3 Reasons Why Eminem is Angry About His New Songs Getting Leaked Online

Eminem probably wants to crack a bottle over somebody's head. Illegal & unfinished versions of songs from the new Eminem album, Relapse, have been leaked online. Scheduled for an early 2009 release, the Dr. Dre-produced album is still being refined in the studio. According to Billboard.com, Eminem is said to have felt "really heated" that his new songs have fallen victim to file sharing, and he feels this way for 3 good reasons.

Low Production Values

The songs that have been leaked suffer from low production values. One of the songs, "Crack a Bottle", even features Eminem rapping both parts of a duo. Eminem was simply trying to lay down a rough guide vocal track, in order to give rapper Dr. Dre a rough idea of how his part of the duo should sound. Understandably, both stars are surprised that this weakly-produced demo track is now available to Internet users all over the world.

Taking Away the Surprise

One of the songs that has been leaked, "Crack a Bottle", it's filled with showmanship. As in the past, Eminem revels in taking his listeners by surprise, announcing himself like a prizefighter climbing into the ring before a fight. "Ladies and gentlemen," raps Eminem, "the moment you've all been waiting for. In this corner, weighing 175 pounds, with a record of 17 rapes, 400 assaults, and 4 murders, the undisputed, most diabolic villain in the world, Slim Shady!" Surprise has a short shelf-life, so Eminem must certainly hope that these unfinished tracks don't kill one of his new album's biggest selling points . . . the element of surprise.

Bad Business

Ever since Napster challenged the profits of Record Companies in the late 90's, music artists have been pressured to make big hits or to go bust. While the rising popularity of cellphones has opened up a whole new sales opportunity in the area of ringtones, record companies are still trying to do everything they can to maintain the profitability of their investments. When songs are leaked prior to their official release, it only means bad business for an already beleaguered music industry. Obviously, companies themselves would prefer to retain more control over how their artists are marketed to the public.

However, when fans are able to hear snippets & samples of music by their favorite artists, their interest rarely fades but often snowballs. Although file sharing is a curse to business in the short run, fans of Eminem are likely to be buying his new album in the long run.

While "Crack a Bottle" & another recently leaked track, "I'm Having a Relapse", haven't been released through the proper channels, at least they are getting Eminem fans excited about what he's getting ready to offer to the public. Eminem has had a rough time during the last few years, trying to firmly settle on an artistic direction & rehabilite from a dependency on sleep medication, as well as to cope with the death of friend Deshaun Holton.

Hopefully, he will be able to make the best instead of the worst of this incident, and to stay focused on advancing his career in a way that will satisfy friends & fans alike.