Bands, Labels Try to Beat the CD Leakers

Here's a conundrum for record labels: you want to promote your new releases so you send out promo CD's to radio stations, record stores, and distributors - usually several months before the store date - to get the buzz going.

But these days, almost as soon as those discs land on those desks, they wind up on the internet.

This week, in an effort to beat the leakers, the Toronto record label ARTS & CRAFTS posted the new record by its band Stars online, just four days after the record was completed — and two and a half months ahead of the physical release date.

The day it was made available for purchase online, the album hit No. 1 on the Canadian iTunes chart. It is now at No. 26 on the U.S. iTunes chart.