Essay on The Practice of Music Censorship

     Many people believe that music should be filtered because it provokes violence or sex within society. There may be some truth in this but for the most part it is merely myth. People who have any common sense or are not legally insane can understand fact from fiction and what not to imitate. Anyone who listens to Eminem and decides to go and kill their wife should have been locked up long before the actual crime. When people do things that resemble what an artist says in a song, it is usually by pure coincidence and all are negative incidents. Frank Zappa was quoted to have said “I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone’s teeth get cleaner?”(Jackson 1).

Censorship in music has been a major problem plaguing America since the early nineteen forties. It came to a head during the nineteen sixties with the Vietnam War and the hippie movement. During the nineteen seventies and eighties heavy metal and hard rock were getting the brunt of the censorship heat. Now in the nineteen nineties the major focus of censorship is rap; primarily gangster rap. Some of the main factors of music in general that cause legal ramifications are sexual content, suggestive violence and obscene language. Censorship is an attack against our first amendment right guaranteeing the freedom of speech. However if a song or album is deemed obscene the first amendment does not protect this.

This issue can date back to when Elvis Presley first appeared in the music scene. Many parents felt that the music that he was making and the way danced was too dirty for their children but that did not stop him and he is now known as the king of rock and roll because of his music. If people start trying to censor artists and their music, then they would be taking away the artists freedom and their creativity. As a side effect, the artists would start to lose their fan base because they are not able to create the content that they want. The fans of the artists would also be affected because now their favorite artists are not created the same music that they fell in love with. This could cause an uproar within the public. The government would then have to put laws in place having to do with music lyrics instead of using that time to deal with more important

In today's society, all types of music artists are expressing their views, opinions and feelings in their songs about what they see and what they know. This is on of the great things about this country, the freedom to express yourself. It is not fair, nor is it constitutional that music should be censored in anyway. It is not only rap music trying to be censored it is in all types of music. They are taking away their rights and it isn't fair. As reported in the New York Times. "Wall-Mart CD standards are Changing Pop Music", Wal-Mart and other large department stores sell CD's by your favorite artists which are not what your favorite artists originally created. Some retailers refuse to carry CDs with "Parental

Censorship, if used in the correct way and context, can be an appropriate way to counteract explicit content in today’s pop culture. Tupac, a famously known rapper, is frequently seen as a negative influence on adolescents. Yet some of his lyrics include, “For every dark night, there’s a brighter day,” “If you believe than you can achieve,” and many more uplifting messages imbedded throughout his songs. He has created a blend of inspiration, sentiment, and provision for the future, even though his work is all in the rap industry. The censorship of rap music has become an increasingly more popular debate topic as the genre takes over music charts worldwide. This notion has begun to call more attention to the content of which the youth are tuning in to on a daily basis. Parents and authorities are wanting to not only discourage the genre, but also rid it from radios, TVs, and many streaming sites. Although some portions of rap can be violent and condescending, censoring the genre would be repressing many positive aspects of it as well.

Profanic language in songs has increased over decades and there have been many controversies whether radio stations should censor these songs. The Radio Act is a way for stations to censor these songs. As stated in Music Censory, “The Radio Act has been a way for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor content being put on the radio. The FCC is managed by five commissioners assigned by the government. The Radio Act banned the use of immense profanity in music. The main reason music censorship is so strong is because of the FCC.” I agree with the Radio Act that inferior songs should be censored on the radio.

