasters the entire world with your art and their gallery name on it. Wouldn’t you be at least a little bit pissed?
Oh, and how do we even know what Jack White said? I don’t know about you, but I live in Chicago, and Q101 sucks donkey balls. I wouldn’t trust what these morons had to say about anything.
Gotta agree with Jack on this one (and everyone on that side). People keep making the argument of “who wouldn’t want free promotion of their album,” but the White Stripes have such a mythology tied up with their music and image, and it’s part of what makes them unique (and, in my opinion, totally awesome). Part of that mythology is the anticipation that sort of swirls around before their album release: with this one, there wasn’t even any announcement before it was already recorded. They record in ridiculously short amounts of time, which is also totally part of the philosophy of the band. It gives everything this wonderful, suspenseful momentum that I for one totally fall into. Playing the album on the radio without the band’s permission totally screws with that whole anticipatory image/experience of the band, which I think they deserve to have if they want it. It’s irresponsible for a DJ to interfere with that.
Wow, Jack White’s ego just exceeded the amount of money in his bank account.
Is this chick retarded? How the fuck does she run a radio program? Behind Jack 100%.
Fuck Jack White. He makes great music, but personality-wise, he’s a dick.
You’re right. It’s not the same thing as a blogger leaking an album. A DJ plays a record once over the air. If it’s copied illegally by a listener that’s not the station’s problem, but it’s safe to say that the quality will be pretty bad.
A blogger on the other hand GIVES AWAY a copy of albums to infinitely more people than a station’s airwaves could ever reach. Who really knows the life cycle of an mp3 once it hits the net?
You wanna side with JW, that’s fine, but don’t try and take the moral highroad (recalling Imus/CBS) when this site links to leaked albums on a regular basis. That’s bullshit.
I look at album leaks like rooting around looking for your Christmas presents before the big day. It’s exciting to sneak around, it’s tempting to try to get a look at everything, but it kind of ruins the magic of Christmas morning. I *think* that is what Jack might be on about, rather than ruining the music industry, a leak deflates the build-up to the release that the band probably put some thought into.
That said, I confess to being an occasional leak-peeker and an inveterate spoiler whore (Lost, etc.). Shame on me.
In fudal japan she would have just committed suicide, but now instead I get to listen to this bitch whine about how JW made her feel bad cause she fucked up. Simpler times…
I know this is a tiny bit off topic here but I saw the White Stripes at Primavera last night and they totally, absolutely rocked. When the majority of the audience doesn’t understand the words in which you are singing and they are still jumping up-and-down and going ballistic then that says something about your stage presence, doesn’t it? Jack White is a God among men.
In terms of his temper, well, don’t get on his bad side. Have we all already forgotten the Von Bondies incident? Dude had a mean shiner from daring to speak negatively about Jack’s involvement with the album. And now this. You have to know who you are dealing with here. Perhaps he has a bad temper but he can be a nice guy too. Remember the story that ‘gum ran about the Raconteurs video shoot? How he gave everyone a high-five and was talking to people after it was over?
I believe that Jack White has much in common with his influences. Not only in terms of his music but in terms of his behavior. It is not easily classifiable, and he is a bit of a primadona. I think he is the only rock star of this generation that carries the torch of Hendrix/Plant/Page, etc. His status is now one of almost legendary, iconic proportions, due to his guitar playing, singing and overall persona.
You guys can side with the DJ if you choose to, but the bottom line is that Jack White rules more than some DJ on a shitty, corporate radio station ever will.
I used to be a radio DJ too until I got sick of everyone in the business, and there is no way I believe her claim that her actions were just because she was “giddy and excited to share this awesome music with other fans” or whatever the hell she said. This wasn’t about promoting the White Stripes for an hour as much as it was about promoting Q101. I bet she saw a golden opportunity to get a shitload of listeners for her block, and her programming director agreed that this would be a brilliant stunt. I don’t blame Jack for getting pissed that a radio station took a promo copy of their album and used it for other intentions than their label had when they sent it to them. Q101 contributed to undermining whatever time and money their label spent to promote and build up this album, all for their own self promotion.
On a side note, maybe Jack meant she’s ruining the music business by working for and supporting Clear Channel?
You know what Jack White?
I have the radio rip. And I’m gonna act like it’s the officially released album. When people ask me how you’re new record is, I’m gonna say “The recording is kinda shitty, and some chick talks over some of it”. And then I’m gonna shrug. And the devious plan to ruin “Icky Thump” will have finally succeeded.
