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[thewho rocks <leb905@yahoo.com>]

Ha.  Here's that story in the paper:

In an action that could lower music cd prices, the five major music
distributors Wednesday settled federal charges that they inflated the
prices Americans pay for their favorite compact discs.  Under the
agreement the five companies will discontinue minimum advertised price
programs that forced retailers to sell msuic cds at or above a set
level in return for getting sustantial funding to underwrite their
advertising.

The programs cost consumers $480 million during the past three years,
the FTC estimated.  Under the consent agreement, Universl Music and
Video Distribuion, Sony Corp. of America, Time-Warner Inc., EMI Music
Distribution and Bertelsmann Music Group will be barred from using
minimum price programs for the next seven years.

In return, the government agreed not to seek damages for past prices
and did not require the companies to make an admission of wrongdoing,
officials said.  Violations of the FTC order formalizing the consent
agreement could result in a fine of $11,000 each.

LB

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