Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Music Censorship Musicians, recording companies and fans are all

r of new musical genres such as punk rock, heavy metal and rap. These styles of music sought to confront the themes of modern life. As a result, references to sexuality, violence and drugs became increasingly commonplace. Alongside this development, a number of concerned parents and government legislators decided that there was a need to control the access of children to such musical works.

In 1985, a group known as the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was organized by Tipper Gore, the wife of a prominent Washington senator. Because the PMRC was comprised mainly of wives of Congressmen, people in the music industry began referring to them derisively as the "Washington wives." Congressional hearings were held in 1985 in which the PMRC expressed its concerns not only over "obscene" material in music recordings, but also over the use of Satanic references and images of drug abuse. The logic behind these concerns was that such references have a negative influence on children. In order to curb this bad influence, the PMRC suggested government regulations which would require record companies to put warning labels on products containing such references. Many members of the recording industry showed up at the hearings to protest the actions which were being taken by the PMRC. Musicians as diverse as Frank Zappa and John Denver spoke out against what they considered to be an attempt at government censorship. It was argued that parents are responsible for controlling what types of music their children listen to. The musicians and record business executives felt that it was certainly not the role of the federal government to make such decisions.

Since that time, a number of controversial cases regarding censorship have arisen in the music industry. For the most part, the musicians that have been targeted have been on small-time record labels as opposed to the major companies such as Warner Brothers, Columbia, or MCA. For...

< Prev Page 2 of 11 Next >

More on Music Censorship Musicians, recording companies and fans are all...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Music Censorship Musicians, recording companies and fans are all. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:05, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1705347.html