Kelsea Ballerini Files Restraining Order Against Former Fan Club Member for Alleged Hacking and Sharing of Unreleased Music

Country music star Kelsea Ballerini has filed a temporary restraining order against Bo Ewing, a former member of her fan club, for allegedly hacking into her or her producer's devices and illegally sharing unreleased music demos.

According to court documents filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Ewing is accused of gaining unauthorized access to Ballerini's or producer Alysa Vanderheym's devices to obtain "still-in-production, unreleased masters and demos."

Ballerini, along with her record label Black River Entertainment and producer Vanderheym, allege that Ewing has already shared the unfinished recordings with multiple third parties. They have secured an injunction to protect the recordings from further illegal release, citing "continued, irreparable harm." The complaint states that Ewing, who was previously a supporter of Ballerini's career, has since become "disenfranchised" with the singer and "took it upon himself to go online and seek out confidential and privileged information about Ms. Ballerini's yet-to-be-released new album."

Why this matters: This case highlights the importance of protecting artists' intellectual property and the potential consequences of unauthorized access to unreleased creative works. It also emphasizes the challenges artists face in safeguarding their music in the digital age.

Ballerini's team argued that the further spread of this music could cause significant damage and that "protection of an artist's music is of the utmost importance." They stressed that stealing and sharing unfinished music is illegal and harms the creative process. A spokesperson for Ballerini stated, "Stealing and sharing unfinished music is illegal and harms the integrity of the creative process."

In addition to the temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, Ballerini, Vanderheym, and Black River Entertainment have filed claims for violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Tennessee Personal and Commercial Computer Act. They are seeking damages for anticipated lost profits and loss of autonomy over the works. The court has issued the restraining order, and a hearing is set for April 24 at the federal courthouse in Nashville.

This legal action comes shortly after Ballerini, a four-time Grammy nominee, hosted the 2024 CMT Awards for the fourth consecutive year. She has previously spoken about her songwriting process and the importance of protecting an artist's music. The unreleased album at the center of this case reportedly contains 12 new songs. Ballerini's team is taking swift action to prevent any further unauthorized distribution of the unfinished tracks and to protect the integrity of her creative work.

Key Takeaways

• Kelsea Ballerini filed a restraining order against a fan for hacking, sharing unreleased music
• Ewing was accused of unauthorized access to Ballerini's or producer's devices for unreleased demos
• Ballerini's team seeks damages, the injunction to protect unreleased music from further release
• The case highlights the importance of protecting artists' intellectual property in the digital age
• Ballerini's team argues stealing, and sharing unfinished music is illegal, and harms creative process