Reports have iTunes releasing Keane's new record Under The Iron Sea on sale two weeks ahead of time on their Belgium site last week. In the everything-is-orchestrated world of major label releases the PR machine is set to cause us to purchase records at a certain time in order to achieve maximum chart position. The "fear" for the band is that the early release in some locations will make for spotty sales instead of an avalanche in mid-June when the official public relations onslaught is set to begin. See, its no longer important just to sell records, you have to sell them in bunches in the first week to generate a top slot - which generates more press - which generates more sales.

Of course, there's never a guarantee that this orchestration will actually work. But, the first single "Is it Any Wonder?" hit #3 on the UK charts so the buzz was building. We'll see if Keane and company can still pull it off despite the reported iTunes mishap.