us with an interesting article from USA Today on the rights of recording artists and their conflicts with the business practices of the major labels. This quote may be of interest to Punknews.Org readers, credited to Tom Waits: "The record companies are like cartels, like countries, for God's sake… It's a nightmare to be trapped in one. I'm on a good label (Epitaph) now that's not part of the plantation system. But all the old records I did for Island have been swallowed up and spit out in whatever form they choose. These corporations don't have feelings, and they don't see themselves as the stewards of the work. They are making shoes, and then they want to go to the Bahamas and get a suntan." From Wayne Kramer of the MC5 and MuscleTone Records "I have a new respect for how hard it is to run a label, and I know record companies lose money on most bands… But artists know the score. Since the business started, record companies have been getting away with murder. Almost none of the musicians I know have health insurance. Every record executive I know has health insurance, a nice house in the hills and a golden parachute."