Atlanta DJs Arrested For Counterfeit Music

[bknot1]

DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon Were Arrested....

I keep telling people Mixtapes with Major label artist is illegal unless you have a damn bar code on them..SMH

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=1.1.1

[BeatsBuY]

Man. That's like printing counterfeit money. I'd be really pissed if I ordered one of those CDs and it came in a slim case CD holder and CD-R like shown in the video and I thought I was buying the real thing.

[Trumpspade]

Originally Posted by bknot1

DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon Were Arrested....

I keep telling people Mixtapes with Major label artist is illegal unless you have a damn bar code on them..SMH

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pa...Y&pageId=1.1.1

It's just straight boot legging.........
The many different avenues that music has journeyed to you would think this would be a dead topic. But people will do anything to make a buck! I guess everybody got a hustle........Maybe that will be the title of my next cut "Everybody got a hustle"........

[bknot1]

it will never be a dead topic...mixtapes sales are always a high market to make money...

the only reason DJ Clue, Kay Slay dont get caught up in this is that they have permission from the Labels to leak music and they bar code their mixes..so everyone makes money...not just them..which is looked at as bootleggin

[mentalattica]

Damn 50,000 Cd's were confiscated? That's crazy!
No matter what you do, if your business is illegal your going to eventually get caught. Especially if you make a lot of money. I can't say they deserve it or don't deserve it, but I can say this didn't deserve to make Fox news!
Must not have been much going on in ATL lately....LOL

[bknot1]

over the past few years..any big bootleggin business will make the news..it sends a message...trust me ..i know..LOL

but itts not the biggest...i bet it was mostly his Gangsta GrillZ Mixtapes...but damn look at how much he would have made..if they were...

50,000 CD
x $10 at least
_________

$500,000 they are down....

[bknot1]

a little bit more news on it.. http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=6603

[Mindset]

Even with a bar code, it is possible to breach contracts doing a mixtape.

I personally rather release full fledge albums & sell them in stores. Then there's the other hand that disagree's with me, especially some of my artists, who insist on releasing a mixtape. Why, they actually don't know. They just start going on about how xx has a mix tape, and they doing good, and how xx also gots a mix tape and doing good too. There's of course benefits between no mix tapes & making a mixtape, and also things that can go wrong.

In contracts, usually they will not let their artist on another project without permission of the company, which is understandable, and everyone knows that, except the artist. There's common myth's and all this shit circulating around about it. A lot of the major mixtapes come from the company themselves, and not released by just the 'artist'. Promotional schemes. Then there's the other half, who go against contract rules, and have a go at a mix tape under his/her own label. Well, that could work, depending on the contracts. Usually there's what we call conflict of interest anyways so it's usually not allowed. A lot of these cats start banging mix tapes out on the streets. Hustlin' em. I respect the hustle, but if you sold 1 million mix tapes on the street, that doesn't justify platinum. That doesn't even say 1 sale. What some labels do, like in my case...They manufacture X amount of copies, of which x amount goes in stores etc like regular, and x amount is lost and written off, but those x amount that were 'lost' are sold on the streets.

Anyways, just because you barcode something doesn't mean much, except that your product is now registered to be sold, that doesn't mean you have a license to sell the product, or that it's legit. Hell I can go to http://www.upcexpress.com and get a barcode for $99 or go to the UPC console and pay the $750 for 100 bar codes at $7.50 each and choose to put it on any product I want.

One of Big Wheel's artist, I can't remember who, I think it's Froze Ony, could not resign the contract cause there was a conflict of interest in him dropping a mix tape with Dough Boy that we got circulating the streets. I think the original contract was for around 2-4 million but I might be wrong on the $$ (the contract that was originally to be signed back to). Dough Boy has yet to resign, because there's a discussion about his upcoming release of his own mix tape, but they are discussing it about releasing it under the label instead of underground etc.

Anyways have a nice day.

[Fieva]

Gotta be careful on that type of shit....fuck with the red tape and get tied up in the end.

