A former sound engineer for Eminem was charged on Wednesday with stealing and distributing the Detroit rapper’s unreleased tracks online, according to federal prosecutors. The investigation revealed that over 25 songs were shared or played without permission from Eminem or his record label, Interscope Capital Labels Group, which owns the rights to the rapper’s music. These tracks were securely stored on password-protected hard drives located in a safe at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit, as detailed in an affidavit filed by the FBI.
Joseph Strange, aged 46 from Holly, Michigan, faces charges of copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods. Julie Beck, the Acting U.S. Attorney in Detroit, announced the criminal complaint against him. Strange, who was dismissed from his position at Eminem’s studio in 2021, may face a prison sentence of up to 15 years if found guilty on both counts.
Strange’s defense attorney, Wade Fink, told the press that these allegations are yet to be proven and should not be seen as conclusive evidence, as they have not been presented to either a grand jury or a judge. “We will handle the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district,” Fink stated.
Theft reports emerged when studio staff contacted the FBI in January after unreleased and in-progress music began surfacing online on platforms such as Reddit and YouTube. It was discovered that files were transferred from a secure hard drive to an external one back in October 2019 and January 2020, during Strange’s tenure at the studio.
Following a warning online from Eminem’s business associate Fred Nassar, informing fans not to spread the music, investigators located individuals who had bought the songs. One Canadian named “Doja Rat” disclosed buying 25 unreleased tracks from Strange for approximately $50,000 in Bitcoin, pooling funds from a collective of avid Eminem fans.
Doja Rat additionally revealed that Strange attempted to sell handwritten lyric sheets by Eminem. Another group organized by a Connecticut contact with the screen name ATL bought several tracks for around $1,000. According to the affidavit, an FBI investigation of Strange’s residence in January uncovered numerous handwritten Eminem lyrics, a VHS of an unreleased music video, and hard drives containing thousands of audio files. Some of these files had music still in development, credited to Eminem and other unknown musicians he collaborated with.
As of recent achievements, Eminem was awarded best hip-hop act at the 2024 MTV EMAs and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. It’s noted in the affidavit that Strange had agreed as part of his severance deal to refrain from disseminating any of Eminem’s material electronically.
“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” Beck emphasized in her statement.
