Censorship of Music

Censorship of music is the restriction of complete freedom in musical works. This censorship may stem from a wide variety of motivations e.g. moral, political, military or religious reasons. Censorship can be authorised from a huge range of sources, such as government-enforced prohibitions, or the voluntary removal of personal content. A prime example of these being the radio edit. In order to allow songs to be played wherever possible, it is common to censor certain words, particularly ones promoting vulgarity. Some music labels or artists produce censored versions themselves, sometimes with alternative lyrics, to oblige the rules set by the specific radio and television programs that they wish to broadcast on. Some stations decide to censor songs themselves using one of several methods:

- Blanking: When the volume is muted for all or part of the word.

- Bleeping: Playing a noise, usually a "beep", over all or part of the word.

- Resampling: Using a like-sounding portion of vocals and music to override the offending word.

- Resinging: Replacing a word with a more appropriate word.

- Backmasking: Taking the offending word and reversing the audio, sometimes the whole audio is reversed (often because it is a home-made job), but more usually only the vocal track is reversed.

- Repeating: Repeating the word just said before the explicit word was used.

- Skipping: Deleting the word from the song without a time delay.

- Echo: Instead of saying a word, it echoes the last word(s) said in the line.

- Disc scratching: In hip hop, scratching on the word, making it sound like another word, or make the word said faster or slower.

- RoboVoicing: Making the word totally non-understandable by overpowering a robovoice effect (usually used as a last resort for home-made jobs).

- Distorting: Usually in Hip-Hop, less offensive words such as "shit" or else is distorted. It is usually done by shifting down the pitch.

An example of radio censorship would be with Rage Against the Machine's 1992 song "Killing in the Name," towards the end of the song, the frontman, Zack De La Rocha, screams out "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" sixteen times before the screaming of "Motherfucker!". Some radio stations block out the whole part, some just censor the word "fuck", and others play a shortened version (clocking at 4:06) which removes this section (going straight from the end of the guitar solo to the outro) along with the intro. However in the same year, BBC Radio 1 was flooded by 138 phone call complaints by offended listeners after DJ Bruno Brookes accidentally played the uncensored version of Killing in the Name on BBC Radio 1's Top Forty Countdown show on a Sunday afternoon.

Censorship can occur for many other reasons as well. These include:

- Censorship of misheard words: When all or part of a word is mistaken for an inappropriate one, thus being censored.

- Censorship due to copyright infringement: Sampling without permission from the original material's copyright holders and record labels are forced to reissue material with anything ruled to infringe on existing copyrights removed.

- Political censorship: When more authoritarian governments censor music deemed critical of the government, the military, stores, TV stations, or other authorities.

- Censorship of artwork: When album artwork or additional artwork for a single/album is deemed explicit or unsuitable it is either censored or changed.

- Self censorship: When artists or record labels choose to censor themselves in order to avoid negative publicity or a Parental Advisory label.

- Criticism: When the total censorship of a song is reported in the mass media and often has the effect of drawing more attention to the song than it would have received, had it not been banned.

Examples of artists/bands that have received some form of censorship:

- Marilyn Manson: His release of (s)AINT is banned in many countries due to its content including BDSM, cunnilingus and drug use along with masturbation.

- Rolling Stones: When they were to perform the song "Let's Spend the Night Together", Ed Sullivan famously challenged the Rolling Stones to change the line to "Let's Spend Some Time Together."

- Bad Religion: Often singled out by religious groups for their logo.