Spanish Man Arrested in Leak of Madonna Single
Spanish police have arrested a 31-year-old man and charged him with stealing a demo version of one of Madonnas songs and illegally posting it on the Internet, Reuters reported. The police identified the man only by his initials: J.M.R. He was arrested in Zaragoza, charged and released, pending a trial. Investigators described him as an avid Madonna fan.
Madonna was furious in November when the demo for the song, Gimme All Your Luvin, popped up online. The singers manager, Guy Oseary, made a public plea for the leaker to stop, saying a true fan would not stoop so low. Details of the theft were sketchy. The investigation started after the singers lawyers traced the posting to Spain, which has a generally poor record on protecting property rights. Spanish investigators said they had found recordings of the song in the mans belongings.
Gimme All Your Luvin is reportedly the lead single for Madonnas 12th studio album, which is to be released in the spring and will be her first release under a new contract with Universal Music Group, The Guardian reported. The song has been reworked since the demo version to include contributions from Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. Madonnas last full-length album, Hard Candy in 2008, sold more than 4 million copies, and the Sticky and Sweet tour she kicked off that year was one of the highest-grossing solo tours in history.