Our conduct needs to change (RE: Leaks)

[Aga Gydal 3,158]

I'm creating this topic to address the culture among fans regarding LG6 leaks. Time and time again I am seeing anger, frustration and disappointment being broadcast and directed towards Team Gaga whenever a snippet makes its way online. For many of you (presumably younger fans) these leaks are putting a damper on your hype and excitement. For others, you're taking this all in stride and/or are creating topics to discuss the quality of the music. I want to get a few facts out of the way and help keep things in perspective, with the hopes that we can align on what's really going on, and how we need to direct our energy moving forward.

Why do leaks happen so frequently to Gaga? We all want to think that Team Gaga has a loose lid on her material, or that her A-team is incompetent when it comes to protecting her songs. However, what musicians/producers have consistently said is that a leak is inevitable if your fans are avid enough. Gaga's fans are rabid. There's something to be said about her least hyped projects (Cheek To Cheek, Joanne) not suffering any major leaks, whereas every other solo project did. People are seeking out material, and when the motivation is high enough, said material becomes easier to find. Leaks like this are inevitable, even for A-list acts, but we should be doing our part to contain them as much as possible. More on that below.

Whenever a snippet finds its way online, I'm seeing the following play out:

1- Threads and posts being made about a leak appearing online, causing hundreds of others to seek it out, in turn causing them to broadcast/spread the leak to their own networks,

2- Hostile posts, tweets and topics being directed toward Gaga, Bobby, et al, blaming them for this leak, asking them to address it immediately,

3- Rampant discussions about the music itself, exacerbating people's motives to seek the material out yet again, and spreading it online to support said discussions, and 

4- Posts showing frustration about a release feeling ruined, Gaga not reacting by announcing a release sooner, or "hype being gone".

#1 is the product of us being really ****ing excited for new songs, and we are, but we do have a responsibility. We claim to love and support Gaga but we co-opt a crime by stealing her material and helping distribute it. I get that it's easy to access and spurs discussion, but if we really need to hear it, then listen to it online and keep it at that, do NOT share the link, or create topics in here asking people to find it. "Contain," don't "spread."

#2 is causing media traffic about the leak, again exacerbating the spread, but also seems to stem from fans thinking they understand how managing leaks works, how to maximize sales, etc. We are NOT managers. Letting Bobby know that a snippet has leaked is great; tagging Lady Gaga with "bitch you better drop this music now, your era is ruined" is gross energy. Again, let's be responsible fans and keep discussions as covert as possible. When major online publications mention a Gaga leak, that's because we put it on their radar. No, a leak spreading is NOT inevitable, it is physically spread by us. Knock it off.

#3 feels inevitable on a Lady Gaga forum, but the liberal way that we're mentioning leaks (ESPECIALLY if you like something or not) on general topics is helping the spread. Let's knock that off too.

#4 is a completely self-inflicted thing that you are projecting toward Gaga of all people. If you're excited about watching a new film, and then you look up the ending before watching it, you've ruined that experience for yourself. You are NOT required to listen to leaks, and if you do, blaming Gaga for her own material being stolen and distributed is nonsensical. If you listen to leaked material and feel deflated after, then that's valid, but it's completely your own doing. If you want to avoid that, then avoid listening to leaks. 

 

This ended up being WAY longer than I expected, but the bottom line is this:

We are being irresponsible about handling leaks, and need to remember that Gaga's material was stolen from her. Spreading the leak by sending DMs or spurring discussions is causing further damage. If your friend gets robbed, you don't direct hostility at your friend. Direct your frustration and anger toward people committing a crime, and please keep your hype and excitement in check. If leaks ruin the experience for you, please don't listen. 

 

(Thanks for coming to my TED Talk)

 

 

 

 

[ANVEEROY 61,188]

[iAstroLeo 14,424]

1. I didn't leak it

2. It's not my job to secure her unreleased work. It's my job as a fan to support her

3. If it's out there, us listening to it won't change that fact

[Venus Rose 5,638]

TL;DR: If you hear of a leak, don't spread it, don't listen to it, and don't make threads about them. 

[NFRatwell 23,290]

Calling Gaga’s team “incompetent” because her **** is leaking is a bit extra I agree, but it’s not our fault her music does get leaked. She’s stated before, these songs have been pass along probably half a dozen producers and the tea is, they have no idea how to secure her music. Take Joanne for example. Can someone point me in the direction of a demo version (by Gaga) for any of those songs? What about some unreleased songs, anyone have Joanne outtakes? No. That’s because Mark and BloodPop know how to keep their music safe. The fact that supposedly a handful of demos and rough takes from this album have been leaking since 2019 though, that’s a mess. It shows her team now doesn’t know how to handle them we dead ass got a SL demo last year... months before the releases. 

[Genuine Guy 09 13,941]

[GaGaAst 13,023]

sorry ur thread is too long. I can't read entire. Perhaps a 2 3 line summary might help 

[Regina George 59,387]

12 minutes ago, Aga Gydal said:

We are being irresponsible about handling leaks

I'm sorry but it's not on us to be responsible about handling leaks.. It's on her team that is clearly doing something wrong. 

[MelbHawker 6,583]

Are you new to the internet orrrrr? 

[holy scheisse 22,253]

Joanne leaked in full what u mean...honestly, imo, if you don't want to hear or read about the leaks exercise some willpower and don't open leak related threads, don't go searching on Twitter, etc. It's nobody's fault if the songs and music get spoiled for you other than your own curiosity/impulsivity. That being said, I think there's a diff between considering myself Gaga's fan and Gaga's friend. Especially when she doesn't comment on the leaks, and it's been speculated she's leaked her own music in the past, I'm not gonna go out of my way to ignore the leaks cause I want to hear them

[buzzkill 5,152]

another topic blaming the fans for her team lack of security. i can't. 

[Der Meister 3,000]

So?

[Enzo 37,977]

We are not team to be securing leaks 

If it's out in the internet, it's out

We cannot do anything 

[Rainonme 217]

[axelwolf 114]

Ummm. People are dying right now and you're concerned about our conduct whilst a multi millionaires music leaking? Be concerned about your priorities because whilst you write posts like these in your tiny room, she's spending her time in a fancy mansion. Go figure.