In the first place, I have a hard time defending any adult who has asked to be known as: ‘Electra,’ ‘Tingle,’ or by god I think there is someone at the station called ‘The Fix.’ You have already done something horribly wrong by the time your feet have touched the floor by your bed in the morning.
Secondarily: Radio stations- commercial monoliths and tastemaking public stations alike KEXP, KCRW, etc. all are expected to work within the framework of an ADDDATE. This is what it is, the date a station is supposed to begin playing the record. They may receive the record two weeks earlier than the airdate, but they will not play until the add date. There are some exceptions here, but for the most part, every single person working at a station involved in programmig or on-air is aware o an adddate. Whether an adddate is relevant or not anymore with stuff leaked and streaming all over the internet is a fine question. The adddate is set up to coincide with all the other label promotions so in that world it’s a big deal. [cue ranting about major labels, marketing departments, the old business is dead, etc.] But these dates are set for a reason and most stations respect this relationship. It’s just the way it works. As for whether this group of dj’s are mavericks to be respected for busting out of the promotional cage imposed on them by the label, or are buffoons who probably have very little respect for things in general- we do realize that we’re talking about ‘Electra,’ ‘Tingle,’ and ‘The Fix,’ right?
Laws are laws. Copyright and radio air/stream laws state that you can only play up to two or three songs off of an album by an artist per hour.
If she knew her rights, and wanted to keep an extended listenership, she should have spread it out over a four hour span, assuming its a 12-track disc.
Goodness.
I can’t believe i just read all of those comments.
jack white is an arrogant prick and i will never buy one of his albums again. i will, however, download many of them.
I am a bit surprised at the amount of comments that it is all the fault of the evil radio DJ/programmer. It is a cop out to continually blame the Man for all of life’s problems. Did the evil radio people force that person to rip the entire album? Did the evil doers then force that person to publish that copy? And then force others to listen to such a crappy copy and decide to pass it to others?
It’s a crappy copy – if people settle for that copy vs. buying a better copy then that speaks more for White Stripes fans than anything else.
And finally a comment for “Dave”-if that station is so terrible – why do you seem to be listening to it all the time? You heard the White Stripes release and the Linkin Park release…..just sayin’
Honestly, being in the buisiness, I know how radio stations think. Really it had nothing to do with them being excited about the new record and “spreading the love.” No, all it had to do with is, “we have it and WXRT [the only truly credible rock station in Chicago] doesn’t.”
Personally, I’m ashamed of the behavior of many radio DJ’s and programmers. It gives those of us who go out of our way to help artists a bad name.
In this day and age where music piracy is at an all time high, what she did is inexcusable.
Lets get with the times. Marilyn Manson has his entire new album on Myspace a week before it’s release and NIN did the same thing with their new album when it came out.
And whatever happened to the days when a band only dreamed of being played on the radio, funny how fast they forget about that. It is a privilege to be played over the air!
i move that we just allow children to open their christmas presents a few weeks before the big day, too.
If keeping this record under wraps till the official day of the release is so important to the band and the record company – then why give radio stations copies of the record 3 (or more) weeks prior to that so-important release date?
Is it rocket science to arrange for the delivery of the actual record to the stations the day before/day of official release – because it’s just so g*d damn important that nobody hear the record until that fateful day? No, it’s not rocket science, it’s just in the inexplicable way record companies do business.
Jack White’s a hypocritical billy childish ripoff, john peel used to play full albums before they were released all the time and they were friends
So MM and NIN had their albums up before the release. Great. But that was their choice.
A privilege to be played on the air? Are you serious? Maybe a long time ago. Have you ever listened to Q101?
I don’t see how people can’t see why Jack is upset. What if something you poured your heart and soul into was co-opted by American Idol or Wal-Mart? Used your music to gain listeners (advertising dollars). Wouldn’t you be pissed?
Unless you live in a bubble that is buried under a rock, you know that the new White Stripes album is coming out. I don’t think there is anyone out there that tuned into Q101, heard a song from Icky Thump, and said, “Wow, who is this band called White Stripes”.
Jack White is annoying as hell.
He acts like a little girl in a man’s body way too often.
What does Meg White see in him anyways? Money?
