Music industry to target CD pirates in 12 cities

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 at street corners, 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 past 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 Recording Industry Association of America.

The trade 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.

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