File a claim if you bought a CD!

December 14, 2002 1:06 AM

Music CD Settlement website now available. You'll get between $5 and $20 back, unless more than 13MM people respond, in which case the $67MM pool goes to charity.
posted by milnak (15 comments total)

13MM? I don't believe I've ever seen a person that small.

The system is rather just, as I've bought plenty of legit CDs in the past six years and have often questioned the bumped-up pricing involved. Thanks for the link!
posted by Down10 at 1:54 AM on December 14, 2002

A better settlement would have been to force them to sell all RIAA CDs at a maximum price of $10 per disc for a couple of years.
posted by benjh at 6:30 AM on December 14, 2002

so do you guys think record labels will clean up their act now?
posted by mcsweetie at 6:55 AM on December 14, 2002

Are we waiving the right to further litigation by accepting a measly 20 bucks from these bastards? I'm inclined to tell them to shove their Andrew Jackson up their ass. It seems like we should get a couple bucks for each cd we've bought, which in my case at least, would add up to a lot more than 20 bucks.
posted by elvissinatra at 7:16 AM on December 14, 2002

you will be bound by all orders and judgments of the Court and your claims against the Defendants for the conduct alleged in these actions will be resolved and released

I don't want this to be resolved with twenty bucks. I'm with benjh: cheaper cds for a few years.
posted by dogwalker at 8:01 AM on December 14, 2002

< %@ page language="vb" autoeventwireup="false" codebehind="$FILENAME$.vb" inherits="$INHERITS$" %>




An error has occurred trying to process your request. Please click here to return to the home page.

oops.
posted by angry modem at 8:34 AM on December 14, 2002

Mcsweetie: BLORF HA HA HA HA YOU MADE MILK COME OUT OF MY NODE *giggle*

jo< can ducks even do that??
posted by KettleBlack at 9:51 AM on December 14, 2002

Realistically, who among us is going to sue them for anti-competitive practices?

I signed up. Fuck it, I'd rather have 20 bucks then empty hope.
posted by Spacelegoman at 12:48 PM on December 14, 2002

What kind of personal information do they collect? I couldn't get past the first page without cookies enabled.

More to the point, how does one establish the veracity of this web site? I couldn't find any information that establishes them as the legitimate settlement agent (or whatever the right term is) for this lawsuit. They provide no identifying information whatsoever. This web site could just as easily be a big social hack.

This is very bad.
posted by chipr at 4:03 PM on December 14, 2002

Oh great ... even when I turned cookies back on the web site keeps looping on the initial three questions. Idiots.
posted by chipr at 4:07 PM on December 14, 2002

looks legit to me but then again this is the intarweb:

Registrant:
Rust Consulting, Inc. (YKMILXKTDD)
501 MARQUETTE AVE STE 700
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-1208
US

Domain Name: MUSICCDSETTLEMENT.COM

Administrative Contact:
Rust Consulting, Inc. (KZPXFPWQJO) [e-mail]

Since 1976, Rust Consulting, Inc., has used computer and communications technology to meet the requirements of courts, law firms, and government and corporate counsel.

Founded as the Rust Consulting Group, Inc., the Group was from the start a leader in applying computer technology to the practice of law. Using the most advanced computers and technology available, the Group computerized millions of documents in more than 500 cases such as MCI v. AT&T, Westmoreland v. CBS, and the Chem-Dyne environmental case.

In 1986, the Group used its legal knowledge and organizational and technical capabilities to begin a new segment of the business - claims administration for class action settlements and bankruptcy cases. The first case was the $45 million Chubb Drought Insurance Settlement. As the claims administration segment of the Group grew, it became a business of its own....
posted by donkeysuck at 7:01 PM on December 14, 2002

I received a settlement notice in the mail last week for a different class action suit. It's also from Rust Consulting, Inc. It looks pretty convincing.
posted by bragadocchio at 10:01 PM on December 14, 2002

Further proof that there is no justice in America.
posted by cinematique at 12:05 AM on December 15, 2002

I almost forgot... class action law suits are absolutely pointless. They rarely, if ever, end up truly hurting the defendant and substantially benefiting the plaintiff(s). You'd think people would realize that by now.

So everyone should stop initiating these silly cases? Yup. The energy would be better focused on demanding action from your local congress critter.
posted by cinematique at 12:10 AM on December 15, 2002

Unfortunately, class-action settlements like this often end up with the defendent receiving a profit anyway. When Blockbuster was charged with overcharging all their customers for late fees (a huge income stream for them), they made up for it by printing a free rental coupon on every receipt. And sure, it's great to get a free rental, but that hardly set them back as much as they profited. (And, as far as I know, they haven't changed their late fees as a result.)
posted by tweebiscuit at 11:46 AM on December 19, 2002