Folie à Deux (album) a tight deadline to get the album out on November 4. While on a promotional tour in Spain, the band realized that things were "spinning out of control", and, in a rushed-out statement, explained: Deciding to postpone the album release in a season in which artists like Britney Spears ("Circus"), Beyoncé ("I Am... Sasha Fierce"), Kanye West ("808s & Heartbreak"), and Guns N' Roses ("Chinese Democracy") had already set release dates, the only one available was six weeks later than expected. The album was made available for streaming on December 8. It was soon announced that a new release date
Chinese Democracy Geffen had removed "Chinese Democracy" from its release schedule and withdrawn funding, stating: "Having exceeded all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions of dollars, it is Mr. Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's." Around that time, manager Merck Mercuriadis said the album was close to complete. According to a March 2005 "New York Times" article, production costs for the album had reached $13 million, making it probably the most expensive recording "never made". Mercuriadis dismissed the article, writing in a letter that the newspaper's sources had not been involved with the project for several years.