COMPANY TOWN ANNEX

PolyGram to Raise CD Prices: The music and entertainment group said it plans to aggressively increase prices for its compact discs where possible as part of an effort to sustain its profit margins. “We constantly try to put up our CD prices,” Chief Financial Officer Jan Cook said. Raising CD prices is difficult in some markets, such as the United States, but easier in others, he said. Last June, Britain’s Monopolies and Mergers Commission cleared record firms of collusion on CD prices there. “After the recent MMC decision, we sneakily, I must say, increased our prices together with EMI,” Cook said. EMI is owned by Thorn EMI. London-based PolyGram is the second-largest music company in the United States after Time-Warner Inc.