Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

FTC Report Faults Music Industry Marketing Practices

Aired April 24, 2001 - 10:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Also this hour, the government is issuing a blistering report on the entertainment industry and its targeting of young customers. A source familiar with the Federal Trade Commission report says it credits the makers of films and video games as making some headway since a scathing report last fall. But the FTC reportedly cites the music industry for falling the further behind in terms of progress.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us now from Washington to explain a little bit more -- Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, a year after being taken to task over violent and lewd songs targeting youth, the music industry has done little to clean up its act. That's the bottom line in this report out this hour from the Federal Trade Commission. The report is a follow-up to a September document which charged the entertainment industry with aggressively marketing adult rated films, video games and music to children and although today's report cites progress by makers of films and video games, it's the same old song for music makers.

We just got a copy of this report. It says the industry has not implemented the reforms its trade association said it would before the first report was issued. It says the Commission found advertising for explicit content labeled music recordings routinely appeared on popular teen advertising programming. All five major recording companies placed advertising for explicit content music on television programs and magazines with substantial under 17 audiences. In some cases more than 50 percent of the audience was under 17.

Rapper Eminem and others offer music filled with graphic and specific violent images and ideas. When Eminem picked up his Grammy awards this year, for instance, he treated the national TV audience to a duet with Elton John, a song about stuffing a woman into the trunk of a car and then driving it over a cliff.

The music industry says Marilyn Manson (ph), Eminem and other artists have a constitutional right to free expression. It does use a generic parental warning label on graphic and violent recordings, but this report says they're often so small you can't even read them. They're illegible.

But it makes no attempt to set age limits for purchase. The industry points out that books carry no age-based warnings and the industry has no plans to change the current system.

President Clinton, who enjoyed strong financial backing from the entertainment industry, proposed the original FTC study of media following the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School. Though the president has changed, this FTC report says the music business has not. The report does not propose specific remedies. But Senator Joseph Lieberman is expected to introduce a bill this week that would punish firms that market violent media products to children. I will be talking to Senator Lieberman about that around 15 minutes from now -- Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll look forward to hearing from him and his ideas. Thanks, Jeanne Meserve.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com