Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me

Well, uh, my opinion is that it's probably the worst thing that has happened
To songwriters, to performers and to retailers since uh, since the Constitution
Because what happened here is, and, I really feel sorry for Stan Gortikov
Because he's in a difficult position
He said what he said and did what he did because record industry label
Heads said, "Stan, do this." Okay? I believe that, I don't think this was Stan's idea
But, what has been done is a bad thing

The record industry has a bill called "H. R. 2911"
I don't know what the number is for the one that goes in the other part of
Congress but the House Resolution is called "2911"
And what it's supposed to do is put a surcharge on blank tape to
Compensate record companies for the income lost when record buyers
Tape the record or somebody tapes a television show
And that money goes into the pocket of the record company
Not into the artist's pocket, not into the per— songwriter's pocket
Not into the retailer's pocket, this is money for the record company

In order to ensure that their bill would not die in the Thurmond committee
Which is where it has to go through, they caved in to the first of the PMRC's
Demands, and gave them this stickering business
But the rights that they gave away at that point did not belong to them
They gave away the rights of the performer, the songwriter and the retailer
In order to put money in their pocket
Now there's something legally wrong with that, I think

And the other thing that's hideous about what's going on is there's such a
Conflict of interest because the wives of these senators have used
Governmental facilities and governmental privileges in order to put their
Pet project forward
And the fact-finding committee that is convening on the 19th to discuss
All this stuff has husbands of members of the PMRC on it
And I think that in fairness these husbands
Senator Packwood and Senator Gore should both excuse themselves
From the committee, they shouldn't be sitting in judgement on their wives' business

And I don't think that anybody has ever provided the public with a complete list
Of who in the Congress is married to PMRC people
I have their letterhead, I have their fund-raising letter, which is really a nasty
Piece of business, and there's only four names on the letterhead
But Mrs. Packwood isn't on the letterhead, so you wouldn't know unless you'd
Read that in the Los Angeles Times
And you wouldn't know that Mrs. Thurmond was on there unless
Stan Gortikov had told you, okay?
But there are probably other ones in Congress who are married to PMRC creatures
And they should not be sitting on any kind of a committee that deals with
Record company business or deals with this issue, it's not fair