"We're very very excited! I hope you all like TOYC, and i apologise in advance for this rant. I hope at the end of it you can comprehend where we're coming from!

So our first album comes out on Monday, which some people that preordered it may have received today. We have been worried for a few weeks that it may have leaked, but we have been lucky and it hadn't. However, now it's out there, I suppose the inevitable will happen. It will end up on illegal downloading sites. Now usually when it happens to albums, we, probably like most of you say – what's the big deal? Hey, most of the band have downloaded an album or 2 without paying for them. But recently we have been learning about the effect illegal downloading is having on the music industry.

I hate to put so blunty, but downloading music without paying for it is stealing. The problem is most people see a faceless mutli million pound company and think 'I'm sure they don't need the money', but whatever happens you are stealing from the members of the band. This is even more the case for our band! As you all know, we chose to release on a small independent record label, which meant we weren't given loads of money in advance and that most of the money from the sales goes to the label. Every album sold some of the money goes direct to the band.

Most of it goes back into running the band. It costs us a lot to go out on tour to play for you, rehearse, pay for equipment we need, and also to get back into the studio to write and record our next record. If the band doesn't receive money from sales of the album. The band can't operate.

We want to play to people in other countries but we have already had to turn down one trip to America and 2 trips to Europe. We have been told that if as many people had paid for downloading our songs than had illegally downloaded them we would have been able to get over there!

Some of the money ultimately goes to us. Now we aren't asking to get rich or anything like that. We don't want to be rich rockstars as Nickleback put it with 15 cars and bathrooms we can play baseball in. We just want a bit of cash to live on so that we can continue making music for you. We all gave up a lot to be in this band. If we don't get enough money, we simply can't tour this record and keep making others.

Please, please, please help our band continue! If you do get copy from a friend and you like it, please go out and get a real copy when you can!!!

We are really sorry to preach like this, but we know, like us, people simply don't know the facts and the damage caused by illegal downloading!

Thanks,

Josh"

'Take Off Your Colours' is available from Tomorrow.