Almost everyone knows by now that Opeth's Watershed has been leaked a couple months before it's release date... as has pretty much every album worth caring about over the years.

When an album that people have been waiting years to hear is leaked months before it is supposed to, I think this is what drives some people to pirate it even though they otherwise wouldn't, and once you have the album you kinda forget all about that "release date" technicality whenever the time actually comes, especially if the album isn't what you'd hoped (*ahem*).

What I don't understand is why they don't just release the album when it's done instead of sitting on it for a few months while a majority of the people that actually care to hear it are doing so for free... I can't really see it as being beneficial for artists to deny people the right of owning a legit copy of the album when it's done, mixed, packaged, and already being listened to by a bunch of other people.

I think its much the same process as games, Even when its done, They take a little while for promotion and what not, Plus, just because the album is done, Doesnt mean that all the copies to be sold in stores are made yet. I mean, they have to make a well over a few thousand, sometimes up to 100,000, and ship it to all the countries its to be sold at. Takes time.

yeah, but i still don't think that there's enough of a benefit to sending out the early releases to reviewers and stuff when it costs you this much album sales... better to just make them wait till the album is available in retail stores to do their review... i mean its not like ppl have no interest in reading a review for an album if its already released.

Well, the bands have no control over it, Distribution is handled by the record comapany. And all Media, CD, DVD, and Games, in the US, are always released on Tuesdays for some reason.

I think they generally like to finish any touring that the band is doing before they release it, so they can then go tour in support of it