DJ Drama and Don Cannon Arrested in Atlanta

I don't know all the details but from a Fox News Atlanta report it seems that DJ Drama and Don Cannon (and up to 15 other people) were arrested in DJ Drama's studio on Tuesday. 50,000 of his mix cds were confiscated along with their computers and cars. Their website has been shut down and they seem to be fucked.

I called the RIAA and am waiting on an official statement from them as to their side of what happened. I also have a call into the police chief in the district where this all happened and supposedly will have a report for you on this today.

For now though, a contact at the RIAA sent me this one sheet about the bootlegging problem in Atlanta. Are mixtapes bootlegs? In some eyes they are in some they aren't. I'm not gonna pass judgement, I'm gonna attempt to be a real reporter here. For now please stop all the street rumors and the indicting of so and so as snitches or what have you. You have no idea what the real reason is and neither do I. However, I'm going to try and find out. At least what they are saying...

For now peep this out, from the RIAA:

PIRACY HOT SPOT:
ATLANTA

EXAMPLES OF SIGNIFICANT ANTI-PIRACY OPERATIONS IN 2005
· Dec. 2: The Atlanta Police Department raided a local flea market and arrested 18 suspects, seizing 73,109 counterfeit CDs and 34,204 counterfeit movies.
· July 6: While working a potential narcotics case, vice detectives from the Atlanta Police Department encountered what appeared to be pirate CDs. After confirmation from RIAA investigators, a subsequent search warrant resulted in the seizure of 196 CD/DVD burners, 40,000 pirate CD-R discs, 18,000 movie DVD-R discs, and a cache of raw materials – the largest CD-R manufacturing operation uncovered in 2005.
· Feb. 15: While executing a narcotics search warrant, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Atlanta uncovered a large pirate distribution location. In response to a DEA request, RIAA investigators responded and assisted DEA in seizing approximately 50,000 counterfeit CDs and 23,000 counterfeit movies.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LOCAL PIRATE TRADE
· Nearly 1 million illegal CDs were seized last year in Atlanta; only New York and Los Angeles ranked higher.
· In 2005, 92 percent of counterfeit music seized in Georgia was urban genre music.
· In Atlanta, a hub of legal urban music production, legitimate music sales in urban genres were 9 percent below the national trend in 2005.
· Urban music – representing 54 percent of all pirate product seized nationwide – is almost exclusively found in a lower-quality format burned to blank CD discs with packaging far less likely to be confused with legitimate products. A large portion of the urban piracy market consists of compilations of music from various artists and multiple albums.
TIPS FOR CONSUMERS: STEERING CLEAR OF ILLEGAL CDs

· Remember the Adage “You Get What You Pay For”: Even if you are hoping to get your favorite albums at a discount, new or used, extremely low prices might indicate pirated product.
· Watch for Compilations that are “Too Good to Be True": Many pirates make illegal "dream compilation" CDs, comprised of songs by numerous artists on different record labels.
· Read the Label: If the true name and address of the manufacturer are not shown, it is most likely not legitimate product. These products often do not contain a bar code. Furthermore, if the record label listed is a company you’ve never heard of, that should be another warning sign.
· Look for Suspicious Packaging: Carefully look over the packaging and beware of products that do not look genuine. Packages with misspelled words, blurry graphics, weak or bad color should all raise red flags. Inferior quality print work on the disc surface or slip sleeve cover, as well as the lack of original artwork and/or missing label, publisher, and distributor logos on discs and packaging, are usually clear indicators that the product is pirated.
· Watch for Product Being Sold in Unusual Places: CDs sold in non-traditional venues, like flea markets or street corners, are probably not legitimate.
· Trust your ear: The sound quality of pirate CDs is often poor or inconsistent.