It has over 80 members ranging from small companies typically run by 1-5 people, through medium to very large companies which employ thousands of people. ARIA has developed the following Code of Practice in response to concerns in the community and political circles that there should be a consistent industry approach to the issue of strong and explicit song lyrics. Adults in a democratic society shoud be free to listen to what they wish. Creative artists should be free to express themselves without fear of intervention. Audiences should be supplied with enough information so that they can choose to avoid exposure to material which may offend them.
Record companies operate under a commercial imperative to release sound recordings.
The following Code of Practice seeks to give effect to these principles. Record companies must label all CDs and tapes containing explicit lyrics. 2. CDs and cassette tapes containing problematic lyrics will be classed into two different categories, one for recordings containing explicit language, and a higher category not recommended for persons under the age of 18 containing stronger lyrics which may cause offence to some sections of the adult community. Labels must be placed on the front of the jewel box holding the CD or tape, so that they are clearly visible. In the case of locally printed stickers, the label can be worked into the artwork on the slick.