Ne-Yo Slams Hackers After Album Leak

Published: Wednesday 27th Oct 2010 by Sam

A frustrated Ne-Yo has hit out at internet hackers, after learning that his fourth studio album ‘Libra Scale’ has leaked more than 3 weeks before its Stateside or international release.

His comments after the jump…

Speaking on Twitter moments ago, the singer/songwriter, 31, said:

Salutations all. I’m in japan and my album officially came out today out here. Today is a day that I SHOULD be very happy, but it has been brought to my attention that my album was hacked and leaked in the U.S. roughly a month before it’s U.S. release.

Initially this angered me. It’s stealing plain n’ simple. But then I started thinking. Why do I make music….? To sell records, make money, or is it because I love it, love how it touches people, how it helps people? The honest answer is both…

However, my love for music and it’s effect on people, outweighs my desire to simply sell records, or get that number one debut spot.

In a time where people buy their status and falsify their success, can those things really be that important to me? The answer is no.

So with that said, I’ve come to this place of mental peace. No longer stressing people that steal the music, how it’ll effect my sales. The bottom line is, I worked hard on this project. The music, the concept, the whole lot is for the people, respect or not.

So if you as a fan give a damn about me, buy the album when it comes out. If you don’t care, go get it off the internet. Your choice.

Ether way, the music, the concept, the whole lot, served it’s purpose. It gave the people something quality to vibe to. I’m not solely in the business of selling records. I’m in the business of making art. That’s what an artist does, period.

So with that twit fam and haters alike, I bid you farewell for now, and leave you with this….

I’LL BE DAMNED IF YOU HACKER FUCKS GET MY NEXT ALBUM BEFORE IT’S TIME!!! FUCK YOU ALL!!!! Have a nice day.

Needless to say, Ne-Yo is heated. Do you agree with him or do you feel he’s out of touch with how the internet works these days? Yours truly falls somewhere in the middle; for it’s easy to see how after putting one’s blood, sweat, and tears into something, the circulation of it for free would be annoying.com.

However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t side-eyeing at the fact the album was released in Japan a whole month ahead of its release anywhere else. I mean come on now. It’s 2010. Perhaps, Ne-Yo’s anger should be directed at whoever made that call, as that may have been this project’s undoing. I guess time will tell.

Your thoughts?

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  1. STONASH7 October 27, 2010

    next!!!!!!!!love neyo though

  2. Alexander October 27, 2010

    Ne-Yo makes good music, he needs to stop bashing the fans who leaked his album but blame his team for releasing it out to the public! He needs to leave Goat Songz alone whose album is flopping hard now.
    Ne-Yo has never been the same guy after being dropped from R Kelly’s tour

  3. MUSIC LOVER October 27, 2010

    Who gives a f***? This album is going to glop. None of his released singles have been a success, especially in the U.S. Don’t try and pull a 50 Cent move! Yes leaked songs affect album sales, but if your music is good, it will sell regardless!

  4. Megaupload October 27, 2010

    Leaked!!! Download Mariah’s new boring Christmas album now 🙂

  5. Carl October 27, 2010

    F*** hackers!

  6. MCsavedmylife October 27, 2010

    I think he should be angry. From what I can tell, he’s been working really hard on this album, and for people to go ahead and feel that it’s acceptable to leak his work early are dead wrong. When you work on a project, you would love to see the end results with a good overall sale. But now the end result has been spoilt by people who just wanted some new music, not caring about all the hard work that was put in behind each song. But what if somebody spoilt it for you? What if you had suspense and excitement building in you, just waiting for the 3 weeks to be over, and somebody comes along and just ruins it all for you. I would be furious. Don’t just read and judge, try and see how you would respond if something like this happened in your own life before saying he’s over-reacting. As for the internet thing: it’s a pity that it’s become a place of crime, which is essentially what has occurred here. Theft and then selling it onto the black market, which is what illegal downloading is. Don’t call me delusioned, because that’s what it is.

