RIAA Settlement: Possible Consumer Payback

KoopaTroopa writes "Over on Ars Technica they are running a story about the RIAA handing out consumer payments as a settlement to a price-fixing class action. If you bought a recording at retail between Jan. 1, 1995, and Dec. 22, 2000, claim your money." As usual, the lawyers win a lot more than you will, but the process is pretty painless if you'd like to collect part of the settlement money; you may recall this earlier story about the settlement.

No thanks RIAA

[typical geek]

I'd rather rationalize my mp3 theft by saying CD prices are too high.

been around for a while

[arson1]

That site has been up for months. But wait, if everyone trieds to collect, and the payment is less that $5/ person, then it goes to a charity (I'm guessing the the EFF), not the people. We can't let that happen! ;)

Sorry

[cporter]

They want a lot of information. Date of birth? Part of my SSN? Sorry. Keeping that private is worth more than $20.

I'll just download a few CDs from a P2P and call it even.

Dear Hillary,

[grub]

Please keep the few dollars you've earned from me as I've downloaded much, much more than that and my conscience is getting to me.

Thank you.

Re:Sorry

[arson1]

you think that information is private? Everyone knows my birthday, you get more presents that way.

How can this be a Class Action suit?

[Newer Guy]

How can this be a Class Action Suit when the RIAA has no class? Crass action would be more accurate...

Breakdown...

[goingincirclez]

Purchases of overpriced CD albums from 1995-2000 (that turned out to little more than one-hit-wonder crap): > $200

Settlement from class-action lawsuit (regarding the purchases of overpriced one-hit wonder crap):
The cost of filling out a marketing infomation form (to get your refund from one-hit wonder crap): Dead trees and spam

Trying out mp3's before wasting any more money on hard copy: Priceless

There are some things that are a ripoff. For everything else, there's P2P.

AUGHHH! NOOOOOO!

[Maeryk]

Dont get in on the suit. Next thing you know Lars Ulrich will be personally writing on you to demand 1 penny from the settlement because the price fixing made Moneygru^H^H^H^H^etallica lose
money and the money coming from the settlement will make them earn less from the distributor for their next album and soon James will be kicking in your door demanding money and spontaneously combusting all over your shiznit!

Maeryk

Settlement Notes

[ChangeOnInstall]

The Defendants have agreed to pay a combination of cash and non-cash consideration. Defendants' combined cash payments total $67,375,000. In addition, Distributor Defendants will provide $75,700,000 worth of prerecorded music compact discs. Due to a new industry-wide pricing structure, this equates to 757 prerecorded music compact discs.

Re:No thanks.

[hansroy]

That's why I shred all my receipts. And eat the paper.

All goes to charity

[richlb]

Somehow I feel that the number of respondants will push the per person settlement BELOW $5, so all of it will go to charity anyway.

I'd be amazed if any consumer saw a dime.

On another related note, though, I DO remember getting like $2 sent to me back in the way early 90's because I sent in the UPC symbol from my Milli Vanilli cassette when their record company got hit with a class action suit. So maybe.....

(note: I apologize for mentioning Milli Vanilli on /.)

eerie

[Spamlent Green]

my sister-in-law emailed me not 1 hour ago about this exact thing.

I suggested she post it to slashdot, and she was like -- "Are you kidding? I want my $20 -- I don't want to share it with those geeks!"

Re:No thanks RIAA

[Patrick13]

Yeah -- hurry and get your name in before the claims site is slashdotted!!

Re:Price Fixing Has Ended?

[Rary]

Excerpted from the RIAA's FAQ:

Q: The settlement only covers purchases made prior to Dec. 22, 2000. What about purchases made after that date?

A: As of Dec. 22, 2000, all price fixing came to an end.

Q: If there was no more price fixing after Dec. 22, 2000, why did CD prices not go down after that date?

A: Due to new technology that, coincidentally, was introduced on that same date, CDs now cost four times as much to make as they did prior to that date. The price decrease due to the ending of price fixing has been offset by the increase in production costs.

Warning: This might be satire.

Re:Payments Could Be Nullfied

[LePrince]

Well, I'll help you guys. I will not sign up. All it'll cost you guys is 1 cent each. Meaning that if it is successfull, and only 12 millions people subscribed, you'll all owe me 1 cent, which makes... 120 000$. Good deal, isn't it ? :-) Aw, don't thank me, I'm kind by nature :-)

Non-Cash Settlement ...

[ProfMoriarty]

You know ... it would be just my luck to get part of the "Non-Cash Consideration" in the form of Britteny Spears CD Collection ...

Here's the way this works...

[wedg]

Make sure *nobody* signs up for this. At all. We all know how hard this will be, since everyone and their mother, and their mother's cousin loves "free money". But really, we're just saying, "Hey, it's ok to rip us off some more."

If no one agrees to the settlement, then perhaps the courts, when they try to see if the settlement is fair, will realize that it is not, and that the price fixing must be stopped.

And then I sign up for the refund, and being the only person signed up, I walk away with a cool $25 mil. Muaahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha. *cough* Ignore that last part.