LOS ANGELES, CA  [Monday May.8.2006]  /Mix103FM.com/ -- For the last year-and-a-half, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have poured their hearts and souls into making their new album "Stadium Arcadium," which gets released this Tuesday, May 9th.

But all the band's work didn't mean much to the person who posted "Stadium Arcadium" on file-sharing sites last week for people to illegally download.

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea got the news on Tuesday, May 2nd, that "Stadium Arcadium" had been leaked online. In a post at the band's official web site, Flea said not only was he saddened that someone would steal the band's music, but that the thief had also defiled the band's careful work by posting a recording of inferior sound quality that does not come close to the album.

"Well that's not very nice if you download it now off one of these file sharing sites. You will be getting a pale imitation of the record," wrote Flea. "It will be of the poor sound quality of the technique they used to get it on there and that will break my heart; it will break [guitarist] John Frusciante's heart; it will break [singer] Anthony Kiedis's heart; and it will break the heart of [drummer] Chad Smith."

Flea continued, "We worked for a year and a half to make the epic record of our lives...I think we are selling something really cool and we put all we had into it, 28 songs, 2 hours of the best that we can offer and I think it is a fair deal for everyone."

"For people to just steal a poor sound quality version of it for free because some a--hole stole it and put it on the Internet is sad to me," Flea added.

"It is a painful pill for us to swallow. Let me tell you this bums all of us out," said Flea. "Yes, it is stealing from us, and that is lame."

Flea appealed to fans to consult their conscience and not download the illegal version.

"Everyone has to live with their own conscience on that one. Let it be your guide but to take a version that has been defiled sound wise, a version in which some idiot has taken our year-and-a-half of soul-baring work and p---ed all over it -- that will break our hearts."

To read Flea's entire post, visit www.redhotchilipeppers.com.

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