  7. Mariah4Ever October 27, 2010

    As if he is the best producer @singer in the world!!!

    His music deserves to be dumped in the New Jersey sewage. 🙁

  8. queenbeyonce10 October 27, 2010

    I’m so over him. NEXT

  9. ROMEY October 27, 2010

    he is mad..b**** n**** pull ur panties outta your ass it will be leaked regardless whether its days weeks or months..we’ll still get it..if ur fans really love ur s*** they will go out and buy it…why r you so pressed…#getoverit

  10. mike October 27, 2010

    OK but didint he expect it to hit the internet if your releasing it in Japan SO EARLY!!!!!!!!!

    I mean to be honest Mariahs album leaked miraculously only 6 days before its actual release and tons of people have already ordered it and its a Christmas album which people like to keep as momentos to be honest so I dont think they are too worried!!!

    All albums leak a wee or two before….its just the way it is now!

  11. En Route October 27, 2010

    He has every right to be angry…This is his craft. In the same respect how would you feel if you were a carpenter and you built an amazing home for someone and they just decided to take it without paying for it. Its the same principle. As an artist myself I would be livid if someone stole my hard work.

  12. ~Team Weezy~ October 27, 2010

    He has every right to be pissed! He writes, produces, and sings his OWN music! He’s apart of EVERY aspect of creating his music, therefore, his level of anger should go beyond just the typical artist on a label! I haven’t been feeling his much of his music this era as I have the past eras, nor have I been pleased with his interviews or viewpoints on alot of issues, however, he did regain my interest back with ‘One In a Million’ and that performance on DWTS (one of his best performances BTW). But this issue will ultimately affect his sales and how much money he and his label will put into the rest of the project because of their fear of low sales. And I’m glad he was honest about why he makes music, for both the love of it and money. Frankly, this entire situation, makes me want to buy his album even more.

  13. Sarah October 27, 2010

    It’s nothing they can do about it. If I was a singer, I wouldn’t too pleased with my album leaking before it hits stores, either. Either way, it is inevitable so they all might as well deal with it. It happens with every album.

    Mariah’s X-Mas album leaked and I haven’t heard a single complaint from her team and plus MCIIU is a hot seller so people will buy her album regardless. It’s even a hot seller on HSN.

  14. Real Tea October 27, 2010

    Lady Gaga’s The Fame album was already out in stores for a year. And still managed to sell over a million records after it’s release date, if he makes good music then people will buy his album , but if he’s boring and doing the same ” Michael Jackson Copy Gay Gentleman b*******” then he will flop.

  15. hahahhahahhaa October 27, 2010

    Neyo’s dumb ass needs to sit the hell down. His album came out in Japan today, and leaked in the US. Who’s surprised? Did that dumb f*** think no one in Japan would upload his album? Why is he calling out a hacker like someone worked hard to find his files and put em on the net. Seems like someone in Japan simply uploaded his cd. He’s a drama queen.

  16. annie! :] October 27, 2010

    *side eye* like anyone was gonna buy it anyway…

  17. Trent Is The Moron October 27, 2010

    He’s a moron, everything is gonna leak these days. Here’s a smart move – why not make the US and intl release the same date?? Still gonna leak but wont have the weeks lead time. What an emotional rant, sounds exactly how a girl would do it. “Im so emotional, baby…” SMH. Just more fuel to the fire that he’s gay.

    LOLz.

  18. politicallyincorrect October 27, 2010

    his album leaked but I haven’t heard a thing about it, it must suck. If it was hot folks would have been talking

  19. Trent Is The Moron October 27, 2010

    @POLITICALLYINCORRECT

    EXACTLY!!!!!! I WAS THINKING THE SAME. NEVER HEARD A THING EITHER. LOLZ.

  20. thetruth October 27, 2010

    Omg, no one…and I mean NO ONE is checking for that album!

  21. lynx October 27, 2010

    what to worry about?
    previously,..Britney’s Circus leaked and still selling well.
    over than 500k for first week.
    and over than 5M worldwide.

