SMITH & Williamson in Southampton has been appointed administrators of one of the largest CD brokerage companies of its kind in the UK following a yearlong police investigation into a £5m music piracy racket.

Greg Palfrey and Steve Adshead, from the accountancy and business advisory group's south coast base, are currently going through the assets of SFH (UK) in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, to see what can be salvaged for sale.

Among the artists pirated were R&B act Destiny's Child, rapper 50 Cent and pop diva Mariah Carey.

Mr Palfrey said: "We have been appointed to try to recover value from assets which will be distributed to creditors in the usual way.

"Investigations are ongoing.

"We will write to creditors once we know the full picture about the amount of money that we can realise for them.

"A husband and wife team involved in running SFH were jailed last Wednesday in relation to a piracy ring costing the music industry an estimated £5m.

"We were appointed following a year-long investigation by the police and music industry into SFH. If assets cannot be retrieved, we will put the business into liquidation."

Farhat Nissa, 35, and her husband Mohammed Shaikh, 38, were jailed after being convicted of conspiracy to defraud the music industry between May 21, 2003, and December 22, 2005, after a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London. Nissa was jailed for four-and-a-half years, less time already served, while Shaikh received a year.