Anyhoo, at least they weren't a government agency requiring you to buy the music. Although according to the Supreme Court, if the federal government did so now, it would probably be considered a tax.
I remember the label well too. The 1980s were my heyday.
Some of my favorite music from the 80s era include Wall of Voodoo (Stan Ridgeway’s Wall of Voodoo), The English Beat, Squeeze, R.E.M., etc.
I was in the Navy for much of the 1980s, but I remember how jazzed I felt whenever I could find and buy an occasional I.R.S. cassette or CD for sale in my ship’s tiny store when I was deployed on WestPac cruises.
A friend on mine onboard from New Jersey always thought how cool the “secret agent” I.R.S. logo was.