[X] My Assistant

[Spokesman]

Please keep in mind that what we say here are opinions. Do not get in a giant argument over what someone says.

You know how a few years ago, they started putting these little stickers in the corners of some CDs that say "Parental Advisory?" Yeah, those things. They're a pain in the ass. Another thing people don't see about them is that they're unconstitutional. They limit our first amendment rights, which allow us the freedom of speech. How are we allowed to speak freely when the government makes you put a sticker on something just because you say the word "damn?" Also, our parents choose this stuff for us, not the government. Plus, I have an American Idiot CD that came out before the stickers were used. Now it has one on it. What're the government people gonna do, confiscate it cause I'm a minor? They'd need a warrant, which they wouldn't get because that is completely unreasonable.

Speak your voice on the matter.

[ShrapnelStars]

I think it's potentially helpful if a listener is new to an artist's work and wants to know the type of content they're in for when they listen. I say "potentially" because while the idea, as I had always interpreted it, has merit, it is poorly executed.

Abuse of the sticker, which runs rampant on iTunes, is absolutely annoying. ITunes marks things mature when they absolutely are not, like the song "That's Entertainment" by Sayvinyl. The song is about a new musician having to change everything about himself in order to sell better. There isn't even a curse word in the song. \:|

The way I see it, you still have freedom of speech, but the music is just divided up into a poorly regulated rating system. The sticker is meaningless because you can't trust it. Misfiling happens on a regular basis.

Sometimes, the sticker actually makes the artist money. Some people will buy any and all music with the sticker on it just to appear cool and edgy, which can end up being unfair to decent artists without said sticker. This pretty much reached its logical conclusion with the creation of the "Parental Advisory" T-shirt.

With the rise of websites like Pandora, Purevolume, SoundCloud, etc. to check out artists and lyrics, the sticker is becoming irrelevant because one can simply sample the track/read the page to find out everything they want to know about a song or artist.

If the sticker is going to exist, it needs to be a bit more elaborate, like the game and movie rating systems, stating age range recommended and types of content used.

The other reason the sticker can be pointless is because music, like other forms of art, is really subjective when it comes to how offensive it is. "****, I had a bad day!" may not bother someone, while "I'll **** you all over this house!" might, and vice versa. I think a person's own personal rating system for themselves is a better idea.

About the government intervention, just remember this: the government is trying to keep the hardcore whiners quiet by implementing stuff like this. It just ends up recoiling on everyone else in its wake, just like all of the other rating systems.

This post has been edited by Blak99Psy: Apr 12 2011, 07:40 PM

[BarkingChaos]

The government doesn't force artists to put the sticker on their albums, its the record company that does it. What each record company deems as inappropriate can vary. Different releases of the same album also vary if they have the sticker. If the rights were bought by another company, they might choose to put the sticker on an album that originally didn't. Sometimes, the sticker is put on albums that have absolutely no explicit content, other times they are absent from albums that do actually warrant it.

No, the government isnt gonna come to your house and take your CD, nor would they do that with movies and video games. The age to buy it is there so overprotective parents dont complain that their angel of a kid is ruining their brain with such content. If your parents are ok with you listening to something, then great, no harm done. Its not illegal to own it, its just illegal for a company to sell it to people under a certain age.

I dont understand where you got the idea that the government would try and take a cd from you or thats its going against the constitution. It is NOT preventing freedom of speech. They are still allowing the cd to be released. If they really wanted to control an artists freedom of speech, they wouldnt let the album even be sold. The sticker is there as a warning to people that some stuff may be offensive, not to say "hey, dont buy me! I'm a bad cd!" Its completely constitutional. Nowhere in the constitution does it say there can't be a warning on things. Its the same reason why movies and video games and tv shows have rating, or even explicit content warnings themselves. Thats all it is. A WARNING. A warning so you know what you are getting in to.

Read the wikipedia article sometime

(personally, I like The Offspring's Splinter Parental Advisory sticker. Its oddly funny. All "11 expletives" it says it has are in one song XD)

Fun story:
When the sticker was first released, a group of musicians got together and tried to fight it. One musician was John Denver, whose Rocky Mountain High was deemed as needing the sticker. The song has absolutely nothing bad in it, and its not even about getting high, as some people kept insisting.

