Parental Advisory: Encyclopedia - Parental Advisory

Parental Advisory

Parental Advisory is a warning message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to musical albums records and singles containing what the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) sees as explicit content in the United States. The label was introduced in 1985 by the RIAA after pressure from the National Parent-Teacher Association and Parents Music Resource Center. Many record stores refuse to sell albums containing the label (most notably Wal-Mart), and others limit the sale of such albums to minors. To some, it has become known as the "Tipper sticker" because of Tipper Gore's involvement in the PMRC.

Some politicians have tried to criminalize the sale of explicit records to minors, and others have gone so far as to try to ban such records. However, the power of the PMRC has greatly declined in recent years, especially with the growing popularity of rap and heavy metal (popular targets of the PMRC). Still, the RIAA encourages the labeling of any album containing explicit lyrics.

There have been some cases of unusual use of the label. After Frank Zappa campaigned against music censorship in 1985, the Parental Advisory sticker was attached to his next album Jazz from Hell. The label was attached due to the title of one track, "G-Spot Tornado", and not due to content: the album is entirely instrumental and contains no lyrics.

Category: Censorship

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Parental Advisory", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki