Billy Corgan Paid Off A Hacker Who Threatened To Leak Smashing Pumpkins’ New Album; Says ‘The FBI Got Involved’

etcanada.com:

Prior to last weeks’ release of The Smashing Pumpkins’ new album ATUM- the third and final part of their rock opera- frontman Billy Corgan had to pay a hacker out of his own pocket to not leak the band’s music online.

During a recent appearance on KROQ’s Klein/Ally Show, the lead singer claimed that a hacker got a hold of nine songs roughly six months before the album’s release date.

It happened at the same time the record was due to be mixed and mastered, he shared. “They were all probably the most catchy, single-y type songs,” Corgan said on the podcast. “So it’s like, 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. READ MORE: Billy Corgan Opens Up About His Friendship With Lisa Marie Presley And Performing At Her Funeral “Somehow, some hacker was offering the files for money, and we were able to trace it and pay off and keep it from leaking,” he explained. “The FBI got involved… I don’t know how they got what they got.” Corgan added that he and his bandmates, who are taking ATUM on a North American tour this summer, weren’t the only ones affected by the hacker’s exploits. READ MORE: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Says His Dad Won The Lottery But Didn’t Tell Him “What we were able to do was stop the leak from happening, because 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 shared. “It wasn’t like some Pumpkins fan that was hellbent on breaking it on Reddit.

Somehow, they gave some information that allowed the FBI to track them.” Corgan clarified that the “other stuff” he referred to included “classic stuff from bands of the past