“There is no truer truth obtainable by man, than comes of music." -Robert Browning
Today in every country around the world there exists censorship laws regarding what is appropriate to be broadcast on television and radio for consumption by the general public. Things such as inappropriate or offensive language, references to drugs, criminal activities or even references to sex can be deemed inappropriate and not broadcast. The question arises, is this something done for the good of the public, or is this censoring a violation of our freedom to hear or see what we want to, and is it also a violation of the freedom of the artist to not play their music or to force them to change and compromise their art if they want it to be played on the radio.
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Since the invention of the radio and the mass production of music there have been reasons to ban or censor it, which have changed over time. Music Censorship refers to the regulation of audio recordings and performances by an approved commission, for example the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).
Reasons for censoring music include foul language, violent content, hate speech towards a particular religious/ethnic group, drug or alcohol content, sexual content, for religious reasons, or for reasons particular to that time, for example certain songs such as ‘Atomic’ by Blondie and ‘Back in the U.S.S.R.’ but The Beatles were put on a temporary blacklist by the BBC during the Gulf War.
Many ways to censor music exist, such as bleeping out individual words or phrases, or even taking them out all together, or even editing out whole bars of songs. In some cases the artists are asked to change the lyrics of their songs, such as in the case of the Rolling Stones ' "Let 's Spend the Night Together" was asked to be changed to "Let 's Spend Some Time Together” because the sexual innuendo was deemed inappropriate by Ed Sullivan when the rolling stones were asked to perform on the Ed Sullivan
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
What is censorship? An encyclopedia defines censorship as "the control of what people may say or hear, write or read, or see or do1." There are many reasons why people censor entertainment such as literature and music. Many governments or groups try to preserve their standards of morality by preventing people from learning about or following other standards2, commonly found in the two previously mentioned mediums. There are different ways to censor things. It can be on a local level, such as libraries refusing to carry a controversial book. It can also be on an entirely larger scale. In the 1770’s, French author Beaumarchais had two of his plays, The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro, banned by King Louis XVI.2 Back then, these plays were considered outrageous and sometimes blasphemous. To fully understand how our system of censorship works today, we have to look into history to see how censorship got started.
Free Speech does not just mean the right to stand on a street corner and talk aloud, but also applies to anything from bumper stickers, to art sculptures, to clothing. Music is a form of free speech that is protected under the law. Rating systems for song lyrics is a form of encumbering free speech. The reason why ratings are an encumbrance to music as free speech is because they arbitrarily assign value that dictates access based on the subjective view point of a board of people. This assumes that song lyric ratings are arrived at in the same manner as current movie ratings. According to the Motion Picture Association of America’s website,” There are 8-13 members of the Board who serve for periods of varying lengths…no one in the movie industry has the authority or the power to push the Board in any direction or otherwise influence it.” So basically what this means is that 8 to 13 people get to dictate the standard and age appropriateness of material for all of the United States.
completely change or even ruin the meaning of the song, and in addition censoring music can be
Many bills have been passed to stop explicit messages in music from getting out. Censorship limits the amount of lyrics that get out to the community about violence. (History of Music Censorship) It may also limit anything in music that a community might find offensive to its values or beliefs. The lyrics presented in some songs are not appropriate for young adults. Some say music censorship goes against the First Amendment. It stops artists from expressing how they may feel. The profit on albums often goes down because of censorship. Censorship constantly targets rap and hip hop, and they are usually hit the hardest. (Forms of Music Censorship)
Censorship in music is a very controversial subject in today’s society. What is considered a form of artistic expression to some is also considered vulgar and inappropriate to others. But who ultimately gets to decide what is considered vulgar and what is not? Who decides who hears what in the music industry? The RIAA is responsible for applying the Parental Advisory stamp on every album that is released in the United States. The FCC is responsible for making sure that no vulgarities or controversial comments are aired on radio or television. But why is some content edited and other content not? I will try and explain these questions in our article.
Censorship has been a big part of the world’s history and especially America’s history. One of the most quoted amendments to the United States constitution is the first amendment; “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” This amendment guaranteeing free speech, press, and religion is still heavily debated and contested today. Censorship, as a challenge to free speech and press has been allowed many times and has been heavily debated itself. Many people censor for many different reasons and in many different forms. Censorship itself is not always a bad thing and has in some cases been used for protection of the general population.
Music content is just one of the many issues that puts the First Amendment of our Constitution to work. On one hand people believe that lyrics should be censored so that people can be protected. And on the other hand, people believe that the First Amendment protects everyone's rights to free speech. Basically, it is a matter of whether lyrical censorship be accepted.
Music censorship has been debated since the beginning of recording history. The censoring of music is the practice of restricting free access to musical works. Songs with strong language, racist views, or harmful references will have warning labels on them. There are currently no laws regarding the censorship of music. Censorship originated from a wide variety of motivations, including moral, political, military or religious reasons. The censoring of music is incorrect and should be eradicated. Music has been prominent in culture for thousands of years; it is a big contributing factor to moral compositions, for some it is a personal refuge, for others it is enjoyment, music is an important aspect and to censor music would be racially discriminative, insensitive, and detrimental towards society.
Another amusing example was in June 1965, radio stations across the country ban the Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" because they believe the lyrics are too sexually suggestive.
The First Amendment clearly states that the U.S. government cannot make a law stopping the freedom of speech. Pro-censorship supporters say music is not included under the First Amendment but it is since music is expression. The freedom of speech includes freedom of expression and the right to hold your own opinion. This country is founded on the idea that we should be able to say, read, or publish anything we want. Music is an artist?s form of expression and banning or censoring his or her music would be stopping his or her right to say whatever he/she wants. We also have and value our own opinions and ideas and in return, respect every one else?s. If someone bans or censors a certain song because of it?s ideas, then we are not respecting the artist?s right to an opinion. An audience might have a certain opinion which we can discuss among ourselves, yet if an artist wants to sing a song about it, people want...
To what extent should censorship be allowed? Censorship itself should not be illegal, but it should not be done by the government either. Censorship should be something that people and businesses choose to do on their own, for their own reasons. The media should never be allowed to censor anything, because it is their job to provide information, not hide it. Businesses should decide whether or not to apply censorship as a business model, based on what they believe that the customers want, not based on any law that one thing or another should never be seen or
Every human possesses some guaranteed basic freedoms and rights, whether it is the freedom of speech, or the freedom to express themselves. However, the government seems to be increasingly determined to limit these freedoms using censorship to confine these rights that we usually take for granted. The most important facet of media in general is that it allows people to express themselves freely. In fact, this freedom of expression that music allows us is one of the primary reasons why it exists. Sadly, many of the current artists have forgotten that, but nonetheless, censorship seems to always be there to limit the expression of those who choose to place deeper messages in their songs. Tackling censorship is much more important than it appears to be at the surface; to take down censorship would help preserve the expression of thought. It would help preserve the right to listen to the unaltered forms of everything. Most importantly, it would help preserve the rapidly weakening basic right of speech.
Head, Tom . "Radio Censorship." About.com Civil Liberties. About.com, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
Censorship affects our society in many different ways, it affects the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Even though many might argue that censorship doesn't really have a place in a society that emphases freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself, but censorship is an essential and needed part of our growing society, it's needed in the television industry, the Internet, and the music industry. Censorship helps to make our world a better place because it creates a better environment for us to live in.