Censorship is the act of suppressing potential harmful and offensive content. Ofcom stands for the Office of Communications. It is a government-approved company, which aims to ensure people in the UK, get the best from their communications and are protected from scams and sharp practises while competition can thrive. Ofcom follow ‘The Communications Act 2003’ which says that Ofcom should follow the general duties of furthering the interests of citizens and consumers. One of their main legal duties within the music industry is to protect people who watch TV and listen to radio from harmful or offensive music/lyrics.
An example where Ofcom have took action upon a music video in order to follow their duties is Rihanna’s S&M. After being released in 2011 the song caused lots of controversy within the media and public eye, after Ofcom received a complaint for the video being ‘completely unsuitable for daytime’. The song contained themes of sexual bondage through explicit lyrics and images. These included images of Rihanna’s body and face being restrained by cellophane and walking a man like a dog whilst whipping him along with other scenes which were seen as sexually provocative. Lyrics the song included which were deemed inappropriate were ‘cause I may be bad but I’m perfectly good at it/ sex in the air I don’t care I like the smell of it/ chains and whips excite me/ make my body say ah ah ah ah’. Ofcom felt that this video raised issues under the Rule 1.3 of the Code, this states that ‘Children must also be protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable for them’. The music was band in 11 countries, and radio stations have since played edited versions of the song and renames it ‘come on’. The video has also been banned from You Tube for being too sexually provocative.
This leads me to discuss whether or not music videos should be censored. There has been much discussion within the music industry whether music videos should be censored or not. Does censoring music really protect the people listening? My class and I discussed this, each adopting a role of artist, recording label, fans, and parents- for and against, kiss, MTV and channel aka concerning the issue of Eminem’s music which has previously been censored.
Eminem’s songs consist of plenty of explicit lyrics, which have been criticised for being too violent and disrespectful. Eminem has released songs about his own mother, disrespecting her and his ex partner Kim referring to her and women in general as "bitches and hos". Critics believe that other lyrics of Eminems may influence children into the wrong route of life for example.. "Follow me and do exactly what the song says: "Smoke weed, take pills, drop outta school, kill people and drink.". However do these really lead people to the wrong route and do people take them literally?
In our debate we established that Eminem was against his songs being censored. We felt that Eminem did not care about what his lyrics portrayed to the audience as he just wanted to express his feeling and life experiences. After watching an interview it was clear that Eminem felt his lyrics could not have a bad impact upon his audience as he said he believes if someone is crazy enough to be led by his music/videos then they are crazy enough to do it anyway, he says that ‘music is only entertainment’. Eminem felt that his music could inspire them with obstacles they come across in life rather than lead them down a bad route.
Eminem’s record label agreed saying that lyrics cannot have a negative effect on audiences as they are simply lyrics. They felt his videos should not be censored. They said that many records have been sold and therefore people must love his music for what it is, therefore it does not need to be censored. If people/fans were offended by his lyrics and videos he would not be as successful as he is today and won as many Grammy’s.
When asking the fans they felt that his music simply represented his life and was not provoking. They felt that his lyrics could educate teenagers of the real world and teach them life situations. Fans said his videos were comical and were not taken seriously anyway. Although some fans felt this way, some understood why his music was censored. They believed censoring music videos was acceptable for daytime as he could still be truly represented after the watershed. They also found uncensored versions of his songs easy to find and therefore did not mind whether his music/music videos were censored during the day.
Parents who felt censorship wasn’t important said that it was their responsibility to raise their children and felt that they had raised them well enough not to be affected by some lyrics as their children are intelligent enough to know right from wrong without external influences. They also felt that their children could gain positives as it teaches them to be grateful for the life they have. Parents who felt that music videos should be censored felt that he was a bad influence. They felt that their children idolised Eminem and would take his lyrics seriously to a certain extent, adopting his ‘I don’t give a f***’ attitude towards life. The parents for censorship also felt that his explicit language would rub off on their children teaching them to use it. The parents also said that there is no harm in censorship as they can easily be uncensored or seen after the watershed.
Kiss 100 both agreed and disagreed with the censorship of music/music videos. Kiss has a large audience of all ages and do not wants to offend their audience and loose listeners therefore they agreed with censorship before the watershed. However they do not agree with some censorship and do not feel all lyrics censored are offensive to their audience. Kiss 100 felt Eminem should be portrayed the way he has chosen and therefore would play Eminem’s songs after the watershed with an appropriate introduction beforehand warning listeners.
MTV also agreed with censorship of harmful or offensive lyrics as their target audience ranges from 12-24. Lyrics may be inappropriate for the younger target audience who could be influenced by lyrics of their idols causing parents upset. As they are a very successful music channel they censor songs which may be harmful allowing them to keep up a good reputation with their audience.
Channel AKA's target audience starts from 16 and ends at around 24. They tend to broadcast underground music of artists who are not as popular as the ones in the charts and they believe that an artist should be portrayed how they wish to be portrayed. Because of this they do not make it their number one priority to censor explicit lyrics and things which may be considered harmful to children.
