Mixtapes on lockdown.

There’s a really interesting article in today’s New York Times by Jeff Leeds called “Cracking Down on Mixtape CDs.” The article documents an unbelievably unprecedented mixtape raid that took place in Atlanta, and describes the complex relationship between the record industry and hip hop mixtapes. As you read this, “industry-financed antipiracy squads” are hunting down mixtape producers to bust them for unauthorized recordings! Really interesting stuff…

“Last week, local authorities, working with the recording industry’s trade association, stunned fans and music executives alike by raiding DJ Drama’s studio in Atlanta and arresting him and a fellow D.J., Don Cannon, on racketeering charges. Investigators seized more than 81,000 allegedly pirated CDs and say the pair were producing unlicensed recordings and selling them without permission.

The raid sparked an outcry among many rap fans. But it also threatens to throw into public view the recording industry’s awkward relationship with mixtapes, long an integral element of rap culture and now commonly for sale on street corners, Web sites, many independent record shops and occasionally big chains.” – read more