Jack White and his merry men release new album sharpish

Given that they're a hoary old bunch of traditionalist rockers, you're not going to find Jack White, Brendan Benson, the brunette Garth from Waynes World and the drummer doing anything daft like give away their music away for nowt on that new-fangled internet machine.

But in these times when recording studios seem to be as leaky as the clouds over Gloucestershire, even The Raconteurs have had to find a way of getting their music out there before anyone's nabbed it for nothing. So their second album Consolers of the Lonely is leaping out of the racks as quickly as next Tuesday, March 25th.

Of course, this has nothing to do with not losing sales, honest guv. According to a statement from the band, the aim is "to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised. We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it’s availability, reception or perception." Belay the earnest capitalisation there!

"With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important “first week sales”. We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it’s first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.

"Also in the event that the record leaks, we didn’t want this method of release to be seen as a REACTION to such a leak. It’s not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, akin to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theater. Which for the album’s creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener." Find out more about the release at the Raconteurs website here.