Recording Industry Association President/CEO Hilary Rosen told members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee this week that she has listened to the “blame game” on the subject of entertainment ratings for 15 years. In a hearing on the entertainment ratings, she said the subject has been scrutinized by the public and government “for over 70 years when Duke Ellington’s song “The Mooche” was subject to protest because of fears it would inspire rape.”
Parental Advisory Labels have appeared on music products for more than 15 years, Rosen said, ever since the RIAA reached agreement with the Parents Music Resource Center and the National Parent Teacher Association. The premise of this system is to balance an artist’s right of self-expression with parents’ and consumers’ legitimate need for information to make decisions based on their own values.
A new Kaiser Family Foundation study released yesterday said 90% of those who used it found it useful, she said.
Explicit music lyrics, said Rosen, “comprise a relatively small portion of our industry’s output. In an average retail store, only 500 of 110,000 titles — less than one-half of one percent — carry the Parental Advisory Label.”
RIAA Tells Congress Music Labels Work
RIAA Tells Congress Music Labels Work
