The RIAA in 1979

On the back of a 1979 LP record that lived in my parents’ basement for the past 20-odd years is the following statement:

This record has been engineered and manufactured in accordance with standards developed by the recording industry association of america, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of recorded music and literature.

Contrast that statement with the current RIAA description (quoted from their site):

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members’ creative and financial vitality.

The transformation couldn’t be more obvious.  In 1979, their stated mission was to work towards the improving the music scene.  Sometime between then and now, the mission, plainly stated on the RIAA site, switched to looking after their own best interests.