This post has been edited by BarkAtTheMoon: Apr 13 2011, 07:47 AM

[Blueberry]

My mom could CARE LESS what music I listen to....But are those stickers even listened to when you buy the album? Cause I have bought CDs with those stickers on them but the cashier says nothing.

[Spokesman]

My mom could CARE LESS what music I listen to....But are those stickers even listened to when you buy the album? Cause I have bought CDs with those stickers on them but the cashier says nothing.

In certain places, they have different restrictions on CDs with the sticker. Some places don't even sell the CD if it has a sticker :|

[Blueberry]

My mom could CARE LESS what music I listen to....But are those stickers even listened to when you buy the album? Cause I have bought CDs with those stickers on them but the cashier says nothing.

In certain places, they have different restrictions on CDs with the sticker. Some places don't even sell the CD if it has a sticker :|

Then what would be the point of carrying it if you don't sale it?

But with the sales of CDs in the toilet because of things like itunes and file sharing I don't think they would be too harsh (as apposed to how they used to be) with CDs. Maybe it'd take a lawsuit to change that but *shrugs* I live in LA...So music is all around me and is really easy to get...the PA stickers are just a friendly "in one ear and out the other" warning. I buy rock & alternative music mostly but I know things like Nicki Monaj or however the hell you spell her name, can get sold to any person who wants to go in and buy it at some local stores.

[Neo Altaria]

i dont think its really that important cuz sooner or latter your going to learn the f word and the b word so meh so its a waste of time to put them on cd's

[Caitlin]

Personally, I'm for these warnings.

First, let's look at music nowadays.
While there is some positive music that promotes good ideas and values, look at a lot of what the music industry promotes. Dependency on a partner, suicide, substance abuse, sexual relationships, and basically, it projects a very negative image. Not to mention swearing. It's perfectly fine for these artists to go around saying these kind of things and making this music, but it can negatively influence listeners, especially if they are young.
In addition, films and video games are subject to this kind of ratings, so why shouldnt music be, since it is a large part of today's culture that can be easily moderated? Well, at least as easily as films can be.

In fact, there are statistic that show that a teen that listens to a certain kind of music is more likely to smoke, take drugs, 'attack a teacher', etc. I'd find the link but I'm lazy.

This also does not limit freedom of speech. At least where I live (HONG KONG), these labels act as a warning, or a clarification. Most people ignore them. The artists are still free to say what they want, unless it's defamatory, etc. Therefore, this doesn't really infringe on the freedom of speech, does it?

Just adding my two cents to the conversation. Did a similar debate on this a while ago.

This post has been edited by Caitlin: May 23 2011, 04:54 AM

[toxicXchocobo]

I'm also for Parental Advisory stickers.
They don't limit your constitutional rights as most artists have both an edited & unedited cd/track available.
All it does is inform parents that these particular albums may have content not appropriate for some children.
Not all, some. Hence the advised part - so parents can make informed decisions appropriate to their child. Despite what some children/teens think, their parents aren't out to get them or make their life hell - they care, they worry, and they simply (generally) want the best for their child.

Whether or not a person is exposed to the language elsewhere is irrelevant.
In my opinion, that logic is like comparing killing people in video games or watching it on television then expecting the parent to give you a hand gun and trust you to do the right thing. Some will, some wont, and some might not but in the heat of the moment make an accidental/stupid mistake.
Not to mention I can probably find countless academic studies in which certain music influences both adults and youth either positively or negatively depending on the music. This could lead to bad, dangerous, or fatal situations over time for some individuals depending on countless factors.
Parental concern is justified.

But, alas, the real reason isn't just parents but it's should anything happen the label & artist can't be held accountable.
Parent buys cd, songs about murdering your family/wife/etc., youth actually does it for whatever reason, lawyer can't say they were influenced by the album. Label/artist protected, justice system forced to shift blame elsewhere or actually accept the fact the youth has issues or deserves to be held fully accountable for their crime.

This post has been edited by toxicXchocobo: May 29 2011, 06:10 PM