"'Home Taping Is Killing Music' was the 1980s slogan of a copyright infringement campaign by the British Phonographic Industry. With the rise in cassette recorder popularity, the B.P.I. feared that the ability of private citizens to record music from the radio onto cassettes would cause a decline in record sales. The logo consisted of a Jolly Roger formed from the silhouette of a cassette.
An early proponent of home taping was Malcolm McLaren, who, post Sex Pistols, was managing the new wave band Bow Wow Wow. In 1980, they released a cassette single featuring a blank b-side so the buyer could record their own music. The band's label, EMI, dropped the group shortly afterwards. One version of the Dead Kennedys E.P. 'In God We Trust Inc.' had a blank side, printed with the message 'Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help.'
The slogan was often parodied, one example being the addendum 'and it's about time too!', used by Dutch anarcho band The Ex. Some fanzines changed the words to 'Home taping is killing the music industry, so be sure to do your part!' Just the cassette & crossbones image were displayed briefly in the 'Time Out For Fun" video by Devo, and Venom's 1982 album 'Black Metal' used the logo with the words 'Home Taping Is Killing Music; So Are Venom.'