As a teenager, having an older brother and sister meant that throughout my childhood i grew up during the controversy of Eminem's growing career, listening to him occasionally when my brother would. I feel that as a 10 year old i did not really understand his lyrics and they did not really affect me although sometimes i would hear a swear word and think it was funny. I feel that children do not take these lyrics literally as they grow up around their parents morals and know what is right and wrong. Listening back to the music which was in the charts when i was around 10 years of age shocks me as now i understand what the lyrics mean which shows i did not take notice as a child. However i still feel lyrics and music videos especially should be censored before the watershed as i do feel lyrics along with music videos can influence children but more when they are actually seeing it and gaining more understanding then they would just listening to it. I also feel that music is a form of entertainment that should not cause harm and offend people. In the long run i feel censorship is good and can help prolong a children's childhood and although the older generation may want to listen to the explicit version, they can always gain access to it through other media.
Eminem’s songs consist of plenty of explicit lyrics, which have been criticised for being too violent and disrespectful. Eminem has released songs about his own mother, disrespecting her and his ex partner Kim referring to her and women in general as "bitches and hos". Critics believe that other lyrics of Eminems may influence children into the wrong route of life for example.. "Follow me and do exactly what the song says: "Smoke weed, take pills, drop outta school, kill people and drink.". However do these really lead people to the wrong route and do people take them literally?
In our debate we established that Eminem was against his songs being censored. We felt that Eminem did not care about what his lyrics portrayed to the audience as he just wanted to express his feeling and life experiences. After watching an interview it was clear that Eminem felt his lyrics could not have a bad impact upon his audience as he said he believes if someone is crazy enough to be led by his music/videos then they are crazy enough to do it anyway, he says that ‘music is only entertainment’. Eminem felt that his music could inspire them with obstacles they come across in life rather than lead them down a bad route.
Eminem’s record label agreed saying that lyrics cannot have a negative effect on audiences as they are simply lyrics. They felt his videos should not be censored. They said that many records have been sold and therefore people must love his music for what it is, therefore it does not need to be censored. If people/fans were offended by his lyrics and videos he would not be as successful as he is today and won as many Grammy’s.
When asking the fans they felt that his music simply represented his life and was not provoking. They felt that his lyrics could educate teenagers of the real world and teach them life situations. Fans said his videos were comical and were not taken seriously anyway. Although some fans felt this way, some understood why his music was censored. They believed censoring music videos was acceptable for daytime as he could still be truly represented after the watershed. They also found uncensored versions of his songs easy to find and therefore did not mind whether his music/music videos were censored during the day.
Parents who felt censorship wasn’t important said that it was their responsibility to raise their children and felt that they had raised them well enough not to be affected by some lyrics as their children are intelligent enough to know right from wrong without external influences. They also felt that their children could gain positives as it teaches them to be grateful for the life they have. Parents who felt that music videos should be censored felt that he was a bad influence. They felt that their children idolised Eminem and would take his lyrics seriously to a certain extent, adopting his ‘I don’t give a f***’ attitude towards life. The parents for censorship also felt that his explicit language would rub off on their children teaching them to use it. The parents also said that there is no harm in censorship as they can easily be uncensored or seen after the watershed.
Kiss 100 both agreed and disagreed with the censorship of music/music videos. Kiss has a large audience of all ages and do not wants to offend their audience and loose listeners therefore they agreed with censorship before the watershed. However they do not agree with some censorship and do not feel all lyrics censored are offensive to their audience. Kiss 100 felt Eminem should be portrayed the way he has chosen and therefore would play Eminem’s songs after the watershed with an appropriate introduction beforehand warning listeners.
MTV also agreed with censorship of harmful or offensive lyrics as their target audience ranges from 12-24. Lyrics may be inappropriate for the younger target audience who could be influenced by lyrics of their idols causing parents upset. As they are a very successful music channel they censor songs which may be harmful allowing them to keep up a good reputation with their audience.
Channel AKA's target audience starts from 16 and ends at around 24. They tend to broadcast underground music of artists who are not as popular as the ones in the charts and they believe that an artist should be portrayed how they wish to be portrayed. Because of this they do not make it their number one priority to censor explicit lyrics and things which may be considered harmful to children.
As a teenager, having an older brother and sister meant that throughout my childhood i grew up during the controversy of Eminem's growing career, listening to him occasionally when my brother would. I feel that as a 10 year old i did not really understand his lyrics and they did not really affect me although sometimes i would hear a swear word and think it was funny. I feel that children do not take these lyrics literally as they grow up around their parents morals and know what is right and wrong. Listening back to the music which was in the charts when i was around 10 years of age shocks me as now i understand what the lyrics mean which shows i did not take notice as a child. However i still feel lyrics and music videos especially should be censored before the watershed as i do feel lyrics along with music videos can influence children but more when they are actually seeing it and gaining more understanding then they would just listening to it. I also feel that music is a form of entertainment that should not cause harm and offend people. In the long run i feel censorship is good and can help prolong a children's childhood and although the older generation may want to listen to the explicit version, they can always gain access to it through other media.
This post demonstrates some understanding of what music censorship is. You have considered the role of Ofcom and the class debate, but further discussion is needed, to show further understanding.
ReplyDeleteThis can be achieved by-
1) Relating your debate points back to the Ofcom rules
2) Consider the advantages and disadvantages for each point
3) Include a summary to explain how your research into censorship, will assist you with planning your own music video