A
Message to Parents About Children and Music
The typical record retailer
knows that there is no such thing as a "typical" consumer.
Most record stores stock thousands of titles in an effort to
satisfy as many different kinds of musical tastes as they can -
including recordings with explicit lyrics.
Just as musical tastes vary, so do parenting styles, cultural
norms, community standards, and business practices when it comes to the
subject of explicit lyrics and children.
NARM has always sought
to be supportive of
1)
The artist's right to free expression,
2)
The parent's right to identify entertainment with explicit
content, and
3)
The retailer's right to handle explicit content according to how
each believes they can best meet the needs of their company and
communities.
The Parental Advisory
Program
For over 15 years NARM has
been working with the Recording Industry Association of America to
voluntarily provide parents with the information they need to identify
music with explicit lyrics. The
process starts with individual record labels that, in the course of
releasing music, determine whether or not a specific title should
appropriately carry a label that reads "Parental Advisory -
Explicit Content". The
standardized logo alerts parents to the possibility of strong language
or lyrics about drugs, sex, or violence in that recording and will be
placed on every cassette and CD as well as in the advertising for the
music. Details about the
Parental Advisory program (as well as about other entertainment industry
ratings programs) can be found online at www.parentalguide.org
a web site maintained by RIAA, the Motion Picture Association of
America, and the Interactive Digital Software Association.
Retailers and
Explicit Content
There are thousands of
retailers in the United States and they handle titles that carry the
Parental Advisory notification in a variety of ways.
Some retailers choose not to carry stickered product, or stock
only an edited version of a title. Some retail locations stock the
product, but restrict sales of records carrying the Parental Advisory to
children (applicable ages may vary from anyone below the age of 12 up to
age 18.) Others will sell
product upon proof of permission from a parent.
Some retailers choose not interfere with parenting decisions and
sell entertainment products without regard to age.
Many retailers will accept returns of products from parents who
have concluded a title is inappropriate for their children.
The variety of approaches to explicit lyrics by retailers means
that parents can and should choose to shop with companies, which best
meet, their family's needs. Regardless
of the approach, virtually all retailers are familiar with the Parental
Advisory program, and are happy to help parents learn more about it.
Parents and Explicit
Content
There is an increasing
call on the part of the U.S. government to "assist" parents by
restricting access to music that carries the Parental Advisory to anyone
under the age of 18. The
Parental Advisory is deliberately not an age-based program, nor is it an
indication that a particular record is "harmful" to children.
Different children mature at different ages.
Different families have different concerns: some are most
concerned with offensive language, others with sexual content, or
violence. What children
have in common is the need to test limits - whether imposed by parents
or retailers. Retailers
with restrictive sales policies readily acknowledge that a determined
child will find a way around their policy, often by finding an older
sibling or friend to purchase music for them.
Sales policies are no substitute for parenting and no single
sales policy can meet the needs of all parents.
Over the years we have learned
that parents approach explicit lyrics in a variety of ways.
Some families prohibit some music from being played on the family
stereo system, or restrict play around younger siblings.
Some discuss lyrics with their children and use the purchase of a
specific title as an opportunity to better understand a child’s
attraction to a certain kind of music. Others relegate a forbidden title
to the trash.
We believe the
overwhelming majority of parents have a realistic perspective regarding
the influence of pop culture on their children.
We believe they understand that ultimately it’s parents who are
best positioned to determine what their children should listen to.
We welcome your feedback
and suggestions.
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