{
  "id": 16084416,
  "title": "Eminem Staffer Pleads Guilty to Stealing and Selling Unreleased Songs That Leaked Online",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/eminem-staffer-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-and-selling-unreleased-songs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-22T18:24:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/eminem-employee-pleads-guilty-stealing-unreleased-songs/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Joseph Strange, Eminem's former sound engineer, has pleaded guilty to stealing and reselling unreleased music that leaked online. Strange, 48, admitted to a single charge of criminal copyright infringement for allegedly stealing over 24 studio demos and selling them for $50,000. Eminem's spokesperson stated that these leaked songs were \"never meant for public consumption\" and were studio efforts \"dated and not relevant so many years later.\" Strange, who worked at Eminem's Michigan studio for more than 15 years, will face up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in January.",
  "summary": "Joseph Strange, who worked at Eminem's Michigan studio for nearly 15 years, has admitted to being the source of a 2025 leak of the rapper's unfinished songs.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former Eminem sound engineer Joseph Strange pleaded guilty to stealing and selling unreleased songs.",
    "Strange admitted to criminal copyright infringement for allegedly stealing over 24 studio demos.",
    "Strange will face up to five years in prison when sentenced in January."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Former Eminem Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing and Selling Unreleased Music",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/former-eminem-employee-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-and-selling",
        "published": "2026-10-22T17:20:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rolling Stone",
        "title": "Eminem’s Former Employee Pleads Guilty to Leaking Rapper’s Unreleased Music",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/eminems-former-employee-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-rappers-unreleased",
        "published": "2026-10-22T18:33:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Former Eminem Staffer Pleads Guilty to Leaking Rapper’s Music",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/former-eminem-staffer-pleads-guilty-to-leaking-rappers-music",
        "published": "2026-10-22T20:04:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}