Censorship Miss Miller

Censorship in the music industry

Censorship consists of the ways in which an audience is protected from harmful or explicit content; it is seen both on the television and in the music industry.This is mostly enforced by Ofcom, the communications regulator for the UK, regulating TV and radio. They are seen to censor all media products in relation to the context of which the product is played. This is very vital to the music industry as some explicit songs are censored in order to prevent unsuitable audiences from accessing the music. Examples in which censorship is used may include radio, music channels at certain times; plus iTunes with censored and uncensored versions of the music. It can result in swear words or harmful references being edited out of music or lyrics, plus may result in a curfew for harmful content, often seen within radio and television. Examples of censorship may consist of large daytime radio/TV channels that often censor explicit content such as grime and rap artists, Eminem or Drake. Although censorship is seen throughout the media spectrum, the music industry has experienced a particular rise in recent times. This is especially due to the growth in technology. There has, however, been controversy over the aspect of censorship. With new popular genres and artists aiming to express themselves within their songs which may include explicit content, argued to make songs more interesting and relevant, there is now an argument both for and against the idea of censorship. 

Censorship from an artists point of view (Against)

Artists are often seen arguing against the idea of censorship. This is specifically seen within the grime and rap genre as artists aim to express themselves and their past experiences, often through the use of harmful and explicit content, An example of this is Eminem. As an artist, Eminem feeling he should be able to do want he wants to do and say what he wants to say without the concern of censorship in order to please his fans, He aims to use his songs to motivate his audience. For example in 'not afraid' he aims to show his fans that if they put their mind to it they can achieve anything. Eminem himself does not use explicit content to harm or offend anyone, instead he uses his music to present the negativity that he has seen in his life. He feels that in order to portray his negative and emotional feelings and experiences he must use harmful content in order to relate to his audience and build an emotional connection. 

The artist argues that although of his songs may shock people, with examples of drugs and even rape seen in his lyrics, he would never commit such activities and that his audience should not either. He argues that these negativities are a part of life that can't be ignored and that just because it is mentioned in a song, it should not influence anyone into doing such things. 

Finally, Eminem also argues that it is not the role of an artist to censor their music and protect under aged audiences of whom are most effected. He says that that should be the responsibility of the parents who should decide upon what their children listen to. Ultimately censorship is not the permanent tool for protecting children from harmful content. If they want to listen to an explicit song or watch and explicit video they will find a way and restrictions often influence this.  

Censorship from a record labels point of view (Against)

Shady records, Eminem's record label, was founded by Eminem and Paul Rosenberg. Following large amounts of pressure censorship had to be applied to multiple songs. The company would be seen to strongly believe that it is the responsibility of parents to protect their children from unwanted content and that artists should be allowed to express themselves with whatever content they feel is needed. Who listens to it should not be a priority for the artist. Shady records also would understand that audience across the world enjoy controversy within music, otherwise controversial artists such as Eminem wouldn't be as popular as they are. Controversy that can often stem from explicit controversy can be argued to influence success within the industry, this is an argument used by the company against censorship. Also, another key argument that could potentially be made by the company states that if the content of a song is offending then a person does not need to listen or buy the track. Evidence of it being popular globally is seen by Eminem's great popularity.
Finally, music can be seen as an art form that is often used to express how an artist is feeling. Other art forms such as art or book are not censored, they rely on the viewers responsibility. This should be no different with music. Ultimately songs are created for entertainment purposes, audiences should be responsible enough to not be influenced by them or take them literally. If they do so then that is not the responsibility of the artist but it is the person themselves. They must be deranged or mentally ill.

Censorship from a parents point of view

(For) 

Parents will often argue that they want to be able to let their children watch or listen to whatever they want to without the worry of whether it can be harmful, explicit or negatively influencing materials such as drugs, sex or alcohol. They want to be able to protect their children without feeling they are being restrictive about the child's behavior or attitude. Censorship can be argued for making it easier for parents, giving them peace of mind about what their children may be watching or listening to. This is a very valid argument for censorship as it allows a child freedom yet prevents them from having bad or damaging influences from music and music videos. 
Additionally, a key argument could be that an explicit artists such as Eminem would not want their child influenced by the harmful content within their songs so why would they argue against it?

