As the story goes, after buying her daughter a Prince album in 1985, Tipper
Gore was shocked by the lyrics of some of the songs. She banded together with
the wives of other Senators and formed the PMRC (Parents
Music Resource Center).
After a long campaign, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) reached
an agreement with the PMRC and the National Parent Teacher Association, stating
that music containing “explicit lyrics, including explicit descriptions of
violence and sex, be identified so parents can make intelligent listening
choices for their children.” Since that time, the RIAA has provided recording
studios with the tools to label releases that contain “explicit content.”
And as far as rating systems go, that’s basically it when it comes to music.
Albums with explicit content can be labeled with a “Parental Advisory” sticker.
Some stores will not sell albums that carry this label while others limit their
sale to minors. However, the choice of whether or not the album will receive
the parental advisory sticker is up to the recording studio and the artist. And
it’s a completely voluntary process. For the most part, the music industry
utilizes the parental advisory sticker—in fact; nearly all of the recent
controversial songs have come from albums carrying the label. Still, don’t rely
solely on this label when making listening decisions.