Once again, it has been suggested that a leaked album does not necessarily spell disaster for an artist. This week The Jonas Brothers' new album, A Little Bit Longer, debuted at #1 selling 525,000 copies despite leaking on the internet 2 weeks before its official release date. Although the RIAA and a lot of bands will say that they don't want albums leaked early, many claim it can actually create more buzz and hype that will propel music sales.
In the classic example, Radiohead's fourth album, Kid A, was released in 2000 also claiming the top of the sales chart its first week. The funny part was that the album had no radio singles, no videos, and little interview promotion prior to its release. The album did leak though.
Social networks have continued to evolve for music fans since the days of Napster. Although it is now fairly commonplace for a CD to leak, people still get excited and are naturally inclined to become a marketers dream: grassroots promoters. The buzz created for an album and consequent album sales will usually more than make up for those few who actually download the leak and feel satisfied to not acquire a legal copy. The next challenge for the music industry will be to figure out how to better utilize and control the social media realm and channel its massive potential more consistently.