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Sony DADC could have been victim of well-planned attack
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 31 August 2011
According to the Telegraph, the fire at the Sony DADC distribution centre in north London earlier this month, that destroyed an estimated three million CDs and tens of thousands of DVDs, may have been the result of a carefully planned raid that took advantage of the chaos caused by riots in that part of the capital that day.
As previously reported, the Sony Corp-owned distribution centre was burned to the ground during riots in the Enfield part of London, taking it with it huge amounts of stock belonging to hundreds of entertainment companies, and not just the Sony business.
In particular, 150 independent record companies lost their physical stocks because the facility was the main UK hub of indie distributors [PIAS], and while most of those labels will be insured, the cash flow issues such a loss of stock will cause could be enough to take some smaller record companies out of business. Though, as also previously reported, it is hoped funds set up by the BPI and the Association Of Independent Music, both offering free loans to affected labels, might prevent that from happening.
With chaos occurring in various corners of London 8 Aug, it wasn’t immediately clear what had happened at the Sony DADC centre, though some wondered how the rioters had got past the considerable security operation that surrounded the distribution facility. Even though the riots were organised, to an extent, via social media networks, breaking into a site surrounded by a large security fence, and protected by its own team of security guards, is quite a step up from smashing a window at JJB Sports and grabbing stock from the shop floor.
The Telegraph alleges that Sony DADC was actually the target of a deliberate and well planned attack by a “professional criminal gang”, who utilised the fact others were rioting in the area at the time to their advantage.
The broadsheet says the gang spent two hours using specialist cutting equipment to dismantle a portion of the centre’s fencing. They then encouraged other rioters to flood the site, distracting and overwhelming security guards who in turn couldn’t rely on support from an overstretched police force, while the original gang members stole the more valuable electrical goods stored at the centre, having driven a number of vans onto the site. It’s not clear who set the facility on fire, the original gang or other rioters, though gutting the facility was a useful way for the original thieves to cover their tracks.
The newspaper says that five men have been arrested in connection to looting and arson at the centre, though it’s not clear if they are part of the gang the broadsheet alleges orchestrated this attack. Neither the Metropolitan Police nor Sony have commented on the reports.
As also previously reported, Sony has already set up an alternative distribution centre in Hertfordshire which is being used by [PIAS]. The independent distributor has also recruited the services of Proper Music to help get its distribution network back up and running.
