RIAA Welcomes US Government Spotlight on Music Industry Piracy Priorities in Notorious Markets Report

WASHINGTON, DC (March 4, 2026) - The United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual Notorious Markets Report identifying illicit digital and physical markets where widespread copyright piracy undermines the critical contributions of the American music community to US jobs, growth and trade.

Recording Industry Association of America^® (RIAA) Senior Vice President, International Policy, George York welcomed the report highlighting the pervasive nature of digital piracy and its negative impacts on American creators. "We thank Ambassador Greer, USTR and the interagency team for spotlighting illicit services engaging in the theft of American music, including 'bulletproof' Internet service providers, cyberlockers, stream-ripping providers, torrent sites, unlicensed streaming platforms that imperil the creative sector's contributions to the US economy and its competitive advantage globally."

"We applaud the focus on music community concerns and urge a close look in the future at emerging challenges presented by AI, including the widespread illegal use of copyrighted sound recordings and artist names, images and likenesses to generate invasive and unlawful voice clones and deepfakes."

Read the full report here.