Music Censorship

Tipper Gore and the PMRC

Early Acts of Censorship - Racism

History of Music Censorship

1955: 15,000 letters are sent to Chicago rock stations accusing them of playing "dirty" music. Many stations promise to censor all controversial music, especially R&B - essentially "black" music.

1964: Johnny Cash wrote The Ballad of Ira Hayes, a Native American soldier - banned from country radio stations

• 1939: Billy Holiday's song Strange Fruit was banned from American radio for its powerful political message - black protest songs were not accepted at this time.

• R&B comes under heavy fire during the 50's for its "hedonistic, tribal rhythms" and "obscene lyrics". It was thought by many to be inappropriate for young people.

• 1954: R&B is condemned by Billboard and police in California and Tennessee confiscate jukeboxes and fine their owners.

PART 1: AMERICA

• 1985 - Tipper Gore formed the Parents Music Resource Center to convince record companies to monitor and censor music with a system similar to MPAA's for movies. This results in the conception of this sticker:

Early Acts of Censorship - McCarthyism

• 1950's: Paul Robeson was an actor, singer, athlete, scholar, author, and political activist. He performed benefits in America and internationally for causes of social justice. Celebrated by many (Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman) he was criticized and vilified by many others, including Joseph McCarthy. He was singled out as being a Communist and a threat to American democracy and his passport was taken away for 8 years.

• 1952: Pete Seeger and The Weavers were a popular folk band in the late 40's and early 50's. In 1952, Seeger was accused of being a Communist - shows and t.v. appearances canceled, radio stations banned their music.

• The desire to censor music dates back almost as far as music itself
• In his work The Republic, circa 380 BCE Plato argues that all forms of “bad” art should be censored in order to create a perfect society
• He said that artists fool people by “making their fake imitations look real”

Early Music Censorship

• Widespread, regulated censorship did not take place until music became more widespread - invention of the radio.
• Radio Act of 1927 - prohibited the use of obscene, indecent or profane language through the air
• 1934 - Federal Communication Commission was created to monitor communications through radio and t.v. The FCC is still responsible for most censorship in America today.

Early Acts of Censorship: Anti-War

• “a moral citizen’s soul will be composed and dignified - but many musical modes stir us up inside and make us jangled and unsettled.”

• 1968: The Doors' "Unknown Soldier" is banned from many radio stations because of its anti-war themes
• 1968: "Street Fightin' Man" by the Rolling Stones is banned in Chicago during and before a National Democratic Convention for fear it will incite violence
• 1968: Pete Seeger is invited to play his anti-war anthem "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" on the Smothers Brothers Show. He is then edited out of the program by censors at CBS before it airs.

Frank Zappa spoke out about this at a 1985 Senate Hearing. Completely coincidentally, his 1986 album receives one of these stickers, banning its sale to minors and warning of explicit lyrics. The album was entirely instrumental.

3:30 & 7:00

Why does Censorship Happen?

• Censorship can take place on military, political, moral, or religious grounds.
• Historically, governments have used censorship to suppress dissent or unwanted opinions.
• As South African musician Johnny Clegg puts it, “censorship is based on fear”.

What is Music Censorship?

The Dixie Chicks vs George Dubya

Days before George Bush led the Americans into the Iraq War, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said at a concert "We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas". The remark was celebrated in the UK and many parts of Europe (American relations weren't so good at the time) but back home in the US, they had their concerts boycotted, their music banned from certain radio stations, and their overall sales plummet.

• The act of suppressing certain parts of a work deemed objectionable.
• Any form of expression can and has been censored, including speech, literature, movies, television and radio programs, plays, news reports, and music.

Present-Day Censorship in America

• Many governments around the world and throughout history have used censorship, though it is usually more common in authoritarian governments.

• 9/11 had many political and cultural effects on America - a big one was fear.
• Clear Channel is a mass media company and one of the biggest corporate censors in American history. Just after 9/11, they released a list of songs which they suggested radio stations not play. The list included many songs involving death, explosions, airplanes etc. It also included 99 Luft Balloons, What A Wonderful World, Jump, Ticket To Ride, Imagine, pretty much every popular song by Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Metallica, and every single Rage Against the Machine Song.

Marilyn Manson and Columbine

After the Columbine School shooting, many people started blaming Marilyn Manson and his music. Radio stations across America refused to play his music and many venues, including casinos, refused to book his shows. He was denounced by many government officials and as he puts it "it shut down my career".

Research Question(s)

How does the censorship of music reflect the moral and political values of a society?

How does censorship affect musicians/music as a whole?

PART 2: AROUND THE WORLD

Mali

Music was banned in 2012 in Mali by the Islamist group which controls most of the country. Musicians were threatened and forced into exile, live venues were shut down, instruments were burned. The ban was lifted in 2013.

