Obscene -- Abhorrent to morality or virtue; specifically designed to incite to lust or depravity (www.webster.com).
Indecent -- Not Decent; especially grossly unseemly or offensive to manners or morals (www.webster.com).
Label -- A recording company or division of a recording company. A "brand" under which artists release their recordings. 2: Another name for the "Parental Advisory" sticker.
Prurient -- Marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire; especially marked by, arousing, or appealing to unusual sexual desire (www.webster.com).
Lyrics -- The words to a song.
PMRC -- Parents Music Resource Center, founded in 1985 by Tipper Gore, Susan Baker, Pan Howar, and Sally Nevius.
Tipper Sticker -- Another name for the "Parental Advisory" sticker. Sticker was founded by Tipper Gore, who was the head of the PMRC.
First Amendment -- Located in the Constitution. Says that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free practice thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peacefully to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Miller v. California -- Trial in 1973 about concerned bookseller Marvin Miller's conviction under California obscenity laws for distributing illustrated books of a sexual nature. Trial resulted in the formation of basic guidelines for determining obscenity.
FCC -- The Federal Communications Commission, created from the Communication Act of 1934, is an independent U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications on television, wire, satellite, cable, and radio.
RIAA -- The Recording Industry Association of America is a group of recording companies that help protect the rights of the artists and of the copyright owners.
Filthy Fifteen -- Fifteen songs released by the PMRC in 1985 that were considered the standard for "obscene, cruel, and inappropriate" material. A list can be found in the Filthy 15 section of this web-site.
PTA -- The National Parent Teacher Association. The National PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States.
NARM -- The National Association of Recording Merchandisers is the not-for-profit trade association founded in 1958 whose nearly 1,000 member companies represent the retailers, wholesalers, and distributors of prerecorded music in the United States (taken in context from www.narm.com).
FTC -- The Federal Trade Commission is the federal government's principal consumer protection agency. Congress, under the FTC Act, has directed the commission to take action against "unfair or deceptive acts of practices" (www.ftc.com) in almost all sectors of the economy and promote competition in the market. |
