AfterDawn: News

New 50 Cent CD is latest Internet leak victim

Well, it has happened again (and nobody is one bit surprised). We all saw the media attention surrounding the leak of the Eminem - Encore album several weeks before its release date. Interscope got so worried about the Internet leak that they brought the release date forward a couple of weeks fearing that Internet piracy would hit the albums sales hard. After that we also saw the latest U2 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb arrive first, not in stores, but all over the Internet.

Now the latest album to surface weeks before its release is 50 Cent's new album The Massacre. The album is set to be released on March 8th 2005, but there is already a retail copy of the 22 track album available online for download. Apparently another copy has been available for a matter of days but at much lower quality. This copy is ripped straight from a retail CD into high quality MP3 files.



The runtime of the album is approximately 1h 17min. It's encoded as VBR MP3 audio which produces much higher quality than CBR 128kb/s mp3 which is mainly found on P2P networks like Kazaa (usually MP3 rips that have been around since Napster). The album is currently appearing on the Internets biggest P2P networks, IRC and of course BitTorrent sites.

There is no doubt that Interscope will be very frustrated about this leak, as today is only February 22nd, a whole 14 days before the albums retail release. Perhaps we will see legal digital copies of the album appear on some of the biggest online music stores like iTunes and Napster in the next few days, as I'm sure rap fans will want to get their hands on this new album quickly, and are not too concerned about the legality of the method they use.

Source:
AfterDawn

Written by: James Delahunty @ 21 Feb 2005 17:28

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• 29 comments

• c4iscool

  yeah free 50 before it comes out!!!! If it's good I will buy the REAL cd. To me downloading doesn't hurt the record labels, it just helps people weed out the good stuff from the shit. I support good music. I bootleg bad music.

  21.2.2005 18:32 #1

• MXGzX

  It was hard to tell if this was a real RNS release at first considering the nfo sucked lol and there was no -rns at the end of the mp3's...and yeah there were 2 bootlegs with fewer songs on irc earlier.
  
  "and nobody is one bit surprised" - and yet it's a major news item :p

  21.2.2005 19:10 #2

• Letukka

  The label just knows that 50 cent is shit and that nobody won't really buy the record if they can download it :p

  21.2.2005 19:49 #3

• mattF099

  O MY GOD! Wait, wait, rap culture is retarted. Sorry i forgot for a second. Thats just a waist of bandwidth. This is such a common occurence now that im supprised it made headlines.

  21.2.2005 19:55 #4

• MXGzX

  Damn you people are turning against 50 cent....in the words of the not me...."stop hatin' foo!"
  
  Yeah I like rock and harcore trance....so w/e :P

  21.2.2005 20:05 #5

• daemonzx6

  This is happening sooo often lately, its getting funny.
  I was able to download Black Sabbath's new album, as well as the new Judas Priest for some friends weeks ago. Why does the worst music (ie: 50 Cent, Eminem) get the publicity?

  21.2.2005 20:09 #6

• MXGzX

  Shh...Dela thinks nerds care about Hip-hop... :P
  
  actually...many do hahahaha
  
  yes...very very sad

  21.2.2005 20:19 #7

• soul007

  no such thing as bad publicity as they say :)

  21.2.2005 20:24 #8

• Tedronai

  wow.. this is like OMG SUCH BIG NEWS!!!
  
  it happens with EVERY SINGLE RECORD RELEASED. WOWZORS!

  21.2.2005 21:49 #9

• bzboarder

  hey, look at it this way... it might not be be big news (cuz yeah, leaks are so common now) but at least it lets people know the leak it out there to download it. im not into rap but its so mainstream now that news of the leak is bound to send thousands of kiddies searching the net for this leak they might not have otherwise thought to look for.

