Open ForumCensorship in the Music Industry Has Gotten Out of Hand

//August 9, 2005//

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Date: March 2, 1994

Title: Open Forum/Censorship in the Music Industry Has Gotten Out of Hand

Author: Jon and Marsha Zazula

Music is one of the powerful means of communication, especially among the young. An ancient philosopher told an opponent that his rival could write the country”s laws if he could write the songs the country”s youth sang. Today, though, the music business faces the issues of censorship, restrictions on artistic freedom and the First Amendment on a daily basis. Some people have called for prohibiting musical groups like 2 Live Crew and Ice-T, both controversial rap performers. Some records have warning labels about the use of foul language.

Most people who know that we run a company with a reputation for being radical and producing left-of-center records expect us to defend the First Amendment. They think we will defy those who oppose an artist”s right to total artistic freedom. But we do not believe in blindly supporting an artist”s right to free expression. On the contrary, there are times when record company executives have the moral responsibility to step in and prevent artists from abusing their so-called artistic freedom.

We are by no means right-wing prudes. There are just times when we take offense at either the lyrics of a song or the cover art of a record album because we find them demeaning or hurtful to someone. We don”t care about the use of slang four-letter words, songs about sex or album covers with nudity, as long as these are tastefully done. Some record companies do have problems with such practices. Many retailers will not even carry these products. That to us is nonsense. Slang has always been part of culture, and we feel it is harmless. We sometimes warn musicians that if they use four-letter words in their songs, that may prevent their music from being played on the radio and television and thus could harm their career. We sometimes also have to change the lyrics on songs. We are not happy about doing this, however, because using slang sometimes makes for a stronger feeling in a song. We believe artists should have the right to make the final decision in such matters. To us, censorship should be about literary content.

Where we draw the line is on issues that are morally offensive to us personally. We do not believe, for example, in encouraging songs that demean women, homosexuals or any race or religious group. We also vehemently oppose music that glorifies cop-killers, rape, robbery and violence. It is the social responsibility of the music industry to prevent such music from ever being released. If some artists believe they must release such songs, they can go elsewhere. We in the music business should not be associated with so-called artists who would glorify such ugliness.

Unfortunately, some record companies like the shock value and controversy stirred up in the media when such records are released. Shame on them. We were shocked when one company released a song glorifying Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi doctor who served at Auschwitz. The executives of the company that produced this record were Jewish, and we found the lyrics graphic and disturbing as hell. What was that about? The same record company censors songs using four-letter words. A four-letter word never hurt anybody.

The problem is, where does censorship begin and where does it end? The irony of censorship in the entertainment business is that it is based on a double standard. You can”t say, “f***,” but you can tell kids to kill a cop or talk about women as only serving men”s sexual needs. Some songs portray all women as whores. What is that about? We condemn artists who use their influence to spread such messages.

Vicious, hate-filled music is today being played and heard all over the world. In Germany, some bands sing about race-purification and genocide. They sing about burning the homes of Turks and hanging them from trees. One such album reached No. 7 in Germany”s equivalent of Billboard. We were glad to see the huge uproar among the German public, demanding a ban on the record and others like it. Still, the record reached No. 7 in the charts.

In the U.S., censorship in the music industry has gotten out of hand. It often misses the point. It takes a prudish stand on profanity, yet permits ugly, hate-mongering opinions to be spread. In some states, a store owner who sells a record with profanity can be arrested if the buyer is less than 18 years old. Yet, if you watch television, you can see sex and violence everywhere. You may not hear foul language, but you can see people having sex, getting tortured or murdered almost any time of the day.

Why is the music industry under such attack? It is the single biggest fund-raiser for charities throughout the world.

It is our strong opinion that censorship should begin at home. People should take an interest in the music their children listen to, the programs they watch on television and the books they read. Censorship is also the responsibility of people in the music industry, who should monitor the products their companies put out. Censorship is not a government issue. If we all did our part and shared the responsibility, there would be no need for us to write this in the first place. As Crosby, Stills & Nash sang, “Teach your children well…” u

Jon and Marsha Zazula run Megaforce Entertainment and Crazed Management in Manalapan.