RIAA Hires Artists, Then Sends In the SWAT
Found on Slashdot on Monday, 19 February 2007
The NY times is carrying an article about how the RIAA is hiring hip hop artists to make mix tapes, and then helping the police raid their studios. In the case of DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, they were raided by SWAT teams with their guns drawn. The local police chief said later that they were 'prepared for the worst.' Men in RIAA jackets helped cart away 'evidence'. Just the same, 'Record labels regularly hire mixtape D.J.'s to produce CDs featuring a specific artist. In many cases, these arrangements are conducted with a wink and a nod rather than with a contract; the label doesn't officially grant the D.J. the right to distribute the artist's songs or formally allow the artist to record work outside of his contract.'
Even though it's hip-hop, that goes way too far. Most of their hip-hop cash-machines started with unlicensed mix-tapes; still, that industry doesn't seem to care now that the money flows in.