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The First Amendment is a cornerstone in US democracy. Read more at Freedom Forum - The First Amendment Center;
www.freedomforum.org |
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| Tao Rodriquez-Seeger |
| Video interview with singer and musician Tao Rodríguez-Seeger from USA who speaks about his personal experiences with music censorship |
| 07 March 2009 |
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| Freemuse Award 2009 |
| Singer, songwriter, activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate Pete Seeger receives the Freemuse Award 2009 |
| 26 February 2009 |
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| Iraq / USA: Interview with exiled oud player |
| Interview with Iraqi oud player and composer Rahim AlHaj - a former political prisoner of Saddam Hussein who escaped Iraq and relocated to the US, New Mexico, in 2000 |
| 26 November 2008 |
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| Kris Kristofferson |
| Video interview with American folk singer Kris Kristofferson about his personal experiences with music censorship in USA - and in Russia |
| 31 March 2008 |
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| Crackdown on music in public space |
| Many cities world-wide are debating whether music in public space is to be considered a form of noise pollution. Some ban, others encourage street performances and music lessons |
| 16 February 2006 |
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| Governments against dance music |
| Laws are in place all over Europe, in the USA and in Asia, "aimed at stifling dance music culture", according to music organisers |
| 14 October 2005 |
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| USA: 'Crash into me, baby!' |
| America’s implicit music censorship since September 11. Read the chapter from 'Shoot the Singer!', by Eric Nuzum on how the September 11 terror attacks have affected freedom of musical expression |
| 03 June 2004 |
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| Shoot the Singer! Book |
| "Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today". The first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship, with cases from i.a. Burma, Mexico, Middle East, France, Algeria, Zimbabwe, USA, South Africa, Turkey. Edited by Freemuse director Marie Korpe, published by Zed Books, May 2004. |
| 25 May 2004 |
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| Post September 11- Freemuse conference |
| Listen to the Freemuse organized panel discussion from WOMEX 2003 on how September 11 has affected freedom of musical expression. Visa problems, threats, disrupted tours, changed play-lists, nationalistic concerts and withdrawal of covers are just a few results |
| 30 November 2003 |
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| Chuck D/Public Enemy |
| Censorship, MTV and political music in the US. Video interview with Chuck D from Public Enemy |
| 16 July 2003 |
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| Dennis Lyxzen / TINC |
| Video interview with Dennis Lyxzen from The (international) Noise Conspiracy. An outsider’s view on music and censorship in the USA after 9/11 |
| 11 July 2002 |
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| Frank Zappa |
| Interview, conducted on March 16, 1986. Frank Zappa talks about his appearance before the US Congress and his involvement in the fight against censorship |
| 28 November 2001 |
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| Glenys Rogers |
| Percussionist and singer Glenys Rogers (US) interviewed by Daniel Brown/Freemuse at Roskilde Festival, July 2001 |
| 12 October 2001 |
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| Jerry Bonham |
| Statement from DJ Jerry Bonham. Music as a human right |
| 09 October 2001 |
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| Militant Mind State |
| "Money Censors" The two rappers Spread Love (Omar) and M2 (Jaryd) from Militant Mind State (US) interviewed by Daniel Brown/Freemuse at Roskilde Festival, July 2001 |
| 12 September 2001 |
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| Patti Smith |
| From Tibet to the US: Video interview with Patti Smith on the importance on free musical expression |
| 17 August 2001 |
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| The Market and Media Censors - panel debate |
| Panel discussion at the 1st Freemuse World Conference on Music and Censorship in Copenhagen in 1998 with Noam Ben-Zeev, Gerald Seligman, and Martin Cloonan. |
| 01 January 2001 |
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| Tao Rodriquez-Seeger |
| Video interview with singer and musician Tao Rodríguez-Seeger from USA who speaks about his personal experiences with music censorship |
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| 07 March 2009 |
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| Freemuse Award 2009 |
| Singer, songwriter, activist, environmentalist, and peace advocate Pete Seeger receives the Freemuse Award 2009 |
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| 26 February 2009 |
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| Iraq / USA: Interview with exiled oud player |
| Interview with Iraqi oud player and composer Rahim AlHaj - a former political prisoner of Saddam Hussein who escaped Iraq and relocated to the US, New Mexico, in 2000 |
| Tom Chandler |
| 26 November 2008 |
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| Kris Kristofferson |
| Video interview with American folk singer Kris Kristofferson about his personal experiences with music censorship in USA - and in Russia |
| Mik Aidt |
| 31 March 2008 |
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| USA: Lebanese musician denied use of theatre |
| Marcel Khalife often speaks for reconciliation, resulting in bans in the Middle East. Ironically one of his concerts was rejected in the US, accused of being "unbalanced". |
| Kristina Funkeson |
| 14 October 2007 |
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| USA: Gangsta rap condemned by local police |
