Pop music has taken “a slow but unmistakable descent into pornography”, hit song writer Mike Stock has warned.
Mr Stock, one third of the well-known Stock Aitken Waterman team, put some of the blame on music videos by stars such as Rihanna and Christina Aguilera.
Mr Stock said: “Pop music in this country is almost completely dominated by American acts who have taken sexualised imagery, dance moves and lyrical content way beyond the limits of decency.”
Scantily-clad
He added: “As far as music is concerned, it has been a slow but unmistakable descent into pornography.
“Why? Because it’s easy. Put some sexualised dancing and scantily-clad females in the video, and get it on the box. Job done.”
Mr Stock’s comments, contained in an open letter to broadcasters and media watchdog Ofcom, follow a Government-backed report into the sexualisation of the nation’s children.
Protect
The report recommended that age restrictions be put on music videos, to protect children and help broadcasters ensure they are shown at appropriate times.
But Mr Stock said: “With the BBC iPlayer and the internet as your platform, you can watch last night’s TV at this morning’s breakfast. Young people all know how to use these features.
“Advisory stickers on records is also a non-starter. You can’t easily sticker a download.”
He said that Ofcom did not have the power to enforce standards, which meant the music industry “felt they had an easy run at things”.
Money
In April Christina Aguilera’s raunchy performance during last year’s X Factor final was described as “the very margin of acceptability for broadcast” by Ofcom.
The performance, which prompted 2,800 complaints, was watched by 14 million viewers, including one million children, in December 2010.