>iburl, imagine how it would feel to slave over a creative project >that is 100% your doing, go through all the necessary bullshit >that being in the record industry involves, be on tour preparing >to celebrate the release of the record only to have a “self->professed fanatic” DJ abuse her power to play a shitty version of >the thing you slaved over for months just so she can say it’s >”exclusive.”
>
>I cannot believe anyone would imagine such a move is a good >idea.
>
>Posted by: mode7 at June 1, 2007 2:03 AM
You may know more about this than me, but nowhere in the article did I read that they played a shitty version, I assume it was a promo CD from the label. That’s pretty much the only things that get played on radio.
I most assuredly do not see the equivalence between a rock radio station adoringly playing your album and being shit on or being co-opted by Wal-Mart or American Idol.
I think it’s GOOD to hear good music on the radio.
If the artist/labels cannot control the distribution of their secret projects that nobody is supposed to hear for three more weeks then boo freaking hoo on them.
Hang the dj, Hang the dj, Hang the dj, Hang the dj, Hang the dj, Hang the dj, Hang the dj!
fuck jack white
whiny bastard. oh someone likes my music and played it for other fans
“You messed up the music business” – what a fucking tool. Im still a fan though. Album is not great though
I dont give a f*ck what happened,whos fauld it is,whatever all I care is that I WANNA HEAR THE GOD DAMNED ALBUM PLEASE!Ive been searching the internet for 3 HOURS and havnt found it dammit! please send it to homeworkhater5@yahoo.com please!
Jack White = stupid Cunt
She should’ve known better, but she’s only human. Obviously she meant no harm, she’s clearly a fan.
Jack White was probably coming down from something when he called her. He should’ve acted like more of a gentleman and less like a douche bag.
This seriously sounds like something Jared Leto would do if a DJ played a crapy 30 seconds album before it’s release. I can understand being pissed, but at least hear the DJ out and understand they didn’t intend any harm.
Wait, everyone is blaming electra, but what did the program direstor do? everybody’s bashing electra, but the program director could have stepped in and done something. with that said, i side with electra on this
What is this “radio” contraption of which you speak?
This lady’s claim of “just being a huge fan” is whack. She’s supposed to be a professional and clear it with the right people before she puts an entire album on the radio. Don’t feel sorry for her and give her attention because she’s a cry baby.
I think Jack’s a pretty nice guy actually, and probably just overreacted, but we really don’t know exactly what was said, do we?
Anyone who ran to download the leaked pre-release radio version – were probably going to download the leaked official version anyway.
However, the folks that don’t download illegally got a preview of a kickass album that many of them might not have known was even about to come out. People that listen to stations with DJ’s with names like Electra aren’t exactly clued in on thngs like releases dates, but rather pick up CD’s when they are in the “featured” bins at Best Buy or on sale…
What I think the most interesting part – ABOUT EVERYTHING IN GENERAL – is how quickly people rush to call people names and judge their entire existance based on some second and third hand information.
Reading blog comments can warp your soul.
I really should quit doing it.
You ignorant cunt. I hope he sues your ass and takes everything you own and everything you make for the rest of your pathetic no reason for being here, life.
If you rip off music, play it outside of the parameters of your contract with the station that employs you, there should be repercussions. It’s very unfortunate how sometimes accidents happen more to certain families than others. Once you realized that the negative Karma you started by playing the song started the chain of events leading to all the bad that had befallen your family, then maybe you might understand what your actions have repercussions.
Karma is a bitch if you don’t respect it. Bottom line, what an ignorant whore. Sell out to the stations, etc. I hope you are fired and blacklisted. The best you should hope for is a DJ gig for weddings that operates out of the back of your 95 Ford Escort.
I have to agree, what a stupid bitch.
Wait, is Anfonbg really claiming that any “accidents” that befall this woman’s family would be due to her playing this record? Some ugly shit pouring from the keyboards of White Stipes fanatics about this. Get a grip, people.
I don’t know if I can listen to this douchebag’s records anymore.
“Copyright and radio air/stream laws state that you can only play up to two or three songs off of an album by an artist per hour.”
Where did you find that law? I can find no legal precedence that makes this illegal. For those of you that are thinking of listening copies, those are mainly sent to press NOT radio, which would make the DJ safe from contract law.
Innocent until proven guilty. Some of you are ready to hang this woman on pure speculation on what you THINK the law should be.
I forgot we live in a time when hearing an album is actually considered horrible for sales. God forbid people actually hear this, they might realize it sucks.
