POP/ROCK - July 5, 1990

A Capitol Assist in Label Wars: Capitol Records has promised to provide legal help to retailers threatened with arrest for selling recordings that bear labels warning consumers of sexually explicit lyrics. “The music industry has proven its willingness to address the issue of explicit material through our use of voluntary, uniform stickers,” Capitol President Hale Milgrim said in a statement. “However, it is becoming evident that other forces see stickering as an excuse to censor artists. This is intolerable and a violation of the First Amendment.” Milgrim said that some retailers are afraid to order recordings with the stickers. Capitol will start issuing a label of a different kind: “Retailers: Capitol Records vehemently opposes censorship of artistic expression and will assist in the defense of any attempt to stop the legitimate sale of this LP-CD-cassette.”