  22. R I P October 27, 2010

    His music is SO GAY… yukh 🙁

  23. lola October 27, 2010

    He has every right to be mad, BUT WTF IS HE TWEETING ABOUT IT!?! He’s just making it be known even more that his album HAS LEAKED IN THE US! What a dumb move? How foolish of he to release the album in Japan a month before it gets released in the US or anywhere else in the world! Why would you do that in this day in age? What I’ve noticed is that leaks don’t matter anymore if you have a solid fanbase. People download leaked music because they don’t care for the artist! And even when an artist’s album isn’t leaked before the release date, it will get leaked right afterwards! If leaks were that severe, artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Eminem, Drake, and Lil Wayne wouldn’t sold millions of albums and singles.

  24. faReal October 27, 2010

    Yes an artist should be mad at a legitimate leak 3 wks out but come on, he released this in Japan where he is pretty big there 3 wks before his us date. Did he not think fans there would upload.

    Build a bridge and get over it. The album wasn’t going to sell here even though i liked his first 3 singles.

    Mariah’s album did a normal 6-9days leak so of course she and the label aren’t mad. That’s normal. Don’t care for much of it myself and Ihavne’t met anyone off line who’s checking for it at this time

  25. faReal October 27, 2010

    @Lola

    Rihanna is not an album seller in the US. She just h it a million for RR after tons of promo and a gazillion singles/videos. She’s a singles seller

  26. Support Neyo October 27, 2010

    @ FAREAL

    Mariah;s new Xmas album is said to be the most boring and meaningless songs that have been released this year. 40 yo diva, the only thing keeping her relevant is her marketing team and news of her fake your pregnancy! 🙁

    Thats why she couldnt care less. Neyo has a future and still young !

  27. mike October 27, 2010

    AND ANOTHER THING

    Albums don’t leak stateside….they leak on the internet which is WORLDWIDE so I don’t know what crap hes spewing

  28. Chris Browned October 27, 2010

    Who is Ne Yo…seriously? 🙁

  29. ULISES October 27, 2010

    Neyo is such a girl. Chill!

  30. royalkev October 27, 2010

    I’m not much of a Ne-yo fan, but he’s right stealing is wrong. I understand his frustrations and I do see where he’s coming from. It’s still a bad move on his part to release the cd in other countries a month prior to a release in the U.S. He does have to strategize better next time, it’s his job to. I do feel for him though and would think similarly, if I was in his shoes.

  31. Sarah October 27, 2010

    What success has Mariah’s new Christmas album reached so far?

    Oh Santa – #1 on BB Holiday Chart
    Oh Santa – #1 on iTunes Holiday Chart
    Oh Santa – #1 most downloaded song on Amazon
    MCIIU – A very hot seller on HSN

    Considering that the video hasn’t even came out yet, that should work wonders as well. Sorry, folks but MCIIU isn’t doing as bad as some of you may think.

    Someone is checking for Mariah. The same can’t be said for Neyo.

  32. elleuk October 27, 2010

    get over it, its 2010! at least now when the album fails to perform he has a good excuse lined up, just like 50 cent. albums which fans want will always sell regardless of leaks.
    drakes album leaked ahead of schedule and he still managed to get the third highest first week sales of the year so far.
    but i doubt people are checking for neyo’s album like that.

  33. CIARA BASIC INSTINCT ON PREORDER ON AMAZON!!!!!!!! October 27, 2010

    i hear u

  34. Misty October 27, 2010

    Neyo is a fool. I didnt even know his album got leaked because I’m not CHECKIN’ 4 him! LOL now he has to bring attention to it so the little fans he does have will run out and cop it for free? Stupid move. It’s free, but I STILL don’t want it, so what was the point of this bitchfest again?? O ok..

  35. Myke October 27, 2010

    Who cares! The album sucks & it was going to flop no matter what!

  36. Commander October 27, 2010

    I thought he was a gentleman, thats pretty harsh language.

