While I was doing research into my article about Charli XCX’s scrapped album XCX World, I found that some website called mixtapez4u is actually selling the album.
Keep in mind that XCX World has never been officially released by Charli or her label Atlantic Records. The tracks on mixtapez4u were stolen from Charli’s Google Drive account in August 2017. Yet, here they are, available for purchase.
How is this even legal?
It’s Not Legal. At All.
Selling the leaked XCX World tracks is illegal because the songs are copyrighted. It doesn’t matter if those songs were never released. Copyright protection is automatic. As soon as a piece of work is recorded or written, it is automatically protected by copyright law.
This means the XCX World tracks were protected the moment Charli recorded them, even though they were never officially released.
The minute those songs were recorded, Charli, Atlantic Records, and the songwriters and producers involved gained ownership. Leaking unreleased music without the artist’s or record label’s consent is a violation of copyright and intellectual property rights. It’s even worse when someone is selling that stolen material.
When someone sells leaked music, they’re committing several violations. There’s unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, commercial use of stolen property (making money off it makes it worse), and potentially receiving stolen goods (since the tracks were hacked from her Google Drive).
People have faced serious consequences for leaking and distributing music. Blogger Kevin Cogill got into legal trouble for leaking an unreleased Guns N’ Roses album. He was sentenced to two months of home confinement, one year of probation, and required to appear in an anti-piracy PSA. Selling leaked music would probably lead to even harsher penalties if prosecuted.
Why Sites Like This Keep Operating
The frustrating part is that enforcing copyright and IP laws is complicated.
Tracing whoever is behind the website is difficult. The people running these kinds of sites tend to be anonymous, which makes it hard to pursue legal action.
There are also jurisdiction issues. If the site operates from certain countries, it may be difficult to shut them down.
Charli and Atlantic Records could pursue legal action against mixtapez4u. It’s just a question of whether they can actually identify and locate the operators.
Getting the Site Taken Down Isn’t the Hard Part
Even if Charli’s team does succeed in getting mixtapez4u taken down, that’s not the hardest part.
Truth is, another person who has these tracks will put them up for sale in a completely different corner of the internet. Sites like mixtapez4u exist because there’s demand. Fans want XCX World. They want to stream it, to own it. When an artist or label won’t provide that, some fans turn to illegal sources. The problem runs much deeper than playing legal whack-a-mole with websites selling stolen music.
The real issue is that there are some Charli XCX fans (Angels) who feel they are entitled to XCX World.
Entitled To Have What Isn’t Theirs
Fans believe the album should get a proper release, that the fact it was shelved was a disservice. With Brat’s proving that Charli’s unique sound can be commercially successful, some fans argue that XCX World deserves the same treatment.
XCX World was ahead of its time. The album helped pave the way for hyperpop even though it never came out. If experimental pop can dominate the charts now, why not give the album its moment?
Yet these fans are ignoring the fact that Charli herself doesn’t want XCX World to come out at this point in time.
The album is a source of pain and even trauma for her. When her Google Drive was hacked, Charli said the leaks made her feel like her life had been invaded. It was a deeply personal violation that made her feel like she lost control over her own music.
And then there’s SOPHIE. SOPHIE’s death in January 2021 adds another painful layer to the XCX World story. SOPHIE was a dear friend of Charli’s and a key collaborator on the album. Revisiting XCX World means revisiting that loss, which is something that Charli isn’t ready to deal with.
Charli has made it clear that she’s moved on, but no one wants to hear it.
Artists are not obligated to release everything they create. The success of Brat doesn’t justify pressuring Charli to release XCX World. If anything, Brat proves that Charli knows what she’s doing. She knows when something is ready and what she wants to share with the world. And if she doesn’t want to release XCX World, that decision should be respected.
Just because you can access something doesn’t mean you’re entitled to it. Ownership doesn’t work that way.
