Spears album coming out two weeks earlier

LOS ANGELES—Britney Spears will release her new album later this month, two weeks earlier than planned, because some recordings have already been leaked online, her label said on Wednesday.
“Blackout,” Spears’ first album of new material in four years, will reach stores on October 30 in the United States, and a day earlier internationally, Jive Records said. The album comes out as the tarnished pop princess undergoes an extraordinary degree of media scrutiny amid an unending litany of legal and personal woes. She can now add music piracy to that lengthy list. Jive said album tracks, unfinished material and demos have found their way into cyberspace.
A statement quoted an unidentified label official as saying, “Due to these numerous unauthorized online leaks, the label is doing everything possible to prevent and avoid any further illegal distribution of songs, including moving up the release date of the album to October 30th.” “Blackout” was originally scheduled for U.S. release on November 13, and a day earlier internationally. Spears, 25, already has released one single from the album, “Gimme More,” which soared to No. 1. on the digital songs charts earlier this month, posting 179,000 U.S. downloads during its first week.—Agencies