[Archive 2005-12-27] Record companies subpoenaed over digital music pricing

Historical archive — originally published 2005-12-27. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

On Friday Warner Music Group announced that it had been subpoenaed by the office of New York Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer to provide information about digital music download pricing. It has been reported that Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Vivendi Universal have also received subpoenas.

The subpoenas are thought to be connected to an antitrust investigation being carried out by New York Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer. The investigation is believed to be looking at whether Warner, Sony BMG, EMG and Universal have colluded to set wholesale song download pricing.

It is also thought that the investigation may be due to the music industry wishing to renegotiate pricing with Apple over its iTunes online store. The record companies have indicated that they wish to begin variable pricing on music downloads. Apple currently sells songs for $US0.99 each.

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