Last summer season, unreleased music from Beyoncé was stolen in Atlanta after a break-in involving a car tied to her touring group. This incident occurred in line with police information. The theft occurred in July because the singer’s “Cowboy Carter” tour rolled by means of the town. It drew tens of hundreds of followers to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. What ought to have been a short cease between rehearsals as a substitute grew to become a severe breach involving delicate artistic materials. Consequently, the incident has raised questions on how susceptible high-profile productions could be whereas on the street.

The break-in occurred whereas Beyoncé’s choreographer, Christopher Grant, and a dancer visited Krog Street Market. When they returned to their rental automotive about an hour later, they found the trunk window had been smashed. Multiple suitcases had been gone. Among the stolen objects had been laptops, designer sun shades, clothes, AirPods Max headphones, and—most critically—arduous drives containing unreleased Beyoncé music. The arduous drives additionally contained tour setlists and video planning supplies. The loss carried each private {and professional} penalties for the group.

According to the police report, “Mr. Grant advised he was also carrying some personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé.” Investigators famous that the stolen supplies included content material tied on to the artist’s ongoing tour and future releases. The presence of unreleased recordings elevated the case past a routine theft. Authorities handled the incident as a focused lack of high-value property.

A case that places the safety of artistic work below the highlight

By September, police recognized a suspect after monitoring digital alerts from the stolen gadgets. Kelvin Evans, 30, was taken into custody on an unrelated parole violation. This led investigators to get better the lacking objects whereas he was already incarcerated. Court information present Evans later posted a $20,000 bond and was launched from Fulton County Jail in October. He appeared just about in court docket on January 7, the place he pleaded not responsible to prices. These included getting into a car with intent to commit theft and prison trespass.

The case is scheduled to return to court docket on February 11 for a administration listening to. While the authorized course of continues, the incident has drawn consideration to the dangers surrounding artistic belongings within the music business. As Beyoncé continues her award-winning run, together with a latest Grammy win for Best Dance/Electronic music Album, followers stay centered on the music that did make it out. They are additionally within the materials that almost didn’t.