| The police in Colorado Springs publicly condemned the music genre gangsta rap in a news release after a killing in July 2007, writes The New York Times |
| The New York Times |
| 05 September 2007 |
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| USA: Music tv channel bleeps the word ‘suicidal’ |
| The American rapper Sean Kingston was afraid to feel suicidally heartbroken. But MTV and some radio stations have chosen less dramatic versions of the summer hit. |
| Kristina Funkeson, Freemuse |
| 28 August 2007 |
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| Canada: 'Gangsta rap' seeked banned |
| A Toronto activist has filed a complaint against Canadian music store chain HMV selling 'gangsta rap' that glorifies the mistreatment of women |
| Source: Newswire Today |
| 27 September 2006 |
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| Musicians hit by the “9/11-effect” |
| Tighter restrictions on air travel means that musical instruments are no longer allowed on the plane as carry-on baggage. This has lead to cancellations of concerts and tours |
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| 11 September 2006 |
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| USA: Rapper banned from New York radio station |
| After being shot in the buttocks outside of the radio station Hot 97 in New York on 26 April 2006, Brooklyn rapper Gravy's music has been banned from the station's airwaves |
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| 11 May 2006 |
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| USA: Record label accused of boycotting song |
| Famous rapper Master P believes that Sony BMG are placing phone calls to radio stations across USA, demanding that his son’s single not get played and negotiating “no-play deals” |
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| 11 May 2006 |
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| Bob Titley: Artists afraid to speak out |
| Video interview with one of the founding members of Music Row Democrats, which was born in December 2003 out of frustration and concern about the changing music climate |
| Ole Reitov |
| 02 March 2006 |
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| Canada: American rap artist 50 Cent to be banned |
| 50 Cent attracts too many guns, says Junior Foreign Minister Dan McTeague who is trying to stop the star from entering the country to perform seven concerts |
| Christina Ficara, All Headline News |
| 01 December 2005 |
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| Governments against dance music |
| Laws are in place all over Europe, in the USA and in Asia, "aimed at stifling dance music culture", according to music organisers |
| Mik Aidt |
| 14 October 2005 |
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| USA: Mötley Crüe blacklisted by NBC |
| The heavy metal band Motley Crue are suing NBC because the network canceled scheduled appearances and banned the band after singer Vince Neil uttered the "F"-word |
| New York Times |
| 26 May 2005 |
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| Wal-Mart is sued over rude lyrics |
| The parents of a 13-year-old girl are suing US supermarket giant Wal-Mart over a CD by rock group Evanescence that contains swear words. Wal-Mart has a policy of not stocking CDs which carry parental advisory labels |
| BBC |
| 11 December 2004 |
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| The Hot Sound of Hate |
| Hundreds of bands in America and Europe produce Hate Music. In September Panzerfaust Records launched Project Schoolyard, a plan to snag kids 13 to 19 by distributing 100,000 free CDs of such bands as Day of the Sword, H8 Machine and Final War. |
| Newsweek |
| 29 November 2004 |
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| US school talent show draws Secret Service |
| The band, named Coalition of the Willing, was to perform Bob Dylan's song "Masters of War" – but some students and adults who heard the band rehearse called a radio talk show Thursday morning, saying the song the band sang ended with a call for President Bush to die. So the Secret Service was called to the school to investigate |
| ABC News |
| 12 November 2004 |
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| 'Kill Bush' rappers rapped by US |
| Gatans Parlament - a Norwegian rap group that criticised US President Bush by setting up a website whose name means "Kill him now" is in trouble with US authorities. Gatans Parlament, or Street Parliament, has defended the exercise as a satire |
| BBC |
| 04 November 2004 |
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| CRAG Report: The Missing Cuban Musicians |
| No Cuban bands have been admitted entry into the U.S. since November 2003. New report on the situation for cultural exchange between Cuba and the U.S. |
| Cuba Research & Analysis Group |
| 05 October 2004 |
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| Mexico's forbidden songs |
| Extensive article and interview with Elijah Wald, member of the Freemuse Advisory Board, on the Mexican "narco corridos" (drug ballads), which are often accused of glamorising drug trafficking and gangsterism |
| BBC |
| 05 October 2004 |
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| Cat Stevens denied access "on national security grounds" |
| US officials identified that the singer, whose name is now Yusuf Islam, was on one of their "watch lists". After an interview, the singer - who converted to Islam in 1977 - was denied entry into the US |
| BBC |
| 22 September 2004 |
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| Mixing Pop & Politics: Music Making Change |
| Forthcoming conference on popular music’s important place in the struggle for human rights and democratic freedoms. Panel discussions will examine topics including: Music as a Human Right; Bridging the North / South Divide Through Music; and Musical Activism |
| Rights & Democracy Network |
| 20 September 2004 |
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| New US study on cultural exchanges since September 11 |
