The Changing Distribution Paradigm (Score 1)

Several times during the Yahoo chat, it is stated that Metallica needs to be able to control the distribution of its music.

As you know, guitar rock is the most unpopular it has been in years. Billy Corgan outlined a paradigm for distributing material in a re cent interview that would release EPs every 3 months. He has reached the opinion that "the editing process is inconsequential," and says "even amongst the crap there's still something to be heard. That's why I buy bootlegs, or Picasso's sketchbooks."

Metallica obviously thinks that something like this would be ineffective, and wants to control its music. What advantages do you believe the current distribution method has over the hypothetical one above?