In a report on commercial piracy, the Recording Industry Association of America released its list of 12 “hot spot” cities for music piracy. Chicago is one of the 12, and Pepmo, owner of Pepmo’s Music World in Chicago, 5301 W. Chicago Ave., is feeling the pressure.

“For maybe eight years now, there’s been a steady drop in sales,” he said. “I’d say roughly 70 percent.”

The RIAA isn’t targeting just Napster or Limewire users, but people who illegally reproduce a CD and sell it for a lower price than available at legitimate record stores.

Pepmo said he can tell the difference between “hot” CDs and the real thing, but the fake can only be spotted if one’s familiar with how a particular album should look.

“It’s in the wrapping and the color,” he said. “The color of the cover’s not quite as sharp as it should be and the wrapping has a different feel to it.”

Paul Stokes, a manager at George’s Music Room in Chicago, 3915 W. Roosevelt Road, has likewise noticed a steady decrease in sales revenue.

“If I’m here selling a CD for $12.99 and you got a guy in front of the beauty supply store selling that CD for $2, that’s going to have a damaging effect on my bottom line.”

Stokes attributes a CD’s legitimacy to its overall sound and packaging quality.

“You pay for what you get,” he said. “If you buy a CD for $2, it’s inferior quality. If you eat a piece of chicken and grab that CD, it’s damaged because it’s inferior quality.”

Amanda Hunter, a spokesperson for the RIAA, said the record industry is working with local law enforcement bodies to help tame the commercial piracy problem.

“There are so many effects [piracy] has on a community,” she said. “If there are other people selling illegal CDs, that’s tax money that’s not going to the community from sales taxes.”

Hunter said music consumers need to make a conscious effort to ensure what they’re buying is legitimate.

“The most important thing is to be vigilant in terms of what to look for and make sure you don’t end up with an illegal product. There are a lot of consequences for the community to solve this problem.”