Music CD Settlement

In September, the five top U.S. distributors of compact discs and three large music retailers agreed to pay $143 million in cash and CDs to settle allegations they cheated consumers by fixing prices. Part of the settlement, about $44 million in cash, is earmarked to pay customers who bought CDs between 1995 and 2000 cash:  from $5 to $20, depending on how many people wind up dividing the money.  But by the end of December, only about 30,000 people nationwide had applied for a piece of the pie at the settlement’s website.