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Senator GORE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. Senator Riegle?
Senator RIEGLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We have been involved this morning in the Banking Committee, as you may
know, with the nominee for the position of head of the FDIC. We have also
had the Social Security issue on the Senate floor, at least prospectively,
and that has occupied myself and others of us.
I would like to ask you, Mr. Chairman -- on the basis of the response,
I may want to pose another question to the witness. Has an argument been
advanced as to why rating systems have been and seem to be effectively used
in rating motion pictures and therefore cannot as readily be adapted to
records?
I mean, has there been any convincing reason presented as to why it can
be done apparently with some effectiveness in that area of creative material
and not as readily done in the record area?
The CHAIRMAN. There has been very little discussion of the relationship
between ratings of motion pictures and ratings of records. There has been
some reference to it, but very little discussion.
Senator RIEGLE. I take it that the position that has been advanced by the
record spokesmen that have appeared is to the effect that full disclosure,
any kind of a presenting and writing of the lyrics, when we have material
that would be in this area, that would be offensive to many people, that the
full disclosure is somehow seen as an invasion of rights? Is that the thrust
of the argument that has been advanced?
The CHAIRMAN. I am hesitant to characterize other people's arguments. Mr.
Zappa took the position that the printing of lyrics would be something
that would be satisfactory to him. He thought that a rating system would be
arbitrary and would falsely impugn the integrity of people in the music
business.
Senator RIEGLE. Well, it seems to me that the bridge has been crossed in
the motion picture business, in effect. Now, the two are not exactly the
same, but I think the proposition is essentially the same.
Would it be the view of the National PTA that having taken that step
with respect to motion pictures and now having a system there which seems
to have met with the general acceptance by both artists and moviemakers as
well as the public, that that would be an example of something that would
work just as readily in the record business?
Would that be your view?
Mrs. WATERMAN. I think what we are asking for, Senator, is a rating system.
You know the National PTA has been on record over the years on their concern
for television violence, on their concern on movies, and we did ask for a
rating system in movies. We are not asking for a rating system or label on
the records restricting age. What we are asking is that that label does
provide the consumer who wishes to buy or chooses not to, that he knows
what is within that record. So we would not be putting age on it. But the
National PTA has been on record in their protection of children and youth
over nearly 90 years now in their concern on media, and we have in no way
ever encouraged censorship, but we have always asked that the private
industry limit themselves to knowing what
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