ABSTRACT
A social/political action organization, the Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985 by Mary Elizabeth “Tipper” Gore, wife of then senator and later vice president Albert Gore, Jr., and other “Washington wives.” The group campaigned against sexually explicit and violent lyrics in recordings and arranged congressional hearings on the matter. As a result, record companies agreed to self-regulate by placing a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics” label on recordings that might be objectionable. Some recordings with the label sold more copies because of its presence. Several state laws attempting to regulate the sale of “stickered” albums to minors were held unconstitutional. By the early 1990s, the group was more or less inactive.
