BMG Expands on Parental Advisory Program

Posted on June 28, 2002

BMG will expand upon the Recording Industry Association of America's Parental Advisory Program with its own initiative aimed at providing more information to parents and consumers, it was announced by Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, the company's Chairman and CEO. In addition, the company announced a corporate policy that will enforce labeling compliance and consistency company-wide, as well as the extension of the new advisories to advertising. BMG's Arista Records, BMG U.S. Latin, RCA Records and J Records will start to use the new label on upcoming summer releases.

In 1985, the RIAA reached an agreement with the National Parent Teacher Association and the Parents Music Resource Center. That agreement specified that music releases which contain explicit lyrics, including explicit depictions of violence and sex, be identified so parents can make intelligent listening choices for their children. Since then, the RIAA has been providing record companies with the labeling tool that alerts parents to explicit lyrics and helps them make the right decisions about the music their children listen to. The RIAA created and now administers the Parental Advisory program. Individual record companies, working with their artists, decide which of their releases should be labeled.

"BMG recognizes our dual responsibility to help parents make informed decisions about the entertainment their children consume and to protect the right of our artists to express themselves freely," said Schmidt-Holtz. "Our labeling initiative will offer parents additional tools to help them decide what is appropriate for them and their families, keeping in mind the rich diversity in our communities."

According to the new BMG policy, any BMG record release in the United States that warrants a Parental Advisory Label (PAL) will receive an additional label(s) describing the nature of the explicit content according to three classifications: Strong Language, Violent Content and Sexual Content. Depending on its content, a release may fall into more than one classification and therefore receive multiple labels, which will be placed on the bottom right corner of the album itself directly under the PAL.

"We are pleased with what we view as a balanced approach to giving consumers and parents more information without placing an unnecessary burden on retailers," said Pete Jones, President and CEO, BMG Distribution and Associated Labels. "In the coming months we plan to work closely with our retail accounts to help ensure a smooth transition to our new labeling practices."

While all labeling decisions will continue to reside with the record labels, BMG has appointed LaVerne Evans, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Legal and Business Affairs, to oversee compliance and ensure consistency company-wide. The BMG policy will be in accordance with and expand upon the RIAA's Parental Advisory Program guidelines which establish basic principles on which labeling decisions are based.