Music Censorship In America
From Jazz to MIA, from the FCC to MTV!
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A Brief History of Music Censorship
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Selected Music Censorship Incidents: 1999-2005
A music censorship timeline compiled by the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Music Censorship Resources
Websites looking at music censorship and free expression in music.
Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark: A Banned Books Week Reading List
Celebrate Banned Books Week 2019 by reading some of our favorite banned and challenged books.
Censorship Stories
Stories of artists censored on social media
NJ School Wins Courage in Theater Award For Reversing Censorship of ‘Ragtime’ Performance
The language, NCAC argues, reflects a historical reality and its inclusion will help to educate students about the ugly reality of racism.
Introducing CENSORPEDIA, NCAC’s Crowdsourced Wiki for Censorship Incidents
Censorpedia currently contains over 1200 individual incidents collected over the years and contributed by students, NCAC staff and volunteers, artists and, potentially, YOU!
Partly Annotated Bibliography: Books and Articles on Censorship
GENERAL BOOKS FILM / TELEVISION / RADIO / MEDIA VISUAL ART INTERNET CAMPUS SPEECH GENERAL Abel, Richard. Speaking respect, respecting speech. Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Abramson, Paul R. and Steven D. Pinkerton, Mark Huppin. Sexual Rights in America: the Ninth Amendment and the pursuit of happiness. New York, London: New York University Press, 2003. Al-Gharbi, Musa. "Nir Eyal's Newsletter featuring "It's [...]
Straight Outta Compton’s Censorship Lesson
The popular film Straight Outta Compton offers a glimpse at the music censorship battles of that era, when a song's lyrics could warrant a letter from the FBI.
“Censorship in the Guise of Child Protection:” Jonas Tarm and the NY Youth Symphony
A New York Times reviewer offers a scathing response to the New York Youth Symphony's decision to censor a young composer's Carnegie Hall debut.
Music Freedom Day in New York
A quick look at how Music Freedom Day was celebrated in New York City.
Music Freedom Day NYC
Music Freedom Day is annual celebration in support of artistic freedom and of persecuted, prosecuted and imprisoned musicians, whose only crime has been that they have spoken up against authorities and insisted on the right to express themselves through their music.
Taking the Power Back: Musicians Stand Up For “Illegal” Rap in Arizona
Is teaching hip-hop lyrics against the law in Arizona schools? Thanks to a controversial law about ethnic studies programs, the answer would seem to be yes.
NCAC Joins Worldwide Secret Cinema Screenings to Protest Censorship of The Interview
On Sunday, Dec 21st, NCAC joined Secret Cinema and Spectrum to screen Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator in protest against the cancellation of The Interview. As NCAC noted in a statement regarding the cancellation, threats of violence have become increasingly successful in suppressing cultural expression. Before Sony Pictures Entertainment withdrew its film, The Interview, from all outlets of circulation and distribution, we saw London’s [...]
Private Censorship – Fighting Suppression of Speech by Non-Governmental Actors
Government censorship in the Internet age has been a consistent focal point for free speech advocates. Recent examples of censorship by the American government can be egregious, including the curtailment of First Amendment rights through mass surveillance, overregulation of disfavored speech, criminal prosecution, and outright bans on books, movies, and websites. However, the First Amendment...
The Damned Dozens: Art Censorship in 2014
Don’t hold your breath for nipple reveals or cock shows – while artistic representations of nudes remain a regular target of censorship, the most compelling and controversial artwork in 2014 came from artists challenging social norms and exposing cultural fissures. There was the occasional use of female anatomy or children as subjects, but what each painting, photo, or mural on [...]
Musical “Freedom Fighter” Lapiro de Mbanga Dies
Singer and musician Lapiro de Mbanga from Cameroon – the “unceremonial sheriff of the backyards” – has died, 56 years old. He had been living under asylum in the United States since 2012.
Music
Controversy arises in music when its content touches on issues of violence, sexuality, religion, or obscene language. Rap and hip hop have been blamed for increased street violence and shootings. Heavy metal is targeted as anti-religious. Sexually explicit lyrics are thought to lead to disrespect of women and increased sexuality in minors. Musicians have also been opposed for their image or actions.
Censorpedia: NCAC’s Wiki of Censorship History
Censorpedia (wiki.ncac.org) is a participatory wiki of censorship incidents from the Iron Age to the 21st Century. The archive builds on the The File Room, an internationally renowned 1994 art project by Muntadas, and contains over 1000 censorship incidents from around the world, some dating back to the 5th c. BC, others documenting ongoing censorship battles.
Seen here: Detail of Thomas Eakins' "The Gross Clinic", which was censored from exhibition in the 19th Century.