Interscope Geffen A&M has moved up the releases of two of its biggest fourth-quarter albums. Eminem’s “Encore” (Interscope) originally scheduled for Nov. 16, has been moved up to Nov. 12, as an off-cycle Friday release.
A source says the shift is due to piracy concerns for the set, which can already be found in its entirety on the Internet. “Encore” is said to have pre-orders of 3.75 million units.
Additionally, Snoop Dogg’s Geffen album “R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece,” originally due Nov. 23, has been shifted to Nov. 16, also motivated by piracy concerns.
Eminem is no stranger to shifting release dates due to online leaks. His last studio album, “The Eminem Show,” was moved forward nine days from its original release date. It debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 on just one weekend’s worth of sales.
