Move over Intel. Move over Microsoft, there’s a new monomaniac in town!
On September 22 a nationwide class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in California by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, who claims that Guitar Center and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) have been conspiring to fix the price of fretted instruments. The plaintiff argues that “NAMM organized meetings and programs where competing retailers including Guitar Center, were encouraged to discuss and agree upon strategies for price fixing along with other anti-competitive agreements with manufacturers.” They also claim the defendants tried to boycott manufacturers who sold their goods through online competitors. Steve Berman, lead attorney and managing partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, says, “We contend that, even with its market domination, the company acted illegally to rig the marketplace to its benefit.”
As rigorous purveyors of underground culture, the staff at Tiny Mix Tapes had to spend several days finding out what Guitar Center actually was. After completing a field trip to our local store, we recommend to all readers that if you do have to visit one of these capitalist abominations then please make sure you go in a group, hold hands, and avoid as much interaction with the staff as possible.