Controversial Music
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Controversial Music
Music Censorship
Albums with explicit lyrics or content started having black and white parental advisories on them in 1994 (
Society causes a lot of music censorship. Starting in the late fifties and early sixties members of society made efforts to censor R and B music (
A number of people believe there is a correlation between album sales and the parental advisory label. Others, like the Recording Industry Association of America believe, or at least try to make parents believe that there is no correlation. Its not the labels kids look for, its the music. Independent research shows kids put limited weight on lyrics in deciding which music they like, caring more about rhythm and melody. The warning label alone isnt enough incentive. (
Censorship, like charity should begin at home — but unlike charity, it should end there, is a quote by Clare Boothe Luce (Fitzhenry, 84). Some parents are against the censorship of music. They believe that they should raise their kids, not some politicians who believe one nasty word will change a whole childs future.
Many music artists have had other people attempt or succeed to sue them for their explicit lyrics and sexual content. 2 Live Crew was one of these music groups. In June of 1990, a Broward County judge in Florida declared that their album, As Nasty as They Want to Be, was legally obscene. (
There are many groups and organizations who are trying to stop the censorship of music. One very prominent group is called Rock Out Censorship. Rock Out Censorship has been actively opposing the censorship of popular music since 1989. One platform they stick by, is they do not like the warning labels placed on albums to warn parents there is explicit material in the album. Rock Out Censorships position has always been that these stickers do very little to warn parents, but do a lot to open the door to more restrictive forms of censorship (
The magazine, Rolling Stone also had a negative response to the censorship of music. The first articles in Rolling Stone to speak out against censorship appeared in 1969. Similar to Rock Out Censorship, their articles focused on stickering, labeling and ratings. (Davidson and Winfield, 99) Rolling Stone also felt that the recording industry had given up and given in to the stickering and labeling and no longer would put up a fight. As said in the book, Bleep! Censoring Rock and Rap Music edited by Davidson and Winfield concerning Rolling Stones response:
Rolling Stones anti-censorship sentiments included blatant disdain for the PMRCs actions with an editorial placed in the middle of the article. Detailing the 1985 Senate hearings, Rolling Stone stated, The Parents Music Resource Centers proposal is unworkable and unnecessary and comes perilously close to censorship. A three-page article, entitled At a loss for Words: Record Industry Acceptance of Stickering is Already Having a Chilling Effect, was clearly an anti-labeling opinion piece. Rolling Stone argued that control efforts have a negative effect on the industry: The concessions [voluntary labeling] sound disturbingly like self-censorship. Who needs legislation if the record companies like Circles wont sell those