[Mindset]

Originally Posted by Fieva

Gotta be careful on that type of shit....fuck with the red tape and get tied up in the end.

Exactly. couldn't be better said.

[bknot1]

a bar code..is more for the Government tracking your profits...so they will know if your ass cheating on your taxes...LOL...

true it really dont mean shit..unless you have everything covered and cleared for releases....

and just alot of artist get it in their contract to do mixtapes..cause they see it as more money..that the label wont get....but yeah i agree with you both..

[Fyre]

wat i dont understand about the whole mixtape scene is from a artist point of view..... like why does it matta if I do mixtapes thats for the streets as long as what the label wants as far as album material is on lock..... i mean dayum the label already takes a large part of the creative control in telling me the direction and all that shit of the album..... a mixtape is the one place a artist can really be a artist..... that is if you doin a tru mixtape of like freestyles and jackin for beats type shit..... i dont consider a mixtape to be songs off the album........

[bknot1]

a mixtape is making profit off the Artist name..in which most cases the Labels own..this is where all the problems are coming from...plus tracks are used from the albums, music and whole songs(which the labels own) and no one got the licenses to use the music and songs..in turn the label is losing money....

[Trumpspade]

Originally Posted by Fyre

wat i dont understand about the whole mixtape scene is from a artist point of view..... like why does it matta if I do mixtapes thats for the streets as long as what the label wants as far as album material is on lock..... i mean dayum the label already takes a large part of the creative control in telling me the direction and all that shit of the album..... a mixtape is the one place a artist can really be a artist..... that is if you doin a tru mixtape of like freestyles and jackin for beats type shit..... i dont consider a mixtape to be songs off the album........

I hear ya!
Where I'm from, street mixtapes are cuts from an album or some other type project that is just that, Mixed non-stop. It often carries another beat mixed with the accapella, but it is, for the most part, actual material that belongs to the artist. The Artist is not benefiting at all, just the cat selling them. Regular mixtapes by some of the other popular DJ's (Enough, Capri, etc...) are contracted and often contain material unheard on the album or some type of variation of one of the bangers on the album. That's my knowledge of them.............(Which is limited!!!!)

[bknot1]

the popular DJs have an agreement/contract with the labels to relase their music..and like DJ Clue, get the license to sell the songs on his mixtape that is in retail stores...

if you do it legally you dont have to worry about getting raided ...

mixtapes will always be a up in the air topic..cause alot of labels give the tracks to the DJs for leaks..but turn the other way if they get busted for sellin the song part of mixtapes...and no..the phrase FOR PROMOTIONAL USE doest grant you the right to sell your mixtape and make a profit off of it...they labels see you as a popular DJ and a good way to promote ther Artist cause you have a following..but when you turning in a 100% profit to yourself and not payin the hands that gave you the chance to do that you will get burned in the meantime...


clear the license and release a proper mixtape if you plan on using known artist or known artist beats...

[bknot1]

AllHipHop.com has confirmed that both DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon have been released from the Fulton County Jail, where they were held overnight on Tuesday (January 16) on racketeering charges.

The two DJ's were freed on a $100,000 signature bond this afternoon (January 17).

They are set for a second appearance at the Fulton County Court on January 24.


The raid on the Aphillates Music Group’s offices in Atlanta were apparently the result of a partnership with a nationwide joint vice task force working to stop the sale of pirated music.

DJ Drama, born Tyree Simmons and Donald “Don” Cannon, were arrested on felony charges under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).


In a May 2006 report posted on the RIAA’s website, Atlanta was named one of 12 “Piracy ‘Hot Spot’ cities last year, along with Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, San Diego and San Francisco.

The report stated that in 2007, the RIAA would “step up law enforcement training and commit additional investigative resources in all of the cities.”


Meanwhile members of the Mixtape and Internet communities continue to show their support for DJ Drama and Don Cannon, who have become champion for a much debated cause.

A petition supporting the DJ's has received over 200 signatures, since it was started around 11:00 am Wednesday morning.

Fans, fellow DJs, journalists, and even record label executives have all come forth to share their opinions and voice endorsement.