Virgin Talks Back

Patrick Goldstein’s year-end “Record Company Scorecard,” in the Dec. 30 Pop Eye column, contained a lot of embarrassingly inaccurate information about Virgin Records.

The article implies that Earthworks is new and says that it is a Virgin soundtrack label; if he’d been paying attention, Goldstein would know that Earthworks is a widely acclaimed ethnic music label launched in January of 1988.

The whole point of our new Night Records label is to make available previously unreleased live recordings--not reissues, as Goldstein states.

As for Lenny Kravitz, his “slow selling” debut album not only established him internationally as one of rock’s most talented and talked-about newcomers but it has sold over 350,000 copies--a healthy career start for an artist whose music reflects much more than sheer commerciality.

Most annoying of all was Goldstein’s proclamation that Iggy Pop’s “comeback fizzled,” when Iggy is in fact enjoying the biggest hit record of his entire career--the single “Candy”--which is rapidly ascending the pop charts (bulleted at 46 in Billboard). A responsible journalist checks his facts--Goldstein obviously did not.

SUE SAWYER

Vice President, Publicity

Virgin Records

Beverly Hills