  37. Rated X October 27, 2010

    of course he should be angry his album leaked….hell dude spend lots of time trying to get a hit song for that album…

    like somebody said, if his album is good, a leaked shouldnt affect his sales.

    kanye shrug.

    I’m still gonna buy it…

  38. theman October 27, 2010

    Mariah is a Megastar, she’s mentioned in so many post on this website it’s ridiculous. I mean hald of this shyt has nothing to do with her. Get over it. Mariahs new album is amazingggg. No one is really feeling Neyo’s new album, i hope he can go gold tho. He has a decent following.

  39. UGh October 27, 2010

    He made some good points.

  40. good music October 27, 2010

    his album is good

  41. iLoveXtina October 27, 2010

    In all honesty i would be pissed the f**k off too! But, was anyone really going to buy it? How much was he projected to sell. At least he gets his music out there, & if it’s good enough it will get recognition regardless.

  42. Que October 27, 2010

    His album leaked about a week ago that’s when i got it.

  43. Robier October 27, 2010

    I UNDERSTAND HER ANGER. IT IS HARD WORK BU AFTER THAT FIRST SINGLE TANKED SHE SHOULD KNOW HER CD WASN’T GONNA SELL. I JUST HATE HOW BITTER, MADD AND UGLY THIS YOUNG LADY IS

  44. True Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Blue October 28, 2010

    Is it not the norm for albums to leak nowadays? Didn’t Drake’s album leak before it was released? And it sold like 500,000 something copies in its first week. I’m not saying I condone the practice, and I do sympathize with Ne-Yo, but if people are intending to buy your album, they will buy it regardless if it is available on the internet for free or not. If it flops… well, I’m not too sure that can be entirely blamed on a leak.

  45. sisterB October 28, 2010

    I can understand Ne-Yo being mad. However, he set his self up by putting the album out in Japan first. Once the album became public, it became open game. Where’s his loyality to his fan base in the U.S? How come he didn’t put a song offf the album on itunes? When Chris Brown was at the lowest point in his life, he still made his music available to his fans; some of it was free. And, it wasn’t all about him trying to keep his career going. He is loyal to his fans; and as result, they are loyal to him. Seems to me that Ne-Yo was all about the Benjamins. But you can’t make Benjamins when you’re not treating your fan base right.

  46. Cudahy October 28, 2010

    Well she I mean he should be happy Limewire lost their case in court today, they are shutdown. But did it really matter, was it selling?

  47. NeYo=Captain Super Save A H** October 28, 2010

    CORRECTION…IT WAS LEAKED LAST MONTH WHICH WAS IN THE LATE PART OF SEPTEMBER…EVEN HIS PEOPLE COULDNT EVEN TELL HIM WHEN HIS ALBUM WAS LEAKED. SAD. BY THE WAY WELFARE RECIPIENTS, CELEBRITIES THAT OWE TAXES AND OTHER PEOPLE TAKE MONEY OUT OF MY HARD EARNED CHECK BUT NO ONE GIVES A S***. SO WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT A PERSON WHO MOSTLY SITS ON HIS ASS ALL DAY,

  48. NeYo=Captain Super Save A H** October 28, 2010

    TO ME IT WAS EITHER BUY GAS AND PAY BILLS OR BY NEYO’S ALBUM WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PERFER

  49. Kick The Ear Drum October 28, 2010

    Honestly, the whole album era has been messy. I’m nervous for him.

    Read my Liba Scale thoughts at:
    http://kicktheeardrum.com/

  50. S*** October 28, 2010

    WHO CARES, His Music is Generally Generic & this Time it SUCKS.

  51. Lady October 28, 2010

    No shade at all. But was anyone really checking for his album? I’m so serious I didn’t even know he had one coming out O_o

    But he makes some good points….music shouldn’t be made to seel records but to touch people and make them feel good.