     Many people are very offended by some of the obscene lyrics in some music, however.  Music with obscene lyrics and messages are enjoying great popularity despite the fact that many, including a large number of prominent officials, find it repulsive, offensive and a bad influence.  This music has sparked great debate over what exactly the words freedom of speech entail.  The musicians and the people who listen to the music claim that freedom of speech is absolute, while others, particularly those who find the lyrics offensive, claim that it has limits.  Artists such as Ice-T, N.W.A.,and Cypress Hill have all had clashes with censorship.  N.W.A.'s music is almost entirely negative and

Neil Young once said, “Rock and roll is here to stay”. In the mid-1950s, rock and roll began emerging in the United States. In the early stages, rock and roll created many controversies and did not gain large popularity quickly. However, rock and roll continued to push forward, develop, and overcome many of the controversies against it. Like Young said, “Rock and roll is here to stay” and it was not going to go away quietly. Censorship is “the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security” (Oxford). During the rock and roll era, examples of censorship were easy to find. It all started with Elvis Presley and his dances moves, then moving on to the increase of suggestive songs.

In today’s society music has turned into one of the most influential factors of socialization in children and youth. Young audiences are constantly exposed to popular music through various radio stations, internet websites, and technology. Since popular music has been making a notable impact on young generations, the government has put into place the censorship of music. Censorship is the alteration of ideas or lyrics in music that are deemed unsuitable for public hearing. Music that sends messages against moral norms of society are subject to get censored when getting aired on radio stations or sold in stores. Everyday people are exposed to the censorship of music especially when listening to music on the radio. Censorship takes effect every time a word or phase gets bleeped out or removed from a song. A national debate between artists and government has become a real issue of whether music should be censored or not. On one hand, artists have the rights to freely express themselves through music. In opposition, the government can censor music that has any philosophical objections in its meaning. Artist may feel a challenge in boundaries when it comes to writing and publishing music since they have to abide by many laws, or accept that their music will be modified. As a teenager that listens to a variety of different music, I can see why censorship has to take place, however I do sympathize with artist that may feel artistically blocked. I also

What exactly is censorship? Some feel censorship is a violation of their rights. Others say censorship is a must in the violent, abusive world we call “society.” Who has the right to censor? Who doesn’t? What needs to be censored, and what doesn’t? The fact of the matter is that there are many pros and cons in the music and entertainment industry about censorship. Personally, I believe that the consumers and viewers should be charged with the ultimate responsibility of censorship.

This particular type of censorship occurred in South Korea in 1997 when the state radio station KBS banned teen pop music due to the clothing style the entertainers wore (Cloonan,2003). A more recent event of censorship occurred in Morocco in March 2003 when 14 heavy metal fans between the ages of 22 and 35 were convicted and jailed for “acts capable of undermining the faith of a Muslim” and “possessing objects which infringe morals” (Index Online, 2003). All were sentenced between 1 to 12 months in jail.

Music is an art form that almost everyone in the world experiences on a daily basis. The most censored music genres

I believe this foul music should be much further restricted from people that it could harm. The younger citizens of America are most influenced by today's music; therefore the restriction levels that have been placed upon it should be enforced. Obviously the laws are not yet strong enough to deny young people of the possession of profane music.

In response to that, teenagers have an exactly different perspective about banning uncensored music. “It’s freedom of speech.” Some teenagers argue that the profanity in the music is just a way of making the music sounds good. “Singers use the bad words to show their feelings, there’s nothing wrong with that.” A lot of people argued. Some people also said music without bad words, especially rock music, will be boring. Many people around the world like how the music has profanity in the lyrics, or even how the name of the band or a singer contains bad words. But there’s also many disagreement about the uncensored music. People think nice music should not contain foul languages, they think music without the bad words will be beautiful. Especially those people who have kids, they are extremely unhappy about the fact that the uncensored music is popular because of the inappropriate words in it. For music that is uncensored, plenty of people made a lot of argument about

While the censorship of art is not a new phenomenon, recent years have witnessed renewed and intensified attempts to control popular culture. In particular, rap and rock music have come under increasing attack from various sides representing the entire left and right political spectrum, purportedly for their explicit sexual and violent lyrical contents. In this paper is investigated which moral codes underlie these claims against popular music, how social movements mobilize actions around these claims, and the way in which they are manifested in mechanisms of control targeted at rap and rock music. Moreover, I explore how the performers and fans of these musical styles have in turn articulated counter-claims,