You're pulling things out of context. The full quote, which answer most of your questions: " A nameless person has decided that he, not us, is best placed to

You're pulling things out of context. The full quote, which answer most of your questions: " A nameless person has decided that he, not us, is best placed to release the new Amon Tobin album, and to do so for free, online via a watermarked promotional copy. We know these things happen, and we know that not everyone realises how much is invested in ambitious, groundbreaking tours, collaborations with brilliant artists and lovingly designed packaging... It still hurts." The point they're making is that it costs them a lot of money to produce an album, and someone deciding to leak it early sucks. An obvious point, but one that's probably written more out of frustration than out of a desire to communicate something people don't already know. The translation that I took from it, is that they want to offer a full package on a given date. That package includes the option to digitally purchase the music, or buy a physical disc that includes things that they feel are important to some people. By having it leaked a month+ early, most people are just going to acquire it they only way they currently can -- by downloading it for free. Offering a digital download a month early is obviously not the ideal scenario for them (it means people who would have otherwise purchased a physical copy will now just purchase a digital version) but it's better than just losing all the sales that will otherwise result from people being 'finished' with the album before it's even released.