Investigation under way into how Oasis LP got on to internet

Anti-piracy experts are investigating how the new Oasis album has been leaked online.

Heathen Chemistry is not being released until July but has been made widely available on the internet.

The British Phonographic Industry says it could have come from any number of sources close to the band.

Investigator Jollyon Benn thinks the leak is likely to have come from "further up the chain" than journalists with preview copies of the album.

He told NME.COM: "It could be anybody, the band, the managers, people who work in the studio, pluggers, anybody that's been able to get their hands on this recorded work at this very early stage.

"It's more likely to be further up the chain than down our end really."

He says illegal copying of the album has spiralled out of control since the leak was first detected.

"April 8 was the tip of the iceberg and we started to get a few trickles through. It was on about a dozen sites at the most and now it's absolutely exploded. Once the word gets out from people going to newsgroups and making postings on where you can find things, it mushrooms really," he said.

"When someone has downloaded it they might make it available via file sharing and then someone else downloads it. It's gone from being a fairly small problem on Monday to being completely out of control by Friday."

He says the only way bands can avoid their albums being made available online early is to keep stringent checks on who is given access to the songs - even at the highest levels.