"Music is important as a daily event. It's not just a business, for it's through our music that we know history and our own identity. Our elders gave us lessons through music. It's through music that we declare love and get married – and we criticize and make comments on the people around us."

- Manny Ansar

South Africa

Fatoumata Diawara

• During apartheid (1948-1994), popular music was heavily censored
• Many South Africans were strongly opposed to their government, and musicians wanted to speak out about the injustices through music
• Any artists who sang about taboo or controversial topics were censored. Their concerts were monitored, their houses searched, and their music was banned from airplay.

Juluka was a South African music group consisting of three white musicians and three black musicians. They were extremely popular, even though they were often censored by the government because of their anti-apartheid lyrics.

Afghanistan

Sources

All music except certain religious songs and chants was banned under Taliban rule. They thought that music would distract people from the Koran and Islam. All musical instruments were banned and musicians had to flee the area or find new work to survive. The ban lasted from 1996-2001.

To prevent music in shops, hotels, vehicles and rickshaws cassettes and music are prohibited... If any music cassette is found in a shop, the shopkeeper should be imprisoned and the shop locked. If cassette found in the vehicle, the vehicle and the driver will be imprisoned.

To prevent music and dances in wedding parties, in the case of violation the head of the family will be arrested and punished.

- Decree published by the Taliban

PART 3: EFFECTS ON MUSIC

http://www.etonline.com/news/166762_marilyn_manson_says_columbine_shootings_ruined_his_career/

http://www.lehigh.edu/~infirst/musiccensorship.html

http://freemuse.org/archives/974

http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2013/05/10-bizarre-moments-in-music-censorship/s/blame-plato/

hotted://censoryofmusic.weebly.com/the-history.html

http://rockhall.com/blog/post/8840_censorship-in-rock-and-roll-history/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3753761.stm

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/paul-robeson-about-the-actor/66/

http://freemuse.org/archives/993

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/15/mali-music-ban-islamists-crushing

http://www.rawa.org/music.htm

https://books.google.ca/books?id=-Yc0xnSfS8EC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=music+censorship+in+afghanistan&source=bl&ots=dcjw1i2OSk&sig=Q56I73h0bIigxxEz-O9FHtyNYIs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0mMj1sb7MAhUBtYMKHYzWDbkQ6AEISjAH#v=onepage&q&f=false

Cult of Personality

• All music in North Korea is banned, unless it explicitly praises Kim Jong-Un and his regime.

• For a period during the Cold War, Jazz music was banned in the USSR because Khrushchev thought it embodied America and democracy due to its free rhythms and upbeat feel.

• Maoist China banned most music - traditional Chinese music, pop music, and Western music - at one point they even banned the tuba.

PART 3: EFFECTS ON MUSIC

The Roots of Music Censorship

Heavy Metal

• Heavy metal has come under fire all around the world, often being accused of having satanic themes and inappropriate language or content and promoting violence/sex/drugs.

• In the Western world, heavy metal is rarely played on radio and is often censored. However in many Asian and African countries, the music is banned altogether and punishments are severe.

• Countries such as Malaysia, Egypt, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Iraq have all canceled tours or even banned certain heavy metal groups from the country.

In Iran, the metal band Confess were sentenced to life in prison because the government believed their music was blasphemous. They were recently released on $33, 000 bail after 3 months in solitary confinement.

• Attempts to protect the public from hearing objectionable content
• Tells a society what is or is not acceptable
• To further oppress a certain racial group and prevent their voices from being heard.
• As a method of control; to prevent the spread of certain ideas.
• Fear that the music will cause negative changes in society

Censorship - Pros and Cons

Pros:

Cons:

• It can prevent defamation or disrespect toward certain groups
• Protects vulnerable groups from harmful subject matter
• Restrains violence, vulgarity, and obscenity.

• Compromises freedom speech
• Inhibits creativity and free-flow of ideas
• Forces artists to change their work or not work at all
• Prevents the broadcasting of different points of view

How it Effects Music

Musicians do not have the freedom to express themselves or certain ideas, or they know that expressing certain opinions will prevent them from experiencing success (or will cause them to experience punishment). Music as a whole is then compromised because artists are denied artistic freedoms. Censorship can also prevent musicians from ever being able to create in the first place. In countries where news is spread through word of mouth, music and radio is the mass media.

The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because I have to think something else and say something else, I have to always control myself.

- Milos Forman, film director

Why is Music Targeted?

Music is an extremely powerful form of expression. It can shape views and beliefs, and even start revolutions.

Music Censorship

How it Reflects Moral and Political Values