| U.S Homeland Security and State departments are encouraged to "work together to improve the current visa situation…so it is less of a barrier for foreign visitors, artists, and scholars, and for the presenters who invite them" |
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| 10 September 2004 |
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| Beenie Man banned from MTV gig |
| Reggae star Beenie Man - recently accused of "lyrics that are an incitement to homophobic murder and violence" - has been banned from performing at an MTV concert after gay activists planned a protest over the singer's past lyrics |
| BBC |
| 04 September 2004 |
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| Protest singer Earle blasts US war |
| The US singer - whose song about so-called American Taliban John Walker Lindh provoked major controversy in the US and resulted in US media calling him "unpatriotic" and even "a traitor" - is set to release an album which criticises the Iraq war |
| BBC |
| 17 August 2004 |
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| Venue expels Linda Ronstadt after political remarks |
| The singer was booed and removed from a Las Vegas casino for praising film-maker Michael Moore and his film Fahrenheit 9/11 during a show. Ronstadt called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth" |
| BBC |
| 20 July 2004 |
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| Elton John attacks new 'era of censorship' in America |
| The British singer has attacked what he calls a McCarthy-like "era of censorship" in America. Entertainers who speak out against the Bush administration or its policy on Iraq, he claimed, risk scorn and damage to their livelihood |
| Daily Telegraph |
| 17 July 2004 |
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| Rapper Jadakiss Blames Bush for Sept. 11 |
| "Why" - the new single by US rapper Jadakiss, with the words "why did Bush knock down the towers?" - has gotten him the most mainstream attention, and criticism, of his career. MTV and several radio stations are playing the edited version |
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| 16 July 2004 |
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| Eminem to start censorship-free radio station |
| Eminem has personally come under fire many times for his lyrical content, with the FCC even penalizing radio stations for daring to play his music. The yet-to-be-named channel will feature Eminem and other artists hosting shows uncut and uncensored |
| Chart Attack |
| 12 July 2004 |
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| Spot buys: The new payola? |
| Focus on the history of payola, including the current debate in the U.S. on record labels purchasing overnight advertising time at radio chains and using the time for repeated play of singles |
| The New Yorker |
| 05 July 2004 |
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| Cuban musicians criticize new U.S. travel rules |
A group of musicians has criticized new U.S. regulations that will further limit travel to Cuba, urging the United States to build bridges to the island instead of tearing them down.
The musicians tied their comments to the release of the album: Bridge to Havana |
| The Globe and Mail |
| 02 July 2004 |
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| Threatening borders |
| Visa problems: Fortresses that Western authorities build around their riches dissuadés more and more musicians from risking discomfort and humiliation at the borders |
| Mondomix |
| 09 June 2004 |
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| Hip-Hop as a Political Tool |
| Five steps to using hip hop within a political framework and to developing a viable political constituency in the hip-hop generation |
| AlterNet |
| 08 June 2004 |
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| USA: 'Crash into me, baby!' |
| America’s implicit music censorship since September 11. Read the chapter from 'Shoot the Singer!', by Eric Nuzum on how the September 11 terror attacks have affected freedom of musical expression |
| Eric Nuzum |
| 03 June 2004 |
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| Shoot the Singer! Book |
| "Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today". The first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship, with cases from i.a. Burma, Mexico, Middle East, France, Algeria, Zimbabwe, USA, South Africa, Turkey. Edited by Freemuse director Marie Korpe, published by Zed Books, May 2004. |
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| 25 May 2004 |
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| Singer 'strips' over censorship |
| Wearing a "nude suit" on stage to complain about censorship in the US, Alanis Morissette criticised a radio station for forcing her to change strong language in one of her recent songs |
| BBC |
| 06 April 2004 |
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| Student expelled for listening to rock music |
| 12 year-old expelled from school for admitting he listened to rock music at home and charged with sending the names of certain rock bands to fellow classmates at school |
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| 23 March 2004 |
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| USA: New fines proposed in indecency bills |
| The bills would give the Federal Communications Commission the authority to fine recording artists, air talent and other individuals up to $500,000 for knowingly uttering indecent language on radio and TV |
| Reclaimthemedia.org |
| 14 March 2004 |
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| Clear Channel adopt new decency standards |
| Clear Channel Communications Inc. has adopted new "decency" standards to make sure that material its radio stations air conforms to local community standards. |
| Reuters |
| 27 February 2004 |
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| Sarah Jones and FCC |
| Interview from BBC with the US singer, who has faced several problems in regards to her allegedly controversial lyrics |
| BBC |
| 14 January 2004 |
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| Singer Lee Jones attacks Bush |
