A hacker who pocketed £42,000 by selling unreleased tracks from popular artists, including Coldplay and Shawn Mendes, on the dark web has avoided jail.
Skylar Dalziel, 22, accessed cloud storage accounts linked to major music acts and stole hundreds of unreleased songs, which she sold online. Her illegal activities were uncovered following a raid at her home in Winchester Gardens, Luton, in January 2023, during which police seized hard drives containing 291,941 tracks.
Among the stolen files were unreleased songs by Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Melanie Martinez, Taylor Upsahl, and Bebe Rexha. At Luton Crown Court on Friday, Dalziel admitted nine copyright offences and four counts related to computer misuse. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years.
“A serious breach of trust”
Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt from the Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, commented:
“Stealing copyrighted material for your own financial gain is illegal. It jeopardises the work of artists and the livelihoods of those who collaborate to create and release their music. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that we have the tools to track down cyber criminals and hold them accountable.”
Fryatt added that Dalziel is believed to have worked with suspects overseas, and investigations are ongoing to identify those involved.
Exploiting artists for profit
Specialist Prosecutor Richard Partridge of the Crown Prosecution Service condemned Dalziel’s actions:
“Dalziel showed complete disregard for the creativity and hard work of musicians who produce original songs. Her selfish actions caused potential loss of earnings for the artists and employees of record companies involved.”
He further highlighted the broader implications of such criminal activity, noting, “This type of activity doesn’t just impact the artists but also the thousands of employees within the music industry. It’s estimated that such crimes contribute to over 80,000 job losses annually.”
How the scheme was exposed
Dalziel’s criminal activities came to light in June 2021, when Sony Music Entertainment reported a breach in a cloud account belonging to US artist Taylor Upsahl. Forty unreleased tracks were stolen and subsequently offered for sale online.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) identified an account on an online forum selling unreleased music from artists represented by Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group.
More Read
In June 2022, the IFPI linked the account to Dalziel and referred the case to PIPCU. Investigators discovered a spreadsheet on Dalziel’s devices, detailing the sale of the stolen tracks to multiple customers. A review of her PayPal and bank accounts confirmed she had received £42,049 in payments between April 2021 and January 2023.
Court orders and sentencing
As part of the sentencing, the court ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the hard drives and other equipment used in the crimes. Dalziel avoided immediate imprisonment, but her suspended sentence serves as a warning of the serious consequences of intellectual property theft.
Protecting the music industry
The case highlights the growing threat of cybercrime to the music industry, where stolen intellectual property not only impacts the artists but also undermines the livelihoods of countless individuals involved in the production and distribution of music.
As investigations continue into Dalziel’s alleged overseas collaborators, authorities reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding intellectual property and holding cybercriminals accountable for their actions.
