The UK music filesharing site RnBXclusive has been shut down and a man has been arrested amid signs that organised crime officers are cracking down on illegal downloading in Britain, UKPA reported.

The domain name rnbxclusive.com was taken over by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which warned users they may have committed a criminal offence.

In a message on the site, the agency said the majority of music files that the domain made available "were stolen from the artists" and those who downloaded them could face up to 10 years in jail and an unlimited fine.

It said: "Soca has the capability to monitor and investigate you and can inform your internet service provider of these infringements. You may be liable for prosecution and the fact that you have received this message does not preclude you from prosecution. As a result of illegal downloads, young, emerging artists may have had their careers damaged. If you have illegally downloaded music, you will have damaged the future of the music industry."

Rnbxclusive.com offered users R&B and hip-hop songs and billed itself as "dedicated in bringing you the latest and hottest music around since 2008".

Almost 10,000 urban music fans followed it on Twitter, where users expressed shock and concern at the news. Links to songs on the RnBXclusive Twitter feed were inactive.

Last month the filesharing website Megaupload was shut down over US accusations that it facilitated millions of illegal downloads of films, music and other content, costing copyright holders at least $300m in lost revenue.

Its founder, Kim Dotcom, and three employees were arrested and brought before the courts in New Zealand.