Is teen music soft porn?
Image via Wikipedia Mal Fletcher. The Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini once said that, ‘Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind.’ I wonder if he would respond the same way if he were taking part in the current debate on the over-sexualisation of music aimed at young teens. Today’s teen music industry may not be boring, but is it healthy? This question was raised again this week by Mike Stock , former pop impresario and the man responsible for launching the career of Kylie Minogue . Mr Stock is no longer the force in music production and promotion that he was in the 1980s when he was part of the influential triumvirate Stock, Aitken and Waterman. Yet his views still carry weight, coming as they do from someone who, in his time, was not averse to using sexuality – albeit a gentler kind – to sell his wares. 'The music industry has gone too far,’ he says. ‘These days you can't watch modern stars - like Britney Spears or Lady Gaga - with a two-year-old.’