Record chiefs stay silent in rap-lyrics debate

‘There’s a problem’
Some in the music industry, such as Russell Simmons, one of hip-hop culture’s chief architects, have defended rappers’ free-speech rights. Simmons, who got rich by co-founding and then selling the seminal Def Jam label, recently called for the three words at the center of the debate to be treated the same as extreme profanities and consistently blanked out of “clean” and radio versions of songs.

The closest the industry has come to a public discussion is when Warner Music Group vice president Kevin Lilies appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show and acknowledged “there’s a problem.”

At Universal, a division of the publicly traded French company Vivendi, chairman Doug Morris and president Zach Horowitz have declined repeated requests from The Associated Press to discuss the issue. Universal, in a partnership with Interscope Records, is home to hardcore rap superstars such as 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.

Warner chairman and chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr. led a group of investors who bought Warner Music Group from Time Warner Inc. for more than $2 billion. Warner, which went public in 2005, recently announced second-quarter losses and planned job cuts. Bronfman and Lyor Cohen, Warner’s chairman and chief executive of U.S. music, also have declined repeated queries. The label is home to T.I., a former drug dealer who according to Billboard figures released the top-selling rap album of 2006.

At Sony, chairman Andrew Lack and chief executive Rolph Schmidt-Holtz have turned down all requests for interviews. Sony BMG is a joint venture of Sony Corporation of America (part of the Sony Corp. in Japan) and Bertelsmann AG (a German company whose stock is held by a foundation and the Mohn family).

Eric Nicoli, head of the publicly traded EMI Group, also has declined to talk about the matter. The troubled company also recently announced restructuring and job elimination.

Executives try to keep the peace
The ailing Big Four have released short statements saying they value their artists’ right to express themselves, “even if that means some of their music will not appeal to all listeners,” Universal said. They noted that they use warning stickers and work with broadcasters to edit controversial words, “including those that are the focus of the current public debate,” Warner said.

The companies say they discuss the issue with artists, broadcasters, community leaders and public officials. Warner’s statement went further, saying the company took “issues regarding the role of women and minorities in society very seriously.”

Warner and EMI said they welcomed dialogue. “Where controversy occurs,” EMI’s statement read, “we will be open to debate on the issues.”

But some say the executives’ refusal to engage in that debate publicly is tinged with race. The very top executives in the music industry are white men, observed Lisa Fager, who co-founded IndustryEars, a think tank focused on the media’s impact on minorities and children.

“Nobody wants to put the white man’s face on things,” said Fager, who is black and once worked in the music industry on artist development. “They don’t want to see the real person behind it.”

Gorder, of the Berklee College of Music, believes their reluctance is rooted in the bottom line: The major companies fear that if they don’t distribute the music with sexist and violent music, independents will.

“They’re scared to death that the market for this is going to be hurt,” Gorder said. “The outcry could have an effect on sales. If it raises consciousness among people who have historically bought this music and thought it was OK, well, that’s lost sales. Executives’ bonuses are tied to sales and they don’t want to destroy this market.”

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