Parents Music Resource Center
Okay kiddo, so there was a group of parents in the 1980s who were worried about the music that their kids were listening to. They thought some of the songs had bad words or talked about things that were not appropriate for kids to hear. This group of parents was called the Parents Music Resource Center, or PMRC for short.
The PMRC talked to people in the music industry and asked them to put labels on albums that had bad words or talked about things that were not appropriate for kids. They also wanted music videos to have ratings like movies do. The PMRC thought that if parents knew what was in the music and videos, they could decide if it was okay for their kids to listen to or watch.
Some people didn't like the PMRC's idea and thought it was too strict. They thought it was up to parents to decide what their kids should listen to, not the government or a group of parents. But eventually, the music industry agreed to put warning labels on albums and to rate music videos.
So now, when you look at the back of a CD or online music streaming services, you might see a label that says "explicit lyrics" or "parental advisory." That's because of the Parents Music Resource Center and the work they did to help parents make informed decisions about what their kids listen to.
The PMRC talked to people in the music industry and asked them to put labels on albums that had bad words or talked about things that were not appropriate for kids. They also wanted music videos to have ratings like movies do. The PMRC thought that if parents knew what was in the music and videos, they could decide if it was okay for their kids to listen to or watch.
Some people didn't like the PMRC's idea and thought it was too strict. They thought it was up to parents to decide what their kids should listen to, not the government or a group of parents. But eventually, the music industry agreed to put warning labels on albums and to rate music videos.
So now, when you look at the back of a CD or online music streaming services, you might see a label that says "explicit lyrics" or "parental advisory." That's because of the Parents Music Resource Center and the work they did to help parents make informed decisions about what their kids listen to.