Research into music censorship

Should music videos be censored?

Censorship of music and music videos is when free access to artist’s work is restricted and this may be due to various factors, such as religious, political, morally or offensively. 

Ofcom are the company who regulate and look after censorship many things in the UK, such as radio, television, mobiles & postal service. Ofcom operate under the Communications Act 2003 and one of their main legal duties is the ensure people who watch TV and listen to the radio are protected form harmful or offensive material.

To get around the censorship issue, many artist’s and record labels come up with a radio edition or a clean version. This means that the artist can still get their message across and let the audience learn more about the artist and their life whilst the TV and radio station get to keep their good reputation & people won’t feel the need to complain.

There are many artists who have had their music videos go through the censoring system and are deemed so unacceptable that they have been banned all together.

M.I.A released the music video for ‘Born Free’ on the 26^th April 2010 and it received worldwide acknowledgement and resulted in the video getting banned from YouTube in the UK & US and most music video channels also banned the video too.  The video portrays genocide against red haired people in a 9 minute video which was filmed in California & none of M.I.A’s record labels (XL, N.E.E.T & Interscope) were told about the filming. However, the music video did get a positive critical reception about the portrayal of the militaries force, violence and brutality.

There has been a debate about censorship for a long time and there are many different views and opinions. For example, if we look at Eminem, there are many different points.

The Artist (Eminem): Eminem has done an interview on censorship before and he has been very vocal on his opinions about it. He believes that songs shouldn’t be censored as his and most other artist’s songs are about their life experiences and the hard lives that they have had so if the songs are censored, then part of the story is being brushed away.

His Fans: His fans do have different opinions. Some believe that there should be some sort of censorship but that it shouldn’t be so strict that the song’s meaning and message is changed. However, other fans believe that there shouldn’t be any censorship on Eminem’s songs as his songs are about his life experiences and his fans will learn from his mistakes and that they are unlikely to copy him.

His Record Label: The record label would say that Eminem doesn’t need to censor his music and that they believe in his selling power as an artist so they are on the side of not censoring music videos. Eminem sold over 10 million copies of one of his album’s which had no censoring on it. This was a diamond record as it sold 10 million and this shows that the public still bought the songs and liked the album as it went to diamond. Also, Eminem has won a Grammy for his music, which shows that the music industry approves of him and if they didn’t approve of his songs and the amount of censorship that he does, then they wouldn’t have given him the prestigious award.

Parents (For): Most parents believe that Eminem’s videos should be censored due to the language that he uses that will offend children. Plus, children will look up to Eminem as their idol and role model and if they hear about the drugs that he has done and the language that he uses in the videos, then they might decide to copy him to be as cool as him.

Parents (Against): Some parents say that music videos don’t have to be censored as it is down to the parent’s to make sure that their children are watching appropriate music videos and aren’t watching anything that isn’t for their age range. Plus Eminem talks about his mistakes and how he is lucky to be alive so parents could use him as an example for their children and for them to learn from his mistake and not do the same thing.

TV Channel (MTV): MTV believe that music videos should be censored but they only believe that because they want to keep their reputation clean and don’t want to offend anyone. The Parents Television Council has argued that MTV don’t censor their music videos very well as it is very obvious that the words have been edited and this will only feed children’s curiosity and cause them to go and look for the uncensored version.

Radio Stations (KISS FM): KISS FM believe that songs for the radio should be censored for their bad language and if they mention stuff like rape and murder. However, they have said that sometimes people go too far with censorship and that you should still hear the song for what it was, just without the bad language.

Radio Stations (AKA): They believe that music videos shouldn’t be censored at all as they believe that the artist deserves to be represented as their true selves and their message shouldn’t be edited.