M’lady’s Records in Portland has gone a step farther than the Brooklyn bar that got so much press recently for having one night when ladies paid 77 cents to the dollar on each drink they purchased. M’lady’s will now charge women 77 cents to the dollar for any purchase they make for the unforeseen future.
Bretty Lyman of M’lady’s Records talked to NPR about the company’s decision, explaining the value he sees in record labels: “We’re just tired of record labels being these petit bourgeois institutions that don’t really have much impact on their communities.” And how will the new pay policy affect profits? “At the risk of sounding flippant … don’t care much,” he quipped.
He’s also not afraid of fraudulent online customers, saying that credit cards and online accounts often have some identification information, but “if anyone’s gonna go to the trouble of conjuring a fake identity and getting fake credit cards in their name just so they can order some punk records from li’l old us, fair play — that 23 percent has been EARNED.”
The company took to Facebook for their announcement, where they were met with enthusiastic fans as well as critics, both constructive and less helpful. (Their brash hashtag accompanying the statement, #dudebrosthatcomplainwillhavetopaydouble, might not have helped in calming those “dudebros” down.) Although many commenters cried “sexism!,” others made the valid point that for queer women and women of color, the records would need to be discounted a hell of a lot more.
They posted an FAQ on Saturday to clarify a few things:
“1. IS THIS SEXIST? No, it’s not.
2. WHY NOT? Because nothing in our actions, words or deeds is implying or suggesting that one sex is superior to another?”
Do you think that this could be part of a new trend of charging ladies less? Do you think it’s a good idea at all? Let us know!
Image via Sarah Davis
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