Wilco Album Leaked But They're Not Complaining

Wilco knows how to keep their fans coming back for more.

Reason #8942 we love Wilco.

Albums leaking on the Internet before they're released is pretty commonplace these days. And you're likely to hear bands throwing a fit over it. But check out what Wilco did when they heard their latest album was leaked for all to hear.

Wilco's new album appropriately named Wilco (The Album) was leaked to the Internet on Wednesday morning. Their album isn't due out until June 30, so a leaked album could possibly be detrimental to them. If the world listens to their album a whole month and a half before it's officially released, who's going to buy it when it does arrive in stores? Most bands would throw a fit and take every step possible to make sure every song is removed from the Internet.

But not Wilco. Instead of freaking out, the band simply responded by streaming the entire album to wilcoworld.net website. This is the fourth album Wilco has streamed online before its release.

Not only is Wilco letting fans listen to their album before it's released, in an e-mail sent out to their subscriber list they say, ""We also have our usual guilt abatement plan for downloaders. If you have downloaded the record, we suggest you make a donation to one of the band's favorite charities, the Inspiration Corporation- an organization we've supported in the past & who are doing great work in the city of Chicago."

The publicist for Wilco says, "It's just part of the general game plan. We send it out, it leaks, we stream it, we proceed." And who knows, this could actually be positive for Wilco. Wilco's the kind of band who has an extremely active fan base, one who likes to talk a lot. So with everyone talking about Wilco, their popularity is likely to keep rising. And with everyone loving Wilco, everyone will want to support them and will be willing to spring the money to make sure they keep making music.

If you can't beat them, join them, right? Wilco is one band who understands its fans, technology, and how to keep everyone happy. And we love them for that.