

The Atlanta Police Department joined with the music and movie industries last week to shred more than 1 million CDs and DVDs that had been seized from street vendors, sending the resulting ribbons of plastic to recycling facilities.

According to Brad Buckles, executive vice president of antipiracy for the Recording Industry Association of America, "individuals selling CDs for cheap on the streetcorner are not just small-time peddlers – they are fronts for largercriminal organizations that steal music by the millions of CDs."

Buckles said neighborhood groups that deal in pirated CDs are often involved in narcotics and weapons, so removing these CDs from the black market improves the health and safety of those who live where illicitly copied CDs are sold. He added that piracy "not only affects the creative industries,

but takes away valuable revenue generated from legitimate purchasesfrom local retailers and city and state governments."

The RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America estimate that these 1 million-plus CDs and DVDs represent more than $20 million in lost sales revenue, although the discs were almost certainly being sold for far less than $20 each.

Photo of shredded CDs: Kevin Thoule

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