(Against)

Parents who argue against the use of censorship often argue that it is the parents responsibility for what their children watch and not the responsibility of artist. They may argue that parents and censorship company's must understand that children are easily influenced. Not just within the music industry but through books, newspapers and television. Not everything can be censored; you can't hide the negatives in the world and they are always going to be presented through the use of music. It could be argued that instead of creating naive, over protected children, they should be educated on the morals of life both through parents or schooling and can then have the knowledge to not be influenced by explicit or harmful content. 

Censorship from  music Channels point of view

MTV (For)

MTV have always been known to be strict on their use of censorship. This is especially seen during the day as songs played are censored as they know there is a higher chance of children listening. In contrast, during the evening censorship is slightly more lenient , due to the likelihood of younger children being asleep. A lot of popular artists that the target audience of MTV listens to, such as Eminem, include explicit and harmful content in their songs that children must not be exposed to due to the negative influence it may have on their behavior.  For example, in one of his songs, Eminem threatens to kill a Congressman from the White House, and he is know for homophobic references and has made references to rape in some of his songs. This content could all have very negative influences on children. Particularly the frequent references towards homophobia due to the modernised society and the legalism of gay marriage in the USA.

AKA(Against)

AKA is a grime/rap music channel that aims to develop unknown artists giving them large amounts of creative freedom. They understand that most artists  need creative freedom in order to express them selves. These expressions are often portrayed through the use of explicit and harmful content as they often consist of negative yet relative and lasting experiences that are shared by the artists. The channel may argue that censorship does not allow artists to truly express themselves, meaning they cannot grow in a way in which they might prefer. 

Censorship from radio

BBC radio 1 (For)

Radio 1 is owned by BBC, this is a representation of British media and has a wide spread audience of all ages including children with television channels such as CBBC and CBeebies. Due to it covering such audiences it must censor it's content in order to appeal to parents and prevent negative influences upon children.
Controversial artists such as Eminem can often include explicit content within their lyrics. This may consist of references to drugs, abuse, inappropriate language, offensive references towards rape and references to murdering. All of which can not be glorified to the public. The BBC must censor their content as it is often glorified due to the company representing the whole of the UK. This is especially valid for the radio station, they cannot keep track on who listens to the station, this means that people of all ages can listen at anytime. It results in censorship being a key aspect for the channel as content must be suitable for all potential listeners. Additionally to this, censorship could benefit the artist in terms of marketing. Censorship allows an artists song to be played more times on the radio, this boosts the popularity of the music resulting in more spellings of records and more profit.

Capital extra (against) 

Capital extra is a franchise from London's iconic radio station, Capital. The station appeals to a niche target audience of older teenagers and young adults, it mostly plays RnB and rap music. The RnB and rap music is often explicit and the radio station would feel that it should be allowed to play the music uncensored. They could argue that their audiences are generally old enough to be exposed to the explicit themes and language, and that the artists themselves should be allowed to express their emotions within their music in order to portray a more realistic narrative within the song; this would allow the audience can connect with the artist and enjoy the music more.

Censorship from a fans point of view (Against)

Fans for Eminem may argue that music is an artists way of expressing themselves to their audiences, censorship can be seen to be blocking this freedom and downgrading various pieces of work.
In the song 'Kim', Eminem talks about murdering his wife, which society would understand to be totally wrong and Eminem has declared to be something he would never think of doing. The song itself is an exaggeration of the artists personal hatred towards a women. The content within has allowed him to express these personal emotions, this is what builds a relationship between him and the audience. Censorship can be argued against here as it damages this personal emotional connection due tot he artist not being able to portray his emphasized emotions.

To conclude, it is obvious that censorship is a controversial subject within the music industry; it can be seen to have both its pros and cons. Although it can be seen to protect young listeners from influences from harmful or explicit material, it can also be argues that this is not the responsibility of the artist. A valid argument could be that it is the duty of the parents and schooling to educate children upon the morals of life and protect the from harmful content, preventing bad influences. The could be seen as being suppressed through censorship, not allowing them to express emotions or experiences. Many would argue that artist should have freedom with their lyrics and content and that protection should be covered elsewhere. Although this may be the case, if censorship was prohibited then radio stations wouldn't be able to play popular artist such as Eminem who include explicit content within their works. This could be seen to ruin a radio stations reputation and ruin the entertainment for fans who enjoy listening to their favourite artists. Overall I feel that censorship must stay, particularly on radio or popular day time television songs. However I also feel that there could be channels that may be uncensored, allowing artists to truly express themselves.