  21.2.2005 23:49 #10

• Dela

  @Tedronai, Ye as I mentioned I said in the news, "and nobody is one bit surprised". However, the last time an Interscope rap album leaked this early and was so anticipated, it started a war of words and brought that albums release date forward by a matter of weeks because they feared a huge loss in sales after the album was actually released.
  
  @MXGzX, I dont really see AfterDawn as the home of "Major news items", the news is written for members who are interested, and that is why it's written on the site, just like the leak of games early like when Halo 2 or GTA: San Andreas leaked, we just mention it a couple of days before all the worlds newspapers start writing it and of course, the software companies/record labels make heated comments.
  
  @mattF099, same as above....
  
  @daemonzx6, finally a "legit" question. Simple mate because Eminem was so vocal about his opposition to P2P, even though he's already very rich, and has been only for a matter of years. So for guys who like money better than fans it's sometimes nice to read that their new "masterpieces" have leaked onto the Internet before they even went on sale, isnt it? ;-)
  
  @MXGzX, LOL!!! Im not a big 50 Cent/Eminem fan either mate. I might like a few songs here and there, I just think all the tough guy look has been done over and over and over again and needs to die.
  
  ------------------------------
  Final Note
  ------------------------------
  
  To all who seem to be bitching that this news was written....
  
  I write news here for people who are interested (and judging by the traffic to news items, they are interested), so I don't have to explain the motivation behind writing something, just because it's about something that "happens all the time". RIAA lawsuits happen all the time and with all the news about the RIAA suing another gazillion P2P users, nobody has ever complained that "it happens all the time, it shouldn't be news". Maybe YOU know about the leak of copyrighted works online all the time before everyone else, but you forget there's millions of news readers around who have no clue that it actually happens and those same people seem to love reading this stuff (just look at the way some of the other news articles are worded, for example, after eminem leak one site said, "The leak of the Eminem album was blamed on an illegal download website called RNS" - It proves that NO not EVERYONE knows how all this seems to work).
  
  So basically, if you don't like the news, it's not my problem. Oh and please, try to make useful news comments, nobody needs to know how leet you are, just because you know how to use a BitTorrent site or know how to request from an XDCC bot. That's not exactly something to have a big ego about, now, is it?

  22.2.2005 04:21 #11

• crazydope

  Dela..forget about it...good news reporting...keep up the good work.

  22.2.2005 05:56 #12

• RedAnt

  Dela don't sweat it.
  It's news and you reported it.
  Thank you and keep up the good work.

  22.2.2005 06:17 #13

• Dela

  heh :-) I'm not worried mate, thnx! If I wrote something to offend someone I'd rather they PM me about it like, and if I wrote something that people don't like, then why comment on it?
  
  And for anyone who says the all too familiar thing - "You shouldn't report this because it alerts the entertainment industry and anti-piracy organisations etc.." here's some things they need to know.
  
  If AfterDawn reports the 50 Cent album leak as a news story, it doesn't change anything. If AfterDawn reports it and you download and share it, depending on your location you may get sued. If AfterDawn DOESN'T report it and you download and share it, depending on your location you may get sued. It doesn't change a thing at all because Interscope don't wait for AfterDawn headlines to tell them if an album leaks, they have people PAID to do this. Yes i mean that, you can actually get a job just tracking files on P2P networks, torrent files on BT sites and even bots on IRC. So the fact that this was written on AfterDawn doesn't really mean anything, you are not more or less likely to run into legal trouble while downloading the album. If you want to give out about a site reporting releases, then give out to vcdquality or nforce or something, they do the same thing, only on a bigger scale, but no you dont give out to them (and you shouldnt since they are not really doing anything wrong either, just providing a service). Or why not go give out to BT sites for posting this release in the first place? After all, many scene release groups would prefer to NOT see their files on P2P networks or on BT sites, that doesn't change the fact that they are posted anyway.
  
