PolyGram Apologizes for Racial Comments

PolyGram, the world’s largest record company, publicly apologized Wednesday for an “appalling” racial remark made last month by one of its top officials and appointed an African American executive to the Dutch-owned conglomerate’s international management board.

The apology follows a meeting Tuesday between civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and a group of senior PolyGram officials, including Chairman Alain Levy. Jackson said Wednesday that he was pleased with the corporation’s response to his concerns about a statement made last month by Eric Kronfeld, president and chief operating officer of PolyGram’s domestic music division.

PolyGram dismissed Kronfeld as a member of its international management board Oct. 22, five days after he suggested during a deposition in a civil proceeding that if record companies were prevented from hiring people with criminal records, no African Americans would be working in the music industry.

His position on the board was given Wednesday to Clarence Avant, a black executive at PolyGram’s Motown Records division.

“Eric Kronfeld made a statement with which we strongly disagree,” Levy said in a statement Wednesday. “He apologized for that statement and, as he explained at the time, that statement does not reflect his views. We believe that to be the case.

“However, it cannot erase the statement, which, on the face of it, is appalling and certainly does not reflect PolyGram’s views, my personal views or, to my knowledge, any other executive’s views at PolyGram,” Levy continued. “We apologize for any offense this remark caused. PolyGram is totally committed to a culturally diverse staff, repertoire and roster of talent and will continue to take whatever action is necessary to protect these principles.”

Although Kronfeld was demoted for making the statement, he will not be fired from his post as chief operating officer of PolyGram Holding, where he will continue to oversee legal affairs and human relations for the corporation’s U.S. labels.

In an Oct. 17 court deposition, Kronfeld said, “If every African American male in the United States was disqualified from pursuing a livelihood in any way, shape or form because of a prior criminal record, then there would be no, or virtually no, African American employees in our society or in our industry.”