I'm toying with the idea of releasing 4-5 rough live demo mp3s of a band I look after into the big wide world of the internet. the band is unsigned, but hopefully will release an album in the later part of this year.

Do you think putting this mp3s out there will be worth it for the short term gain - ie more fans at shows, more people talking/writing about it, etc, or will it ruin the impact of when they record their LP and release proper singles etc.

I'm not sure these days it matters too much due to the fact *everything* is online ... so is there any downside to releasing demos?