Parents' Music Resource Center
The Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC) is an organization founded in 1985 by four women associated with prominent political figures in Washington, D.C. The PMRC was created in response to concerns over explicit lyrics in popular music, particularly those that may negatively influence children and adolescents. The organization seeks to address content that promotes violence, substance abuse, and various forms of inappropriate themes such as Satanism, misogyny, and racism.
To advocate for their cause, representatives of the PMRC appeared before the U.S. Senate, arguing for the implementation of warning labels on albums containing graphic content. This led to an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to introduce the "Parental Advisory" label, allowing parents to make informed decisions about their children's music choices. Over the years, the PMRC has continued to push for more comprehensive labeling systems and has acted as a resource for information regarding the impact of explicit lyrics on youth. The PMRC's efforts highlight ongoing debates surrounding artistic expression, parental responsibility, and the influence of media on young audiences.
Parents' Music Resource Center
Founded: 1985
Type of organization: Nonprofit American child welfare and consumer rights watchdog group
Significance: The PMRC has prompted Senate hearings on the lyrics of popular music and has lobbied the Recording Industry Association of America
The PMRC was established in 1985 by Susan Baker, Tipper Gore, Pam Howar, and Sally Nevius. The founders, all married to prominent political and government leaders in Washington, D.C., were dubbed the Washington wives by the press. The four formed the PMRC to respond to the perceived rise in explicit lyrics in popular music. The PMRC objects to lyrics, videos, and concerts that are targeted at children and adolescents and that glamorize violence and substance abuse. In addition, the PMRC also censures lyrics and attendant performances that contain inappropriate references to Satanism, suicide, rape, misogyny, sadomasochism, racism, and sexism.
Representatives of the PMRC appeared on September 19, 1985, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for a hearing on record labeling. Baker and Gore, the vice president and second vice president of the PMRC, testified that violent and obscene rock lyrics were unsuitable for minors. They argued that warning labels on music products would enable parents to monitor more effectively their children’s musical choices. Their testimony led some senators, such as Democrat James Exon of Nebraska, to threaten restrictive legislation if the record industry did not remedy the problem. Shortly afterward, on November 1, 1985, the PMRC reached an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA promised that all music products containing graphic lyrics would be labeled with black-and-white stickers reading “Explicit Lyrics—Parental Advisory.” In return, the PMRC agreed to desist from public attacks on the record industry for one year.
In 1995 the PMRC, headed by Barbara Wyatt, called for the RIAA to use a more comprehensive labeling system that would specifically identify why the labeled product was unsuitable for children. The PMRC argued for a multilevel label system, modeled on film ratings, that would identify the degree of graphic content found on music products. The PMRC also felt that there had been many recent releases that should have had stickers, and they urged the RIAA to more rigorously apply warning labels.
Along with monitoring the effectiveness of record labeling, the PMRC also serves as a clearinghouse for information on the deleterious effects that graphic lyrics and inappropriate subject matter in popular music have on children and adolescents.