The FBI Busts a Huge Music Piracy Site
The biggest one in America, in fact. Ever use Sharebeat? Yeah, that one. Music Business Worldwide has the story.
The largest illegal music file-sharing site based in the United States, Sharebeast.com, has been seized and shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
A US Department of Justice (DOJ) domain seizure notice first appeared onSharebeast.com on Friday (September 11).
Anyone visiting the domain is now confronted by the notice (pictured), which states that the FBI has taken control of the site ‘pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a United States District Court’.
Sharebeast’s related sites such as mp3pet.com and albumjams.com also now display the notice.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said that the Sharebeast network of sites was responsible for the distribution of a massive library of popular albums and tracks.
It reports that Sharebeast has been “particularly problematic in its distribution of pre-release leaks of thousands of songs”.
The site hit headlines earlier this year for reportedly leaking Kanye West’s new album, SWISH.
