MoFi Closer to Settlement in Audiophile Lawsuit

Last year, the audiophile community faced something of a scandal when it was revealed that Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab — better known as MoFi — hadn’t been using analog masters for some of its reissue projects. For some vinyl enthusiasts, this might not be the gravest of sins, but for someone looking to spend, say, $100 on a deluxe LP of, say, Bruce Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., things like this could make a big difference.

In the wake of that revelation, MoFi faced a lawsuit, which seems a little more clear-cut: if you’re going to advertise something as made using analog master recordings and you in fact used digital master recordings, that’s going to lead to trouble down the line. (And possibly legal action.)

Now, as reported by Pitchfork, MoFi appears to have received approval for a settlement in that lawsuit. As originally reported by Billboard, the settlement would involve payments that could total $25 million, and would offer customers who purchased the affected LPs a choice between returning them or keeping them with a partial refund. Final approval for the settlement has yet to be issued, however.

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As Pitchfork reports, one part of the proposed settlement has frustrated would-be participants: MoFi would not be required to admit any wrongdoing. Whether that aspect of the settlement continues to the final approval stage remains to be seen.