Music industry officials did a survey years ago to find out which cities in America had been hit the hardest by bootleggers.

Atlanta made the list — one of 12 hot spots across the country.

Elissa Eubanks/AJC (ENLARGE)

Atlanta police recruit Joseph G Cooper takes note of the estimated 300 pallets of counterfeit movies and music.

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But it's not just CDs; Atlanta has a problem with counterfeit movies, too.

Late Wednesday morning, Atlanta police gave the public a glimpse of the problem: a massive pile of more than 1 million CDs, VHS tapes and DVDs that have been seized in the past eight years or so.

Police officers used forklifts to bring piles of boxes filled with the bootlegged products — with an estimated street value of $20 million — from storage to a large police property warehouse. The discs and tapes later were destroyed and taken to recycling facilities.

"This city has really been a leader here when it comes to fighting piracy," said Brad Buckles, an executive vice president with the Recording Industry Association of America who spoke at a news conference. "What you're seeing here is really just the tip of the iceburg."

Music and movie bootlegging — illegally copying or recording the products for sale — is not a new crime trend or one that's rising sharply; investigators have been making arrests at the same rate in Atlanta for at least a decade, said Horace Walker, director of investigations for the Motion Picture Association of America in Atlanta.

The public and media are simply paying attention now, shining a spotlight on the issue, authorities said. One reason could be the related issue of illegal downloads from the Internet.

Since investigators targeted Atlanta as a problem city, counterfeit crackdowns have made a difference, Buckles said. Music and movie sales have stabilized.

The bad news: Piracy is still a problem.

To fight piracy, industry investigators look for illegal products, mostly at flea markets. They then notify local authorities.

Just last week, investigators arrested eight people at a Clayton County flea market and seized 6,000 CDs and 1,400 counterfeit movies, said Walker.

Bootlegging cuts down on profits for performers and retailers. But it's an attractive illegal enterprise. Peddling counterfeit CDs and movies is more profitable than being a drug dealer — minus the violence that comes with slinging dope, Walker said.

Atlanta police said several celebrity recording artists and actors were expected to show for the news conference.

None did.

James Polite, an Atlanta police spokesman, said some chose instead to attend a rap video shoot in Grant Park.

"So that's where they're at," he said. "Time is money."