Greece’s recording industry loses over 205 million euros a year to CD pirates, according to the Union of Greek Record Producers who are holding a seminar on the problem today under the aegis of the Public Order Ministry.

Recording companies have seen their income plummet in recent years as the illegal trade in music recordings has flourished, particularly during the 1990s. Last year, 65 illegal recording studios were discovered and 237,089 pirated music compact disks and cassettes impounded, compared to only 4 studios uncovered and 7,875 discs and cassettes confiscated in 1997.

The union claims the trade in illegal music recordings is the work of organized crime rackets and should be dealt with as such by the police. It disputes the image of the typical itinerant seller of pirated CDs as a “poor immigrant” trying to eke out a living. It estimates that each itinerant seller earns over 2,300 euros per month from selling pirated CDs.