Wired reports that Fiona Apple finished her latest record Extraordinary Machine in 2003 but it was never released by her label, Epic Records, because the suits apparently claimed it lacked a hit single. Epic is a subsidiary of Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Fiona Apple with Jon Brion, producer of Extraordinary Machine
When questioned about the situation by Wired, an Epic representative e-mailed a statement, which didn’t address questions about the album’s availability on the radio and online. In addition, the statement indicated Apple has yet to deliver the album.
“We are extremely proud of our long association with Fiona Apple,” the statement said. “She is a uniquely talented and much-loved artist, with dedicated fans across this country and around the world. Fiona has not yet delivered her next album to Epic, but we join music lovers everywhere in eagerly anticipating her next release.”
The absurdity of this statement cannot be overstated when BigChampagne, which monitors songs available on file-sharing services, found that at any one time about 38,000 users in the United States are downloading songs from Extraordinary Machine. The album has also found a champion in Seattle’s 107.7 The End.
Additionally, a handful of Fiona fans protested outside the Sony building in subzero weather last January to let the record honchos know they wanted the album. Free Fiona, an online community is also pressuring Sony to release the work.
