A2IM Warns of Counterfeit CDs Across Amazon.com

Attention music shoppers: Some of those random sellers atop the price search listings on Amazon — you know, the ones offering CDs for a few cents less than Amazon while still boasting the “Fulfillment By Amazon” (FBA) button — may be too good to be true. Independent music trade organization A2IM issued a warning on Tuesday (Oct. 18) alleging a possible rash of counterfeiting across the mega-retailer, with rights holders and labels getting the shaft.
A2IM said it believes illicit copies of relatively new albums are being manufactured in China and are so close to the original that “even the legitimate manufacturer cannot tell without very close examination.” Counterfeiters are pricing the albums slightly below Amazon’s official versions in order to surface their bogus copies right above the genuine article. If you’re one of the few people who doesn’t own Chris Stapleton’s Traveller yet, a price search brings up two sellers with the FBA button, with both pricing the album 13 cents cheaper than Amazon, which is the fourth result. The cheaper versions are even eligible for Prime — a crucial point for many shoppers.
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7548962/a2im-warns-of-counterfeit-cds-across-amazoncom