Cash Settlement?
As you may have read in the news media recently, top U.S. music retailers have settled a class action lawsuit for $143 million and agreed to provide all citizens who bought a CD, cassette, or vinyl record between 1995 and 2000 a refund for overcharging them. The cutoff for applying is March 3, 2003, and thus far there are eight times more funds in reserve than applicants. Depending on the number of applications, each person is estimated to receive a refund of $5-20.
The details are posted at www.musiccdsettlement.com/english/default.htm. No proof of purchase is required. You may have to temporarily override the security setting in your browser to accept a cookie that identifies you specifically [to keep people from submitting multiple claims]. It's also hard to get onto the site, so try accessing it after hours.
The Attorneys General from 43 states sued the industry in May of 2000 for forcing retailers to sell music at a minimum advertised price, alleging price fixing to gouge consumers. The purpose of the settlement is to punish the mega-distributors for abusing their position of power over music buyers, and to partially redress the loss consumers suffered. Signing up for a refund sends a clear message that such corporate misdeeds have potentially serious consequences and a real financial cost to those who misbehave.