Research: Censorship

CENSORSHIP

Censorship is the act of altering words, statements or visuals to conform with and abide by the rules and laws of society. Within the music industry, anything that is controversial, confusing, sexual or challenging can be censored out for the public. These restrictions exist to protect the public from potential influence, corruption and other morals issues. 
Music videos can either be cut or banned. When a video is cut, part of it is edited out to censor what breaks the rules. Banned videos are not allowed on television at all, but usually re-uploaded to YouTube.

There are 17 main things that are likely to be censored out:

1. nudity/sex
2. language
3. obscenity/gore/graphic visuals
4. violence
5. recreation
6. sexuality
7. politics/press
8. deformity
9. realism
10. corruption
11. sexual violence
12. religion
13. class
14. shock (e.g. strobe lights)
15. culture
16. race
17. true events

Robbie Williams - Rock DJ

The ending of this music video had to be cut out due to the highly graphic content that upset and offended consumers. The video itself made its' way into the watershed.

Maroon 5 - This Love

In this video are sexual implications; despite the innocent lyrics, ambiguities were created due to the visuals of nudity. This was censored because, like other boy bands such as NSYNC, they naturally appealled to a younger audience. Therefore, the target audience (primary) is that of 18-25 year olds whereas content realistically (secondary) appealled to young adolescents. This caused censorship to be forced upon the content.

Madonna - Like A Prayer

This is one of the most controversial music videos of all time. A lot of blasphemy is portrayed; for example the cuts in her hands that originally belonged to Jesus, as if she were mocking him. The church and Jesus himself are sexualised as she dances wildly in a strappy dress and sings to him "I'll take you there". Madonna was heavily criticized by religious institutions for her mockery of Christianity. 

________________________________________________________________

Consumers are alerted to uncensored formats of music media through 'Parental advisory - explicit content' labels. These typically appear on the bottom right of CD's, both albums and singles. Explicit content can be found in a variety of genres, such as:

Explicit content can be found in a  variety of genres, such as:

POP

RAP

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

R&B

Advantages:

• parents are guided into what their children should listen to
• people are warned beforehand that the content may offend them
• it can direct the appeal more towards a target audience of adults
• reduces the glorification of moral issues such as recreation

Disadvantages:

• telling someone a rule makes them more likely to break it
• someone of a certain age may not be offended by the content so should be able to consume in it

There is also a separate label for explicit lyrics. This means that the song itself and the music video have no relationship in terms of what gets censored. 

Lyrics can be censored in 4 different ways:

1. repeating - the last word before the swear word being repeated over the swear word
2. blanking - the entire word is taken out, leaving just the instrumental
3. disc scratching - using DJ sounds to replace the swear word
4. bleeping - a simple bleep over the word, often also heard in reality TV shows

_________________________________________________

Iconic artists known for their explicitness...

• Kanye West: swearing, sexual implications, political opinions

• Eminem: violence, swearing, domestic violence, family problems, drugs, realism, intertextuality

• Marilyn Manson: satanism, violence, bdsm implications, self-harm, death

• Amy Winehouse: recreation, insinuation of domestic relationships, antisocial encouragement

• George Michael: homosexuality, political opinions, personal life, sexual implications, moral beliefs e.g. religion/social class

________________________________________________

Advantages of censorship:

• protects certain communities
• protects children from corruption
• prevents copycat delinquent behaviour
• prevents offence
• shields moral values
• protects squeamish/epileptic people
• restricts vulgarity
• ensures the media is a safe environment
• maintains the watershed
• blocks the promotion of violence, drugs & alcohol
• promotes politically correct values

Disadvantages:

• ostracizes certain audiences that like what gets censored
• no freedom of speech
• broadcasts a biased view
• prevents ideas from flowing
• promotes 'morals' but how do we define them?
• controls the industry
• blocks legitimate criticism
• creates hype around an ideology that causes consumption in it 

___________________________________________

Opinions about the role of ceonsorship have been explored in cases such as Don't Look Now: A case for censorship (Aminatta Forna) and Eyes Wide Open: A case against film censorship (Mark Kermode). I think that the growth in technology has had in itself the creation of technological skills, in order to use that technology. Pluralists believe that consumers have freedom of choice, so use their skills accordingly to their own interests. 

Some issues are merely a cycle that takes place in every individual's life. Corruption can't be argued as a danger to society, because we all grow up with the knowledge regardless of whether or not we heard it in a song or saw it in a music video years earlier. 

Music videos, and music itself, are created by people so should reflect them as individuals rather than try group the public into one vulnerable mass. That's why I am not going to use censorship in my video, nor have anything to censor.
Therefore, I do not agree with the act of censorship. Musical talent is something to be shared and expressed, considered and appreciated - not analysed and restricted. Authorities should let the world be sujective, like how it naturally is, because public opinion and artist opinion goes hand in hand. Music cannot be a mass that meets social expectations, since people are not like that either.