kelefa sanneh, Our Favorite Music Journalist With An Uncapitalized Name, runs down the current situation in today’s Times.
According to the Times:
* Drama and Cannon are being charged with racketeering and helpd on $100,000 bond.
* The RIAA maintains that “a sound recording is either copyrighted or it’s not.” Since mix tape DJs have only implied permission to use the music they use, they’re out of luck.
* The RIAA claims that Cannon and Drama were sent a cease-and-desist letter before the raid.
If you’re unfamiliar with the situation, sanneh runs it down pretty effectively in his story, describing (accurately) the esteem in which these guys are held in the hip-hop community, the enthusiastic endorsements they get from artists, and so on.
Also: DJ J-Smooth from WBAI in NYC videoblogs the whole thing to delightful (and hilarious) effect.
And: VH1 gets comments from the RIAA: “We don’t consider this being against mixtapes as some sort of class of product. We enforce our rights civilly or work with police against those who violate state law. Whether it’s a mixtape or a compilation or whatever it’s called, it doesn’t really matter: If it’s a product that’s violating the law, it becomes a target.”
Additionally: Eskay is reporting at XXL.com that Drama and Cannon have been released from jail.