I like Fiona Apple. She has released two very good albums, and my girlfriend and I have been looking forward to her third album. Well, we have been a waiting for ages now. The release date was pushed backwards forever, although the album is already finished. Since May 2003 it had been shelved by the Sony/Epic executives, because they were unable to agree on a single to release. As of December 8th, the album has been shelved for an indefinite time, because now the good people at Sony think the album is too experimental, and actually releasing and promoting it wouldn’t be cost-effective enough.
Apart from the fact that these people are obvious assholes, they are musical idiots as well. I for one know that there are enough people who so wish to not be subjected to even more bland pop and hip-hop acts anymore, created somewhere on a drawing table, and who’d be willing to buy an album which doesn’t feature a 100% marketable single. It’s just a fucking shame people in power can be so stupid, but hey, it’s never been a secret. If you are interested in more information on that topic, head on over to Free Fiona, an organisation dedicated to get that album released.