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Largest U.S.-based music file sharing service shuttered. “A huge win for the music community” says RIAA CEO Cary Sherman.

WASHINGTON – Today a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) domain seizure notice appears on Sharebeast.com—the largest music illegal file-sharing site operating in the United States. A related linking site, albumjams.com, also now displays the notice as well (more below the notice).

The Sharebeast network of sites was responsible for the distribution of a massive library of popular albums and tracks and has been particularly problematic in its distribution of pre-release leaks of thousands of songs. The RIAA alone reported more than 100,000 infringing files to the service for takedown.

The following is a comment from RIAA Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman on the DOJ action:

“This is a huge win for the music community and legitimate music services. Sharebeast operated with flagrant disregard for the rights of artists and labels while undermining the legal marketplace.

“Millions of users accessed songs from Sharebeast each month without one penny of compensation going to countless artists, songwriters, labels and others who created the music. We are grateful to the FBI and the Department of Justice for its strong stand against Sharebeast and for recognizing that these types of illicit sites wreak major damage on the music community and hinder fans’ legitimate listening options.”