Chintzy CD Packaging

Agustin Gurza is to be commended for his criticism of the cheap designs that befall many Latin music CDs (“Good CD, Shame About the Cover,” April 7).

Should we really be surprised at the labels’ attitude? No matter what the circumstances are, the Latin divisions of the big record labels are always claiming poverty. The only artists they will spend lots of money on are the cheesy pop groups promoted by Mexico’s imperious TV network Televisa. This is why London-based independent label Sonic 360 recently opted to go with the “general market” division of a big label (versus the Latin one) to distribute the debut CD of its Monterrey, Mexico-based group Kinky in the U.S.

MANNY GONZALEZ

Los Angeles