  52. BENJAMIN October 28, 2010

    I understand he is angry, but to react the way he did at the end of that message was not professional. The problem is, when these artists keep pushing back their albums, one little person will find a way to steal it and distribute it to the masses via internet. That is one of the drawbacks to album pushbacks, so it is kind of like you pay the price for keeping your fans waiting, sorry Neyo. Maybe this will be a wakeup call to the industry. Stop releasing single after single in hopes it will top the charts before the album drops just to get hype. After the first single, the album should follow between a month and a half to two months. Thats the way it used to be. Makes no sense to drop a single and put the album out 6 months down the road, thats just DUMB S***. Prime example-Drake’s year long hype before his album dropped, only for it to get mixed reviews in the end.

  53. MUSIC LOVER October 28, 2010

    Umm how do you people know Mariah’s album leaked? Links please!

  54. Trent Is The Moron October 28, 2010

    @Music Lover

    BlakMusikFirst has all the urban/hip hop/rnb celeb leaked music. Not sure if the links are still there. Once the post moves down past the first page it’s gone. So you have to catch it before it does. Go follow them on twitter.

  55. Rabey October 28, 2010

    Thanks Neyo, I’ll get it off the internet. Just kidding.

  56. mishka October 28, 2010

    I like Ne-Yo and he’s entitled to be furious.

    Keep your head up!

  57. KD October 28, 2010

    “if you as a fan give a damn about me, buy the album when it comes out. If you don’t care, go get it off the internet”. I fall in the latter and so…I downloaded the album (queue dramatic music)…and what a WASTE of BANDWIDTH!.

    Don’t worry Ne-Yo I will not be trying to get your next album off the internet because truth be told, you just do not cut it as a musical artist, stick to writing chick ballads for those that actually have the ability to sell them, and stop bitching like a menopausal broad.

    [Proceeds to delete the album]

  58. truthfully October 28, 2010

    lmao, lov the comments…who is actually checking for him…if it wasnt posted here I wudnt even know….& the album is s*** anyways….not even worth it…you rip what you saw ne-yo….what a way to act…

  59. Brittney a.k.a. Queen B October 28, 2010

    I totally agree with Ne-yo being frustrated, about the whole album leak scenario. It is wrong for stealing music, however, you have to expect things like this occur because; in the music industry, there seems to be no sympathy for recovering any lost of stolen music. You just have to sometimes deal with things from a different perspective and try to remain postive at all times, because to allow something so rapid and commonly pursued in the entertainment business to get to you, is quite ridiculous. People have to take into account to what they do, but it is no excuse for you or anybody to act UGLY! Again, I understand the anger and frustration, but Ne-yo in agreement to what some of these bloggers have argued, if you have a loyal and strong fan base, you do not need to worry! I personally love you music, I think that your lyrics are beautiful in certain ways, please try not to concern yourself with what others are saying or doing, but remain FOCUSED AND SUCCEED IN ALL THINGS! One more lesson you need to take notice of, I will like to paraphrase and add to what “Commander” said, If you profess to be a gentleman, act like one; try not to use profanity, it expresses ignorance on your behalf and it does not represent intelligence at all! I know you are a grown man and you may feel that you can say what ever you want, however, if you want people to respect YOU, YOU HAVE TO TALK RESPECTFUL, SHOW IT, AND LIVE IT OUT WITH INTEGRITY. I am in no ways trying to judge you, because nobody is PERFECT! On the otherhand, please be on guard of what is coming out of you mouth, from your heart and actions!! PEACE, LOVE, JOY, AND HUMILITY!!! 🙂 LOVE YA! – Brittney a.k.a Queen B.

  60. Carlos December 22, 2010

    My question is, How does Ne-Yo know it was hackers that leaked his music? Did he have a computer forensic specialist come in and examine his machine? I am quite sure that the music was not stored on a machine connected to the Internet, b/c that would be plain careless. Most likely what happened is someone working on the project let someone else listen to it and they leaked it. Put blame where blame is due and not make assumptions, with out hard evidence.

  61. Shanell March 9, 2011

    Lol poor kids lost some money oh we’ll I’m sure he has plenty stashed

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