, the land of the free, most of all dont stop a second to think if the music blasting out of our stereo system in our car will offend somebody. It's our freedom to listen to whatever we want. And the artist freedom to record whatever they want. So why has music been the victim of censorship throughout so many years and still going on now?.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the amendment that deals with freedom of speech, reads as follows: .
Congress shall make no law representing an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and petition the Government for a redress of grievances. .
Notice that the law applies to "the Government" and not to community or religious groups. Community and Religious have been on popular music's tail for years, carrying out campaigns and banning music they consider offensive or contains "questionable lyrics". A commonly held myth is that people have the right to NOT be offended. Some people believe that anything THEY find offensive should be legally censored. It's like a law theyve made up for themselves and for society. Must we all suffer and accommodate our musical taste for these people? Do musicians have no legal "right" to play music, package album cover artwork, or perform live? Throughout popular music's history, artists from various backgrounds and genres have claimed to have been "censored" by radio stations, religious and community groups, retailers, and even their own record labels. They claim their rights have been violated. The "right" to which they refer is the right to free expression. Although it may be hard to believe, only in rare instances is what we call "music censorship" actually a civil rights violation. Any other attempt to suppress music, its artwork, and live performances is entirely legal.
