Blogger arrested over leak of Guns N' Roses songs

[Sporkman]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080827/ap_en_mu/blogger_arrested


Blogger arrested over leak of Guns N' Roses songs

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer 1 hour, 7 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - A blogger suspected of streaming songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" on his Web site was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court, where his bail was set at $10,000.

FBI agents arrested 27-year-old Kevin Cogill on Wednesday morning on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws. Cogill appeared in court in the afternoon wearing a T-shirt; his girlfriend sat court and afterward said, "Rally the troops," but declined further comment.

Federal authorities say Cogill posted nine unreleased Guns N' Roses songs on his Web site in June. The songs were later removed.

In later posts, Cogill wrote that the FBI had questioned him and asked his readers if any of them knew a good attorney. He was represented Wednesday by a federal public defender.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cogill admitted to agents that he posted the songs on his Web site. Prosecutors said Wednesday the leak could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band.

Cogill will not face any special Internet restrictions, but was ordered to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 17.

"Guns N' Roses representatives have been made aware of the arrests and are leaving the matter to the authorities," said Larry Solters, the band's spokesman.

"Chinese Democracy" is a much anticipated — and repeatedly delayed — new album by Guns N' Roses that is more than 10 years in the making. At least one of the album's songs could be heard legally: The band wrote on its Web site in July that its track, "Shackler's Revenge" will be featured on the video game Rock Band 2, slated for release in September.

[DanJC]

I'm wondering what his girlfriend meant by "rally the troops."

[mrgnash]

I think that anyone who releases Guns N' Roses songs under any circumstances, 'legitimate' or otherwise, should be arrested.

[mazz72]

People still care about those guys??

[acrousey]

According to an arrest affidavit, Cogill admitted to agents that he posted the songs on his Web site. Prosecutors said Wednesday the leak could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band.

:lolflag: HAHAHAHA! You wanna know why the band is leaving it to the authorities? They really don't care. Besides the little that the band gets in royalties from the album, most of the money will go straight to the recording studio. Actually, wouldn't posting the music in the blog be a good marketing move? You know, seeing as how the band will probably do a tour for this album and all.

The RIAA...

[wolfen69]

significant losses from 1 guy's blog? give me a break. :rolleyes:

[mike1234]

"new album by Guns N' Roses that is more than 10 years in the making"?

I can hardly wait.

M.

[Bungo Pony]

Is this the first guy who's been arrested for this? The "new" GnR songs have been floating around the net for years.

Everytime the mix is almost finished, another guy quits the band, his recorded tracks need to be replaced, and it has to be remixed again. Then Axl wants to change a couple of things, and then the damn album is delayed another two years.

Just release another Greatest Hits compilation and call that Chinese Democracy. It'll be better than the crap that's gonna be on that album - if it ever gets released.

Actually, I think GnR should team up with 3D Realms and release Chinese Democracy with Duke Nukem Forever.

[Spike-X]

Prosecutors said Wednesday the leak could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band.


...when people hear how crap they are and decide not to buy the album.

[Spike-X]

People still care about those guys??

Well, I know one...


the little that the band gets in royalties from the album, most of the money will go straight to the recording studio.

You mean the record company. Yeah, I've heard they're already something like $10 million in the hole to Geffen for an album that will probably never be released.


Actually, wouldn't posting the music in the blog be a good marketing move? You know, seeing as how the band will probably do a tour for this album and all.

The RIAA...

They really don't like the idea of free publicity, do they?

[Erik Trybom]

You know what could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band? Working on an album for ten years.

Just release the damn thing already and there will be no more "leaks". Is that even a crime? I'm sure he could be prosecuted for copyright infringement but I can't see how this being unreleased material would add anything to that.

[potrick]

Regardless of what you think about the band or the upcoming album, I think we can all agree it's hilarious that an album called "Chinese Democracy" is resulting in the Chinese-style arrest of bloggers in the United States.

[Sand & Mercury]

You know what could result in a "significant" financial loss for the band? Working on an album for ten years.
It probably will be a significant financial loss because the album probably won't be released for another ten years.

On another forum I visit a pretty popular question has been "What will come first: Chinese Democracy, or democracy in China".

Anyway... who's actually excited about this album? It's not even GnR anymore, it's Axl Rose and his band of merry men.

[Dremora]

He should have been arrested for:

Possession of tasteless music.

Supporting the racist homophobic wastoid that is Axl Rose.

[andrek]

Anyway, those songs weren't worth leaking. The new Guns N' Roses group sucks.. They shouldn't be called Guns N' Roses anymore. Only Axl and Dizzy Reed ( the guy on a keyboard ) remained in the group after its breakdown..

[Sand & Mercury]

^ Love your avatar mate. :D

[Sunflower1970]

Cogill appeared in court in the afternoon wearing a T-shirt;

...He was wearing just his t-shirt? No pants...?:-s

Had no idea GnR was even around any more...

[Kernel Sanders]

significant losses from 1 guy's blog? give me a break. :rolleyes:

It's more than possible.

If I started a blog and posted a new Britney Spears (shudder) album for download before it was released for example, it wouldn't just be the people who downloaded it from my site. It would be the people they shared it with, the torrent sites they put in on, the people that downloaded it from there, who shared it with others etc....

It would fan out with my site being the origin. Within a day or two it would be all over the net, and a few hundred thousand people if not more now have no reason to spend £8 on her album. Say it was just half a million people:

500,000 X £8 = £4,000,000 or $8,000,000

It would be more than that though, and the number wouldn't just stop, so their losses would be ongoing.

Safe to say, if I posted Britney Spears new album on my blog before they released it, my site would be indexed by google and show up in the listings fairly quickly. I reckon I would cost them about $20,000,000 over the life of the album.

Significant in anyone's books.

[aaaantoine]

Actually, I think GnR should team up with 3D Realms and release Chinese Democracy with Duke Nukem Forever.

In order to pull that off, they'd have to port it to GNU/HURD.

[andrek]

In order to pull that off, they'd have to port it to GNU/HURD.

or perhaps GN'R/HURD :)

[Sporkman]

or perhaps GN'R/HURD :)

Ouch.

[Bungo Pony]

Anyway... who's actually excited about this album?

After I heard the first single off it (around 1998???) I knew the album was going to suck. I have yet to be proven wrong :D

[Spike-X]

Had no idea GnR was even around any more...

They're not. It's just Axl and a bunch of hired hands.