Before the release of the band’s new album The Smashing Pumpkins “ATUM”which is the third and final part of their rock opera – the leader Billy Corgan was forced to pay a hacker to keep the band’s music from being released online.

During a recent appearance on KROQ’s Klein/Ally Show podcast, the singer claimed that a hacker obtained nine songs about six months before the album’s release date.

The incident happened at the same time that the recording was going to be mixed and mastered, as the American musician, singer and songwriter said.

“They were all probably the songs that were expected to have the biggest impact,” Corgan said on the podcast. “Well, not only was it six months early, but it was almost like giving the album away,” he said.

“Somehow, some hacker offered the files for money and we were able to track them down and pay to keep them from being leaked,” he explained. “The FBI got involved … I don’t know how they got what they got,” he clarified.

Corgan added that he and the other members of the band, which will tour North America this summer, were not the only ones affected by the hacker’s action. “What we were able to do was stop the leak, because it was one who received money to gain illegal access to someone’s records and had other things from other artists,” he noted. “He wasn’t a Pumpkins fan. Somehow, there was some information that allowed the FBI to track them,” he noted.