Billy Corgan accuses Amazon of breaking ‘promises’ following Adore reissue leak

Billy Corgan has lashed out at Amazon, accusing them of breaking their “promises” by prematurely releasing details of Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore reissue. In a post taking aim at both the online retailer and the Pumpkins’ label, Corgan complained that he doesn’t know “what [he] can trust” any more.

“It boils my blood when ‘ye olde record business stands up and does [its] same old trample all over what was promised,” Corgan wrote on his website. “Frankly, they’re more scared of their [corporate] masters than [the] artists on their rosters.”

At issue was Amazon’s listing for the new Adore box set: an expanded, six-disc version of their 1998 album, remastered in both mono and stereo formats. Corgan has had the final tracklist for months, he claims, but “made the mistake of asking the record label if I should wait” to post it online. Virgin and Universal Music Enterprises allegedly insisted that they try to coordinate the announcement with retailers. Instead, Amazon seems to have accidentally leaked the whole thing – albeit with some errors.

“Amazon decided to break an agreement and post track listing of Adore first; despite assurances otherwise that asked us to wait,” Corgan stated in his initial post. But the musician’s later entry also drew a line between Amazon’s behaviour and the problems currently plaguing the music industry. “Some would say music hasn’t been in such a disadvantageous place … [since] the early 1900s,” he wrote. And according to the artist, labels are using “harmful business practices” to “exploit … [artists’] rights”.

While Smashing Pumpkins have two new albums planned for 2015, Corgan said he “[doesn’t] believe … in some corporate logo that helps sell plastic”. And yet there will certainly be label logos on the reissued Adore. “Thanks to Universal Music Entertainment’s four-pronged restoration of this gem, the album can reach a whole new generation of fans,” the company said in a press release. The company have yet to respond to Corgan’s claims.

The 107-track Adore set, featuring unreleased demos, outtakes, and a live set from Atlanta’s Fox theatre in 1998, is out on 23 September.

Source: The Guardian