It's a free country - but what the fans want, aka the people who buy their records and ultimately finance their artistry, should always come before what the artist wants.
I would agree with you 10, 15 years ago, when most people who listened to the music and complained about it on the internet, had actually PURCHASED it.
I think since nowadays, the majority of people who will be complaining about it not being what they wanted to hear will have downloaded the album illegally, I don't blame the artist for not giving a crap what people say about the music...