  But anyways, enough about that, :-) I gotta go write you guys some more news now ;-) If I offended anyone in any ways, send me a PM and we'll talk :-)

  22.2.2005 06:30 #14

• diabolos

  Personally, I thrive on the post about leaked albums. I don't have the time to search around for the info (length, quality, name, .ect) on the legit downloads (so I can stay away from fakes). I come to AD and everythings done for me.
  
  Keep up the superb work Dela!
  Ced

  22.2.2005 06:38 #15

• brncs4evr

  wat up w/the people hatin on 50, saying it's crap music: he is one of the best rappers out. ne way either way it goes he will get paid because there are so many people in the world and although there are a lot of bootleggers, it's not nearly enough to make sells plumet to the point of no profit.

  22.2.2005 16:38 #16

• neewbie

  haha. stupid black man

  22.2.2005 17:21 #17

• daemonzx6

  All their bitching is really sort of dumb. They will make tons of cash even if a few savvy people who also listen to them (very few) download the album.
  @Dela, hah, I understand, those greedy "artists" that constantly moan about leaking... and I think you use too many smilies :-)

  22.2.2005 17:32 #18

• GrayArea

  "victim"???
  
  Whatever. 50 Cent and his label are getting "victimized" all the way to the bank.

  23.2.2005 08:21 #19

• bzboarder

  i just find it funny when you think about how many people listen to 50 cent. how many of those people can relate to growing up in southside jamacia queens? how many people really know whats its like to live in a ghetto, or the struggles they face? im betting its less than 10%. kids listen to him because its the "cool" thing to do and its very mainstream. i was rasied in orange county, california (yeah, like that piece of crap TV show) which is a very affluent area, yet you cant drive down a street without hearing some teenager blasting 50 cent in the BMW daddy bought them. pretty sad really. people buy his music not because its good but because its whats cool... but its not like the record label will complain about that.

  23.2.2005 11:48 #20

• mattF099

  That is what i was bitching about early in this thread. Bzboarder , I could not have put it better :)

  23.2.2005 12:22 #21

• lannigan

  Hey Dela,
  
  I liked this news column so phooey to the rest that didnt. Now im gonna go download it. Cya!

  23.2.2005 14:35 #22

• neewbie

  I agree.Tryhard punk kids..

  23.2.2005 16:00 #23

• daemonzx6

  Mainstream society really pisses me off sometimes...really more like all the time, actually.

  23.2.2005 16:17 #24

• thoms3

  I just wanted to say to bzoarder; That I grew up in a situation similar to 50's and just want to say is that's the great thing about music, artist make it and people take it and interrupt it to their live, so you don't have to be in a person's situation to understand them or apply what they've learned and shared to your life. That's all I have to say ....
  
  just be yourself,
  LLT

  24.2.2005 14:39 #25

• thoms3

  I just wanted to say to bzoarder; That I grew up in a situation similar to 50's and just want to say is that's the great thing about music, artist make it and people take it and interrupt it to their live, so you don't have to be in a person's situation to understand them or apply what they've learned and shared to your life. That's all I have to say ....
  
  just be yourself,
  LLT

  24.2.2005 14:48 #26

• AK47BOY

  I THINK THAT 50 CEBT IS ONE OF THE BEST RAPPERS ALIVE AND ALL U HATERS OUT THERE ARE JUST MAD AT HIM

  3.3.2005 05:33 #27

• neewbie

  Fuckup nOOb!

  3.3.2005 17:10 #28

• Karim1988

  Man fuck it. It's not big news for an album to be leaked anymore because so many people are sharing. Even MTV made something called the "The Leak", where you can go and listen to a selected new album online, but connot download which makes ir legal. I think they should have thought of doing that first before Napster came out. This is just another conflict that the record labels have to deal with or change the ranking value of all music charts. (By the way Get Rich or Die Tryin' is better, The Massacre won't sell more. It won't sell much just because Get Rich or Die Tryin' was better, but also because it wasn't leaked unlike The Massacre.)

  4.3.2005 14:00 #29