Four Record Labels Join in Campaign Against Drug Use

The record industry’s campaign to combat the escalation of drug abuse in the pop world took a significant step forward Friday with the announcement that the heads of four record companies--including Capitol and MCA--have pledged their cooperation.

“This is a major breakthrough,” said Michael Greene, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, announcing details of an aggressive program to encourage and provide counseling and treatment for addicts at all levels of the industry--from artists to stock room workers.

“We were really looking for a West Coast presence at this time,” Greene added. “Over the summer, we’ll be having East Coast meetings as well. . . . We’re letting everyone know that by talking it through, we can work toward solutions.”

The new program--which includes a hotline number, a system for intervention and treatment referrals, and opportunities for financial assistance--was outlined to more than 350 members of the industry in a closed-door meeting Thursday night at the academy’s Santa Monica headquarters.

On Friday, Greene--who, with drug interventionist Bob Timmins and Aerosmith manager Tim Collins, has been at the forefront of the campaign--applauded the decision of Capitol President Gary Gersh, MCA President Jay Boberg, Virgin Records President Phil Quartararo and Revolution Records Chairman Irving Azoff to be the first label heads to join the program. The four will serve on a committee to oversee the direction of the program.

The involvement of the executives is important because there have been reports in recent weeks of industry infighting that could have threatened anti-drug efforts.

While praising the academy’s goal of trying to help troubled musicians, several industry leaders said privately that they were reluctant to get involved at this early stage out of concern over the direction of the program--specifically the matter of possible random drug testing--and if it was really anything more than a “grandstanding” publicity ploy.

On Friday, Greene and Timmins ruled out the mandatory testing as “unrealistic and impractical.”

Thursday’s session was called to formalize recommendations that have been developed since an emergency meeting of industry officials last December, following the cocaine overdose death of Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon.

The gathering was given a further sense of urgency after several incidents this spring: In April, the Stone Temple Pilots called off its summer tour to allow the band’s singer, Scott Weiland, to get help for ongoing drug problems; over the Memorial Day weekend, singer Bradley Nowell of the band Sublime died from an overdose and Depeche Mode singer David Gahan was arrested after being treated for an overdose.

The meeting organizers, though, acknowledged that many other key record company leaders have not joined the effort--including such blockbuster companies as Warner Bros., Geffen and Sony.

Though none of the representatives of those and other firms that haven’t joined the new campaign would speak on the record, some cited the same concerns as before and the desire to keep their efforts in-house.

With the academy’s program coming into place, though, participants feel that the pressure will be on other industry leaders to either join or to demonstrate publicly that they are taking concrete steps in their own companies.

“Gradually those people will come on board as a result of what we’re doing,” says Buddy Arnold, director of the Musicians Assistance Program, an industry addiction services organization that has aligned itself with the academy effort. “All we can do is take our action, and as we get results they can’t possibly stay away for whatever reasons they think they have.”

Greene also announced Friday the formation of five other panels, each designed to establish support and resources for their colleagues.

Times staff writer Jerry Crowe contributed to this story.