A ROSEN BY ANY OTHER NAME
Last week, Rosen, along with BMGs Strauss Zelnick and Artemis Records head Danny Goldberg, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee chaired by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). The Committee was investigating charges that the film, music and video game industries were purposely marketing products with sexual and violent content directly to kids (hitsdailydouble.com 9/14).
The committee was organized to answer a 100-page Federal Trade Commission report ordered by President Clinton after last years Columbia High School shooting tragedy which found a "pervasive and aggressive" marketing of violent movies, music and games to children.
Rosen explained that the 15-year-old parental advisory stickers on recordings containing explicit content was recently updated, but stuck to her opposition to create a "one-size-fits-all" system that would "put the industry in a policing position regarding music consumption."
"This debate over music keeps coming back to the same thing," she told the committee. "Despite all of the trappings and new ways to look at the issue, the fact is that some people just dont like the music. That is not an antitrust issue or a labeling system issue it is a freedom of expression issue.
"The committee is concerned about violence and sexual lyrics. As a parent, so am I. But I want to apply my own valuesthe needs of my individual childrento decide what sources of entertainment are appropriate for them," Rosen said. "Now, lets break out the bong and listen to that new Eminem disc. It's real dope."
