Goverment investigation into online music price fixing

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2006-03-05 07:03pm

US probes online music market
By Rhys Blakely
The US Justice Department has launched an official inquiry into possible price fixing in the online music industry.

It is thought the probe will investigate allegations that music labels have colluded to fix the wholesale prices they charge online retailers such as Apple, which sells digital music through its iTunes website.
"The antitrust division is looking at the possibility of anti-competitive practices in the music download industry," a spokeswoman for the department said.

Last year, Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, accused the music industry of being "greedy" for wanting to raise digital download prices.

Mr Jobs suggested such a move would drive owners of Apple's iPod, the hugely popular digital music player, to piracy, a problem that has cost the music industry billions in revenues in recent years.

The latest action mirrors a probe launched in December by Eliot Spitzer, the New York Attorney General, who subpoenaed music company records to search for information on the prices they charge online vendors.

Slap on the wrist or a full on smackdown from the goverment? Music labels after all do fix prices of that there is no queston. Prehaps the goverment finaly woke up to the fact that the middleman is taking a 90% cut of the profits from the makers of the product might be a little lopsided.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2006-03-05 07:47pm

Soooooo. When will they be looking at this for, say, CD's? Oh yes, never.

Dominus Atheos · Post by **Dominus Atheos** » 2006-03-05 07:50pm

Already posted

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2006-03-05 10:41pm

Dominus Atheos wrote:Already posted

In honor of Atheos I'm closing this thread.