For many years, the RIAA and authorities have been raiding legitimate Mom & Pop Urban retail stores, as well as vendors, for their involvement in the sales of hip hop and rap mix-tapes. Recently, they raided and arrested two popular hip hop and rap industry DJs in Atlanta, and have charged them under Georgia RICO statutes.

The RIAA claims to have the consent of record labels and insists they are stopping the sales and distribution of unauthorized copyrighted music material, which costs the music industry millions of dollars. They also claim they are working on behalf of the record labels and protecting the artists’ rights. These claims are all incorrect.

The Record Industry of America Association (RIAA) has waged war on the Hip Hop industry and community. The raids they orchestrate with the local authorities are:

    * hindering the sales of current and future Hip Hop artists;

    * disrupting the flow of the rap artists'' ability to constantly express themselves;

    * preventing some of the promotion of signed or unsigned Hip Hop artists;

    * not allowing new acts, unsigned acts, and unsuccessful acts to be heard; and

    * curtailing the operation of "Mom and Pop" retail stores.

There is a new web site, www.hiphopagainsttheriaa.com, which explains these charges and gives a realistic side of the RIAA’s propaganda arguments. Even though mix-tapes are the main focus and concern, this is bigger than mix-tapes. The RIAA’s raids and scare tactics have commenced an attack on the Hip Hop lifestyle and community.

Hip-Hop mix-tapes are CDs mostly produced by DJs. The music is mostly given to them by the record labels, artists, or artists’ management for the sole purpose of placing the material on a mix-tape to be distributed to the public. The result is the hip hop artists and rap songs receive much needed promotion and/or “buzz.” Labels use mix-tape distribution as part of their marketing strategy. In Hip-Hop, artists also use mix-tapes as an avenue to “speak” to the streets about certain issues that would not be heard on their official album. The overall point is the distribution of these recordings to DJs are a form of permission, which conflicts with the breaking of these state laws. This is all explained on the website.

Unfortunately, the RIAA is never challenged, and it is also very questionable how prosecutors allow a third party lobbyist company to take action on the behalf of the record labels. The new web site explains how and why the RIAA has no authority to do so, and because of the misconception as to what type of organization the RIAA is, they are allowed to do what they please without query.

Therefore, the raids they are conducting are merit less and allow the local authorities to arrest legitimate hard working business owners and employees. The end result is they are crippling the Hip Hop community. This website explains to the public how the RIAA’s actions are a major contributing factor in the deteriorating sales of Hip Hop, and why Hip-Hop artists are having a difficult time in promoting themselves to the general public. In addition, the RIAA is costing the music industry millions of dollars in revenue.

If you''d like more information about this topic visit the new site at: www.hiphopagainsttheriaa.com