Pirates in 12 Cities Put on Industry Target List

WASHINGTON —  The music industry, which has famously sued Internet users for downloading songs illegally, is turning its sights on pirates in 12 cities who copy CDs and DVDs for sale on street corners and at flea markets, family-run shops and even mainstream record stores.

Executives identified the cities as Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Philadelphia; Providence, R.I.; San Diego and San Francisco. These were selected based on market surveys, earlier raids and industry reviews of sales data suggesting lost sales during the last five years.

“We tried to narrow down the areas where we’re going to focus, where we find the most piracy,” said Brad Buckles, executive vice president for anti-piracy at the Washington-based trade group Recording Industry Assn. of America.

The group estimates the industry lost $1 billion in CD sales last year, including more than $300 million in losses blamed on underground sales of illegally copied discs. Police seized more than 5 million illegal CDs and arrested 3,300 people last year, it said.

Urban and Latin music is overwhelmingly popular among pirates who copy discs, representing about 95% of all counterfeit CDs and DVDs seized in raids, said Buckles, a former head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Almost 40% of discs seized last year were Latin CDs -- with artists such as Jessie Morales and Los Originales de San Juan -- even though the genre accounts for only 6% of the overall music market. Those illegal CDs are especially popular in Texas, California and Florida.