Portland independent feminist record label M'lady's Records have released many great and unusual albums from bands both local and otherwise; their roster of both original releases and reissues includes Mecca Normal, Vexx, Julianna Barwick, Magic Johnson, and lots and lots more. Recently, they've reissued a bunch of killer Dead Moon classics on CD.

But in an email from label head Brett Lyman, the label is now doing something incredible and—I think—unprecedented: tackling the US gender wage gap from the other end, in a way that's both generous and absurd. (Absurd, simply because it has to be done in the first place.) This is pretty fantastic. Here's the missive:

Subject: TONIGHT 9PM PST - MAILORDER FOR AMERICAN WOMEN - WAGE DISPARITY PRICE CORRECTION

dear friends and luv'd ones living in America (sorry global friends, you can sit this one out):

Hi. If you've been reading this list for some time, you'll know that, here at M'lady's HQ, there's a tendency towards agitation and silt-kicking.
That's still in full effect, and after a long lengthy discussion with some close friends about the wage disparity in this country, we've decided to reflect that in our prices for mailorder from here on out.

SO.

Mailorder for women living in America will now be 77% of the listed price, the current wage gap according to the Bureau of Labor Dept of Statistics (this statistic is for full-time workers nationwide.) The only exceptions to this will be FWOAH subscriptions and any custom runs of turntables or 7" storage boxes that RM Woodworking have fabricated just for us. The way this will work:

1. you order things from us
2. we refund you 23% of the pre-shipping price
3. everyone goes home happy
4. dudebros that grouse about this will have to pay double

That 77% has been hotly contested in the press, and we're not citing it as a figure etched in stone, but it seems like a good place to start. Real progress would be this pricing scheme applied to the grocery store or the utility companies, but since we don't run any of those, we'll just stay here in our insane asylum and keep this going until either that number goes up significantly (like, say, to 100%) or we go down in flames (much more likely.)

The Equal Pay act was passed in 1963. It's now 2015.

And before anyone writes in with a critique or complaint about all of this... actually, no it's cool, bring it on.

In other news, the shop is fully stocked with gems right now. Let's get it.
www.mladysrecords.com
www.mladysrecords.com/friendsandneighbors
www.mladysrecords.com/letigreworld

yours, in perpetuity,
Brett Lyman, M'lady's Records HQ, Portland, Ore. U.S.A.

The policy will go into effect at midnight tonight, and will continue "until we can't anymore (read: not any time soon)," according to the label's Facebook page. So go over to M'Lady's Records' web store and get shopping, unless you're a grousing douchebro. Actually, even if you are. Give them double your money.