Eminem releases album early

Eminem has a huge following in the UK

Eminem's new album is to be released early after illegal copies of the record were circulated illegally on the internet.

To the delight of fans, The Eminem Show will be released a full week ahead of schedule.

Eminem's label Universal want to stem the growing number of copies already in circulation.

Inferior pirated copies of The Eminem Show are in circulation

Max Hole
Universal

The record, a follow up to the hugely successful The Marshall Mathers LP, will now go on sale worldwide from 27 May.

Piracy has recently been blamed for a 5% drop in the world's music sales.

And the circulation of the Eminem album is a blow for Universal who had discussed using embedded copyright protection to stop it being copied.

They also took precautions over the distribution of promotional copies of the first single from the album, to minimise the danger of piracy.

Universal Music International vice-president Max Hole said: "We're disappointed that inferior pirated copies of The Eminem Show are in circulation.

"[This] is why we've decided to make the legitimate version available sooner than originally planned."

Constant criticism

The first batches of the album will also include a bonus 45-minute DVD of unseen footage of Eminem in concert.

The last record, The Marshall Mathers LP, has sold 16 million copies since its release in 2000.

But Eminem has been frequently attacked for singing about violence against women and encouraging homophobia.

He has had run-ins with the law, escaping jail last year for carrying a concealed gun.

On Monday, it was announced Eminem would be on the bill at the upcoming MTV Movie Awards.