| American singer Rickie Lee Jones has attacked the policies of the Bush administration on her latest record - despite the potential risk to her career. “I usually reflect things totally internally. But I think what is happening in America is so disturbing to me, it becomes internal” |
| BBC |
| 07 January 2004 |
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| Viva Corporate Control!? |
| European independent music companies slam Universal’s alleged payola deal with Viva to guarantee video-time for Universals’ artists in return for payment |
| IMPALA |
| 12 December 2003 |
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| American radio station bans Jethro Tull |
| Jethro Tull is off the play list of a classic rock station after the band's frontman criticized displays of the Stars and Stripes |
| The Globe & Mail |
| 13 November 2003 |
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| NYPD reportedly stiffs Springsteen |
| After Springsteen played a controversial song during the Oct. 1 opening night at Shea Stadium, a high-ranking NYPD police official ordered that there would be no post-concert police escort for the Boss after his next show |
| CBS |
| 01 October 2003 |
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| Cuba - US row over Grammy visas |
| The Cuban government has accused the United States of deliberately delaying visas to stop Cuban nominees attending the Latin Grammy Awards in Miami |
| BBC |
| 09 September 2003 |
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| Music during wartime |
| An extensive collection of links to articles related to how the war on Iraq affected freedom of musical expression - from American country albums being burned to the rise in protest music |
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| 10 June 2003 |
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| "Rave Act" bill passed |
| The Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (also called the "RAVE Act"), which was attached to the AMBER Alert bill, passed both the House and Senate on April 10 |
| Alternet |
| 14 April 2003 |
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| Controversial cover |
| US rapper Paris' forthcoming "Sonic Jihad" album depicts a jet about to slam into the White House. The intention is to create a dialogue |
| New York Times |
| 03 April 2003 |
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| Ry Cooder fears Cuban ban |
| After the US Government banned Ry Cooder from working with musicians from Cuba, Cooder says his latest collaboration with Cuban musicians could be his last |
| BBC |
| 19 March 2003 |
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| The day protest music died |
| Pop music played a crucial role in the national debate over the Vietnam War. By the late 1960's, radio stations across the country were crackling with blatantly political songs that became mainstream hits |
| New York Times |
| 05 March 2003 |
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| Killer "acted out" Eminem song |
| A teenager who acted out the brutal lyrics of a song by controversial rapper Eminem has been jailed for life |
| BBC |
| 28 January 2003 |
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| Clear Channel: September 11 & Corporate Censorship |
| Corporate censor no. 1, or just the market leader? A collection of articles on Clear Channel - including the debate on the infamous list of 'potentially offensive songs', which Clear Channel suggested its 1.300 radio stations not to play following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US |
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| 01 December 2002 |
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| Public Enemy vs MTV |
| MTV will not show the video for 'Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need' |
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| 14 October 2002 |
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| Eminem censors himself |
| Despite the liberal use of expletives in the average Eminem sentence it appears that Slim Shady draws the line at playing his music to his young daughter... |
| Dot Music |
| 31 May 2002 |
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| 9/11: Is protest music dead? |
| Music used to be the dominant voice against war. Now it's easier to shut up and get paid. What's really going on? Extensive article on 9/11 effects and media concentration, by Jeff Chang |
| AlterNet |
| 16 April 2002 |
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| Popular Iranian singer Googoosh kept out of the US |
| The U.S.-led war on terrorism has had unintended consequences on Iran's most popular artists, who are finding it almost impossible to practice their craft in the United States |
| WorldBeatPlanet |
| 10 February 2002 |
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| FCC Reversal: Eminem Not Obscene |
| The FCC has decided that it would not punish a local radio station for airing a bleeped-out version of 'The Real Slim Shady' |
| Wired News |
| 12 January 2002 |
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| John Adams banned in Boston |
| Because of the September 11th terror attacks, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has decided to cancel "The Death of Klinghoffer", the both emotionally and politically sadly relevant John Adams opera |
| New York Times |
| 25 November 2001 |
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| Wal-Mart: Market censors and market mechanisms |
| Background information on the biggest retailer in the US. Some Wal-Mart retailers refuse to carry CDs with the Parental Advisory Sticker, a few also go so far as to boycott artists if there is a 'dirty' word, a 'controversial' cover, or 'explicit' lyrics |
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| 01 February 2001 |
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| 1950s |
Freemusepedia timeline: North America: 1950-1959
USA: Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger & the Weavers, 'Black music', Link Wray |
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