Parental controls come to online music

Music industry body, BPI, is planning on updating its 15-year-old Parental Advisory Scheme to bring it up-to-date with the digital age, writes Telecom Paper

BPI is responsible for the warning symbol appearing on CDs, DVDs and records with strong language, sex or violence. The logo system will be expanded to songs and videos available to stream or download on UK digital music and music video services such as Spotify or YouTube.

Most audio and video streaming services - including Google-owned YouTube, Spotify, Napster and Vevo, the music video Web site founded by Universal Music and Sony Music - do not yet have a uniform parental guidance system, according to the BPI.

According to Clash Music, most online services have some form of this, but the BPI wants to create a centralised, uniform set of guidelines to deal with digital content.

“We think it is important for parents to get the same standards of guidance and information online as they get when buying CDs or DVDs on the high street,” says Geoff Taylor, CEO of the BPI. “We are updating our... scheme for the digital age to ensure that explicit songs and videos are clearly labelled.”

The reaction from entertainment retailers was generally supportive. “At Vevo, we absolutely believe in artists' rights to fully express themselves creatively, but we also think it is important to inform parents and consumers about any music video content that may not be suitable for young children,” says Rio Caraeff, President and CEO, VEVO.

Apple's iTunes online store, which has an 80% share of the UK market for legal music downloads, already runs a warning system on its audio and video content, reports Guardian.co.uk.

The music industry has come in for criticism over explicit content recently with Ofcom, which enforces television regulations, calling in music TV broadcasters for a dressing down over several breaches of the broadcasting code.