Should songs be censored or banned?
Censorship is a controversial issue in America. Some people feel like song censorship is a violation of the first amendment. Despite this, songs have been banned for a multitude of reasons throughout American history.
Some songs have been banned from network stations and radios while others have been banned nationwide. Reasons for song bans range from blasphemy to containing sexual content. You may not encounter bans too often for religious purposes now, but it was a huge factor in the past. Despite the first amendment, which along with the freedom of speech and press also allows for freedom of religion. However this amendment is really for laws passed by Congress, so if a station wants to ban a song for whatever reason, it’s really up to them.
Radios make revenue based on ad revenue and special events they may have. It would behoove them to not lose listeners. If those who listen to said radio station are displeased and the number of listeners was to stop listening to that particular radio station then naturally it would start to impact the station’s income. When it comes to keeping a business afloat, often times majority rules.
No business would likely jeopardize their entire practice because of a song.
There are many pros and cons to music censorship. Some of the pros include: protecting the younger audience members from concepts that may not be appropriate for their age, to not promote gendered or racial discrimination, and not to use shock value as a way to sell songs and albums. Some of the cons include limits the creative freedom of artists and the potential dampers it puts on the listener’s experience. In some cases, censorship can also be abused by people in power if they feel it contradicts their policies.