Photo Credit: Jonathan Cooper
A major counterfeit vinyl operation in the UK has been shut down after its operator, Rehan Ahmed, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. Ahmed ran an illegal manufacturing and distribution operation through companies including Phoenix of Vinyl and Paragon Music, producing unauthorised records by artists such as Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Kendrick Lamar.
Ahmed admitted, as per The Guardian, to copyright infringement and acquiring criminal property following a February 2024 police raid on his West London premises, which uncovered a fully operational pressing facility and thousands of bootleg records.
City of London Police found that his operation generated roughly £2.7 million from counterfeit sales between 2017 and 2024. Seized evidence totalled around 18 tonnes, including four vinyl presses, 3,000 metal stampers, and thousands of sleeves and labels, confirming infringement across 108 artists.
The case highlights a growing challenge as physical music resurges. UK vinyl sales grew in 2025, but demand for collectable pressings has fueled counterfeiting. Over the past two years, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) supported 43 search warrants, seizing about 600,000 counterfeit vinyl items and CDs valued at up to £8 million, with at least 10 further investigations ongoing.
