Oklahoma getting $602,000 from CD lawsuit

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma consumers are getting $602,000 in restitution because of the settlement of a lawsuit that alleged a conspiracy to inflate CD prices. <br><br>The state also will get CDs valued

Monday, September 30th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma consumers are getting $602,000 in restitution because of the settlement of a lawsuit that alleged a conspiracy to inflate CD prices.

The state also will get CDs valued at $67,000, which will be distributed to public libraries, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said Monday.

Oklahoma, 39 other states and three territories filed the lawsuit two years ago in New York federal court, accusing the music company distributors and retailers of entering into illegal conspiracies to increase the prices of prerecorded music.

The settlement is valued nationally at more than $142 million, counting $67.4 million in cash and $75.5 million in CDs.

Edmondson said Oklahomans will be notified at a later date about the procedure for applying for restitution.

Named in the lawsuit were distributors Bertelsmann Music Group, Inc., EMI Music Distribution, Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp., Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., Universal Music Group and retailers Transworld Entertainment Corp., Tower Records and Musicland Stores Corp.

``These companies forced consumers across the country to pay inflated prices for CDs,'' Edmondson said. ``They got caught. Now they are facing the music.''