You are driving down the highway for a summer road trip across the country. The passengers are craving some Chili Peppers, so you place a call to the local radio station and request the song Aeroplane. The dj on the other end tells you it has just been put on a list of potentially inappropriate songs as a result of the 9/11 attack, the station won’t play it, how could this be? First of all the word isn’t even airplane. Secondly, the lyrics reference music as being an aeroplane, simply as a way of exploring the world. Unfortunately, this is only one way censorship has corrupted listening experiences for music lovers around the country. Censorship has plagued the music industry. No artist should be silenced, regardless of the message.
For starters, music content is just one of many issues that puts the first amendment to work. Mass Mic, an organization which fights against music censorship said, “The First Amendment to the constitution extends freedom of speech to all Americans… The First Amendment protects the rights of artists to produce controversial material.” As a result of censorship, bands are losing fan support because some stores won’t sell music with parental advisory stickers to persons under the age of 18. Stores are concerned with potential lawsuits against them for exposing children to unsuitable music. In 2004, the Skeen’s family was shocked when they heard the f-word in a song their 13-year-old daughter was listening to. In an extreme action, they sued Wal-Mart since the store isn’t supposed to carry CD’s with parental advisory labels even though it wasn’t present.(USA Today) Parents are so concerned about youth crime and suicide, and they just don’t know what to do about it. Music is something that stereotypes kids, so it’s easy to focus on. Still, TV, movies, and the Internet are all prime sources to get to more detailed information on the same controversial subjects that lyrics at times make mention to.
Exposure to what some... [continues]
For starters, music content is just one of many issues that puts the first amendment to work. Mass Mic, an organization which fights against music censorship said, “The First Amendment to the constitution extends freedom of speech to all Americans… The First Amendment protects the rights of artists to produce controversial material.” As a result of censorship, bands are losing fan support because some stores won’t sell music with parental advisory stickers to persons under the age of 18. Stores are concerned with potential lawsuits against them for exposing children to unsuitable music. In 2004, the Skeen’s family was shocked when they heard the f-word in a song their 13-year-old daughter was listening to. In an extreme action, they sued Wal-Mart since the store isn’t supposed to carry CD’s with parental advisory labels even though it wasn’t present.(USA Today) Parents are so concerned about youth crime and suicide, and they just don’t know what to do about it. Music is something that stereotypes kids, so it’s easy to focus on. Still, TV, movies, and the Internet are all prime sources to get to more detailed information on the same controversial subjects that lyrics at times make mention to.
Exposure to what some... [continues]
Cite This Essay
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(2008, 10). Music Censorship. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 10, 2008, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Music-Censorship-168963.html
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"Music Censorship" StudyMode.com. 10 2008. 10 2008 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Music-Censorship-168963.html>.
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"Music Censorship." StudyMode.com. 10, 2008. Accessed 10, 2008. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Music-Censorship-168963.html.
