Smashing Pumpkins singer pays ransom to stop hacker leaking new songs online
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Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has admitted he paid a ransom to stop the band’s new songs leaking online.
The hacker stole songs from the band’s three-part rock opera Atum before it was released on May 5.
With the promotion and sales of the band’s new album at risk, Corgan opted to pay the ransom.
The FBI even got involved but Corgan says he still doesn’t know how the music leaked.
“They were all probably the most catchy, single-y type songs. So not only is it six months too early, you’re pretty much giving away the album before you even have a chance to set your feet into the ground,” Corgan told the Klein Ally Show.
“Somehow, some hacker was offering the files for money, and we were able to trace it and pay off and keep it from leaking.
“The FBI got involved. I don’t know how they got what they got.”
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Getty)
Corgan refused to reveal who got hacked but claims they had unreleased music from other artists as well.
“It was a mercenary person who had hacked somebody, I don’t want to say who, and they had other stuff from other artists,” he explained.
“They had stuff that was shocking to me, classic stuff from bands of the past probably doing reissues. I don’t think any of that stuff has been leaked out, so whatever happened, it all got shut down.
“It wasn’t like some Pumpkins fan who was hellbent on breaking it on Reddit. Somehow, they gave some information that allowed the FBI to track them.”
Corgan said he doesn’t know the “end result” of the FBI’s investigation yet.
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AFP via Getty Images)
Music hacking is becoming commonplace and earlier this year Dua Lipa was said to be in a blind panic, as she feared her new tracks will be leaked ahead of time.
The 27-year-old has not had the best of luck when it comes to keeping her tunes locked up before release in the past.
Her second album, Future Nostalgia, was leaked in its entirety two weeks before the planned release date in 2020 – prompting a hasty official release earlier than expected.
While more recently, discarded songs from this past album have made their way online – including a collaboration with NERD superstar Pharrell Williams – sparking fears hackers could target her upcoming third album.
