Elizabeth Callegari said record companies owe her something.
“They owe me $20,” said Callegari, a political science junior.
As the March 3 deadline nears for music purchasers to file their reimbursement claim for overpriced compact discs, more and more LSU students say they will sign up.
After more than two years since hearings began between top music industry labels, retailers and state attorneys general, officials announced a settlement in October 2002.
According to the Compact Disc Minimum Advertised Price Settlement Web site, the music companies involved must provide a cash payment totalling $67,375,000 to the settlement group. Also, music distributors involved in the case will give more than $75 million worth of CDs to states.
The Settlement Web site said distributors will give the CDs to nonprofit, charitable, governmental or public entities to be used for music-related purposes or programs to benefit consumers who purchased CDs, cassettes or vinyl albums from retailers.
The number of CDs each state receives will be based on the population of each state.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the legal battles were centered on the music industry’s usage of “minimum advertised pricing,” which, according to state attorneys general, violated national antitrust laws and artificially raised the prices of recorded music.
Anyone who has purchased prerecorded music (vinyl record, cassette or CD) from a retailer between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 22, 2000 is entitled to a cash reimbursement between $5 and $20.
Jason Avant, a biological sciences senior, said he definitely would sign up to receive a reimbursement for the purchased CDs, “Mainly because it only costs one to two dollars to make a CD, yet they charge us so much more,” said Avant.
Richard Becknel, an art freshman, said he also would sign up for a reimbursement because he feels he was overcharged for music.
“As soon as I get to a computer, I’ll sign up,” said Catherine Blappert, a psychology junior. “They’ve been charging too much for CDs. That’s why I just burn them now.”
However Andrew Byers, a mechanical engineering junior, said he rarely buys CDs because he usually burns them himself and he probably will not sign up.
According to the Web site, the lawsuit alleged that the defendants “conspired to illegally raise the prices of pre-recorded Music Products by implementing Minimum Advertised Price policies,” violating state and federal laws.
The defendants in the case are music distributors Capitol Records, Inc.; d/b/a EMI Music Distribution; Virgin Records America, Inc.; Priority Records LLC; Time Warner, Inc.; Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp.; WEA, Inc.; Warner Music Group, Inc.; Warner Bros. Records, Inc.; Atlantic Recording Corporation; Elektra Entertainment Group, Inc.; Rhino Entertainment Company; Universal Music & Video Distribution Corporation; Universal Music Group, Inc.; UMG Recordings, Inc.; Bertelsmann Music Group, Inc. and BMG Music and Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
The Retailer Defendants are MTS, Inc. d/b/a Tower Records, Musicland Stores Corp. and Trans World Entertainment Corp.