
There’s plenty of noise today about file-hosting service Rapidshare apparently providing record labels with details of users accused of uploading pre-release albums to the site.The labels can then take this IP address data to ISPs to identify the users – with one person already saying he’s been the subject of a police raid after uploading a copy of Metallica’s Death Magnetic to his Rapidshare account a day before its release.It’s a sign that the music industry is taking the piratical threat posed by sites like Rapidshare seriously, rather than just focusing on P2P. Research indicates that particularly for pre-release leaks, file-hosting sites are increasingly important.