Man Sentenced to Prison After Stealing and Selling Taylor Swift’s New Album
A man was sentenced to 8 months in prison after stealing and selling Taylor Swift’s new album, ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ which goes on sale 7 July.
As Taylor Swift’s tour continues across the United States and new international dates are being revealed, fans of the singer are anticipating the release of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’, so some people have decided to take advantage of the situation.
According to the French newspaper Ouest-France and a report shared by Charts In France, a warehouse worker at the French branch of the vinyl pressing company MPO was caught after stealing and trying to sell 10 copies of the album, the sale of which is not yet available or found on streaming platforms. It is scheduled for release 7 July 2023.
Man Sentenced to Prison After Stealing and Selling Taylor Swift's New Album
The 43-year-old man was sentenced to eight months in prison for trying to illegally sell copies of the reissue of 'Speak Now' before its official release.
According to Ouest-France, the man was unpacking and several discs fell out of a box. Recognizing the sales potential and facing seemingly substantial debt, he took home 10 copies and posted a classified ad selling them for €25 each. After the first two were sold, he raised his price to 50 euros.
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Following the robbery, the man was handed over by an MPO France human resources manager. According to Charts In France, the man is a repeat offender, having been convicted 24 times for robbery, fraud, drug trafficking and other crimes, earning him an eight-month sentence.
In addition to serving his sentence, he will have to repay the vinyl manufacturing company, with a future hearing to determine how much he owes now. MPO says "there are jobs and millions of euros at stake" should Universal withdraw its contract as a result of a leak. Authorities have located eight of the 10 stolen copies.
'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' is scheduled for release on July 7. Swift announced in social media that the album will feature collaborations with Paramore's Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy.
“Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to the artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at the time and ask them to sing on the album. They’re so cool and generous for agreeing to support my version of Speak Now”, the singer wrote.