Parental advisory

Encyclopedia : P : PA : PAR : Parental advisory

For the book of the same name, see .

For the hip-hop trio, see P.A..

The Parental Advisory sticker is found on some records. However, some releases with explicit lyrics may not be labeled, especially ones issued by small, independent labels.

Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to audio and video recordings in the United States containing offensive language. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985 after pressure from the Parents Music Resource Center. In 1990, the PMRC worked with the RIAA to standardize the label, creating the now-familiar black and white design. To some, it has become known as the "Tipper sticker" because of Tipper Gore's visible role in the PMRC.

Some politicians have tried to criminalize the sale of sexually explicit or lyrically violent records to minors, and others have gone so far as to try to ban such records. Certain record stores refuse to sell albums containing the label (most notably Wal-Mart), and others limit the sale of such albums to adults only. However, the power of the RIAA 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, a "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 its content—the album is entirely instrumental and contains no lyrics. The designation of instrumentals as taboo, however, is nothing new; in the 1960s, the "Rumble" instrumental by Link Wray was banned from some radio stations because it could supposedly incite juvenile violence.

Although many retailers use the sticker as a criterion for censorship, there are no real rules as to when the sticker has to appear on a CD. For example, many albums with one instance of profanity have a "parental advisory" sticker, although Green Day's album "Dookie" for example, with several sexually explicit references, does not.

Many albums now have additional content descriptors detailing its explicit content. One such album is Splinter by The Offspring which, in addition to the "parental advisory" label, bears a sticker stating that the album has eleven uses of obscene language. Also, many albums now state that an edited version is available.

There has been the observation that the stickers appear to have had the reverse effect to what was intended. Albums with this sticker displayed have considerably more desirability due to their content, and the sticker has been likened in some circles to the musical equivalent of an alcohol content label. An album such as Splinter (see above) has a definite allure to a technically underage audience, for the presence of mature content, in the same way that alcoholic beverages do.

The label is also seen in the United Kingdom and Australia on albums of American origin.

Parental advisory

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