Incidentally, let’s examine this for a moment a bit further. A CD was sent to a radio station; therefore, this CD was sent to the radio station in hopes of being PLAYED on the radio station. This CD is NOT for the staff’s enjoyment or listening, it is there so they can do their JOBS. If this CD was NOT meant to be played on the radio, it is Jack White, Warner Music, etc. who is violation of the law. As if that CD is not there for the people at this station to do their job, it’s a gift, payola (see Eliot Spitzer, etc. etc.)
Is Jack White really going off on someone because he wants to admit he broke the law?
What is all this talk about corporate radio is bullshit. What label is Jack White on again? If he wanted to play music for just his friends he has the ability to do that….
funny…
this is true. But many of your favorite artists and mine are on major labels. Liking major label music is different from liking Clear Channel radio. Clear Channel and most american radio plays monotonous shit for music 99 percent of the time, and I’m positive that the DJ could care less about the White Stripes, or good music for that matter.
What stood out to me was this quote: “I don’t think I am helping to ruin the music industry.” Lady, you work in commercial radio! Of course you’re helping to ruin the music industry!
Huh…
These are very confusing things, these blogs. They provide no point except to distinguish our true feelings on a subject and in turn argue our points across others worldwide.
The funny thing is, it doesn’t change anything. No one comes here looking for advice. Those people will eventually work it out themselves. So what difference does it make if we think either are in the wrong or right?
But like I said, these blogs provide no point, especially in terms of trying to persuade others to view a select point an individual holds among a subject.
Jack White puts out a record on a major label. The label sends the record to radio stations and they play it and Jack is pissed at the radio stations?
How is corporate radio the root of all evil? If bands don’t want to be on the radio they don’t have to be on the radio. Don’t sign to a major. Don’t send out promo copies of your c.d. etc…
This guy is a douche and so is anybody who signs to a major and complains about getting airplay.
What a load of shit. He wants radio to play his songs. He pays a shit ton of money out of his royalities for that purpose and that purpose alone.
Don’t be fooled by these fucking people. They pretend they are cooler than radio and in secret beg to get played on it.
Umm, he is not in control of that at all. The people at his label are. Plus the main issue was that the album was leaked. What?, you make it seem like he was complaining about air time after the album was released. I’m sure White doesn’t beg for anything. You think he gives a shit about whether his songs air on Clear Channel or not? He’s Jack White. This is the fault of both the DJ and his label for not letting him know beforehand. Sure I’m sure he likes to make money, but there is no way he stands for shady ethical treatment such as this. Come now.
Wow. Lots of chatter on this one. While I agree that Mr. White seems pretty uncool, I also am surprised at the amount of support for a DJ/program director/station manager/radio station that engages in behavior that directly contravenes a contractual agreement and a copyright law.
And although commenter “No One Cares About Your Fucking Blog” is correct in stating that there is a presumption of innocence, he is not a terribly able legal researcher. For example, 17 U.S.C. 114 provides the relevant federal statute regarding the prohibition on radio plays that everybody seems to be referencing.
ok so… most of the replies here are retarded. “listening copy” only means it can’t be sold.
When a label sends a cd to a radio station, they must include directions for play, including a DO NOT PLAY UNTIL ___
so if they did NOT include that info, then it’s the labels fault. If they DID include it, it’s the programmers fault for letting it even get into the booth.
As she could not have leaked an album without it being sent to her by the label, this isn’t about her playing music she wasn’t given.
The album has now offically leaked and a high quality rip to boot…320kbps. I’m listening to it now, and it does indeed rock.
Another example of what is wrong with Music today. How is there a on air DJ that is so out of the loop with the sate of music today that they can not see leaking a record this far out will have a negative impact?
I’m one of a billion that think Jack White is mucho talented but he’s on a bit of a high horse on this issue. Assuming the DJ is telling the truth and not covering his hiney, he just wanted people to hear a record he was geeked about. By this point, any artist is foolish to think their work won’t leak out. The label and the White Stripe’s management should send that guy a thank you card for playing it.
And where was this DJ that he didn’t have to play a pre-programmed, canned playlist?
All this may have been said, I only scanned the comments.
art’s not something you set a date on
The White Stripes have been known for their ability to keep their albums under wrap very near to release, unlike several(crapy) bands who leak tracks several weeks before release dates. They didnt Give the radio station a CD. They gave them a vinyl record of the cd, just to preview it.
Jack white has ever right to be pissed.