# Big Labels Get a Swift One in the 'Nads! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 9, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680 "2000-08-09T05:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![speakeasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@speakeasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/speakeasy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/1 "2000-08-09T05:53:34Z")
YES YES YES YES YES!!! :: whoops, spins victory dance around raging fire :: Well slap my ass and call me Sally! I just read these here articles saying that 28 states have sued the big labels for price fixing. [[http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,38103,00.html](http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,38103,00.html)] [[http://news.excite.com/news/r/000808/12/news-media-compactdiscs-dc](http://news.excite.com/news/r/000808/12/news-media-compactdiscs-dc)] The little guys have been chewing away at them for years, but now the big guns have come to town. I know the big labels got a lot of money and there ain’t no justice, but goddam I’m at least hoping for some laughs. This has been due for way too long. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/2 "2000-08-09T08:01:56Z")
I thought this said “Beer Labels” I was thinking the price of name brand beer was about to plummet. Fuck. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/3 "2000-08-09T14:47:26Z")
When are the repercussions going to trickle down to the retail level? I was in the Times Square Virgin megastore yesterday afternoon (yeah, sue me. it’s the closest halfway decent record shop to my office.), and the three CDS I was interested in\* were marked $17.99 or $18.99. This is like, WAY over the top. - DIZZY GILLESPIE AT NEWPORT SOUL SHOUTING; Shirley Scott with Stanley Turrentine THE BEST OF JERRY BUTLER ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/4 "2000-08-09T14:51:51Z")
Ha, try paying UK prices – £15.99 isn’t unusual (£1 = around $1.50). ---
**Author:** ![speakeasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@speakeasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/speakeasy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/5 "2000-08-09T15:24:15Z")
Gazing into my crystal ball, I’m seeing the record labels snivelling and whining at the top of their lungs about free enterprise. Meanwhile, they’ll fight a tobacco company style spin control action while they milk that last few hundred million out their cozy little arrangements. To avoid court, they’ll wheel and deal with the states. They might get away with just knocking a buck or two off the price of CDs. They’ll do whatever they have to do to stay out of court. Whatever gets hammered out will, as usual, bear little resemblence to true justice. But I believe there is another wave of smaller class action price fixing suits pending as well, and whatever happens this round will be used against them during the next round. This just might be the crack in the wall that brings the christless bastards down. Damn those industry exec flank steaks are going to taste good! ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/6 "2000-08-09T17:10:45Z")
It’s not just the states suing them, the Federal government is (Through the FTC) involved in a full anti-trust lawsuit with them as well. It’s about time that someone realized that CD’s are way over priced and are actually trying to do something about it. I usually never buy a cd until a long time after it comes out so it’s no longer $20 or so. I always wait until they’re around $10-$13, and even then it takes a year or so to get that cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Hodiggity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@Hodiggity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodiggity)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/7 "2000-08-09T21:37:20Z")
Yeah, and don’t forget about those evil retailers that encouraged the big labels to set the minimum price levels. It’s nice to know that my friendly neighborhood Sam Goody thinks that it’s unfair for other stores to charge less for a CD just because they leverage it against the increased revenues a consumer brings to the store. Jeez, why are these stores trying to be so creative? We should all pay 18 bucks for a CD and be happy that we can contribute to such a honorable industry. I mean, if we can’t trust the music industry, how would our capitalistic society function? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/8 "2000-08-09T22:03:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by speakeasy \* > \*\*YES YES YES YES YES!!! > > Well slap my ass and call me Sally! \\*\* Hey, Sally, c’mover here! :: slaps speakeasy’s ass :: And save that "YES YES YES " bit for when I REALLY get going! ---
**Author:** ![speakeasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@speakeasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/speakeasy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-labels-get-a-swift-one-in-the-nads/28680/9 "2000-08-10T03:42:48Z")
> [@](#): > > :: slaps speakeasy’s ass :: Cute. I’m gonna let that slide. Once.