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CORPORATE CENSORSHIP 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 01 December 2002 Roskilde Festival 2003, Damon Albarn on music censorship Damon Albarn, Tony Allen and Ty on self-censorship, corporate censorship, censorship in Africa, and music during wartime - video excerpts from the Freemuse organized press conference on freedom of musical expression, Roskilde Festival 2003 26 August 2003 Damon Albarn: Music is destroyed by censorship The record industry exerts a covert censorship, which makes it difficult for musicians to express themselves freely, was the message from Damon Albarn, Tony Allen and Ty at the Roskilde Festival 2003 01 July 2003 Postscript to report on censorship in Zimbabwe "Playing with Fire: Fear and Self-Censorship in Zimbabwean Music". Extensive Freemuse report, including case studies on Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi. Read abstract and full report (PDF) 05 January 2005 Freemuse report on music censorship in Zimbabwe "Playing with Fire: Fear and Self-Censorship in Zimbabwean Music". Extensive Freemuse report, including case studies on Thomas Mapfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi. Read abstract and full report (PDF) 25 October 2001 UK: Britain at War Extensive article on how music was "restricted" during the Falkland and Gulf war, with focus on UK legislation and corporate censorship. Presented by Martin Cloonan at the 1st World Conference on Music and Censorship, 1998 01 January 2001 USA: Dixie Chicks' triumph over censorship: Five Grammys It was a victory over censorship and death threats when Dixie Chicks 'swept' the most prestigious honours in the global music calendar, the Grammy Awards 12 February 2007 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 17 July 2004 USA: What if they gave a culture war and nobody came? Extensive article on the history of music censorship in the U.S., detailing the occasions when judicial and legislative authorities have focused attention on popular music as expression 28 January 2003 Shoot the Singer! Book 'Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today' is the first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship 25 May 2004 3rd Freemuse World Conference on Music and Censorship 200 professional musicians, scholars, and composers from 22 countries met at the 3rd Freemuse World Conference on 25-26 November 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey 18 December 2006 China: The Rolling Stones accepts censorship Veteran rock star group The Rolling Stones will likely follow the beat of China's censors when they perform in China in April concert 03 March 2006 Australia: New censorship codes imposed Robyn Riley, Far North Queensland's answer to Tipper Gore, is a shining example of how one person can make a difference. A Christian activist and fanatical letter writer, Riley believes song lyrics cause suicide, murder and teen behavioural problems 01 March 2004 Freemuse report on censorship in post 9/11 USA ’Singing in the Echo Chamber’. Music censorship in the U.S. after September 11. New report published by Freemuse 13 February 2006 Independent record labels unhappy with Sony – BMG merger Small record labels fear more corporate control: "This merger is not about economic necessity in a changing market, it is about the desire to dominate and to control the outlets at media and retail level” 20 July 2004 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 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 06 April 2004 UK: Opera author refused censorship of a character’s sexuality A school and an opera house have pulled out of a 400-person opera production in the last minute as the consequence of a bitter row over a character’s sexuality 04 July 2011 USA: The US rock group Pearl Jam’s anti-Bush statement censored on webcast Parts of a Pearl Jam live concert webcast was left out by the main sponsor AT&T. When the lead singer sang “George Bush, leave this world alone” transmission was interrupted 15 August 2007 USA: Dixie Chicks film about censorship censored The American tv-network NBC and the CW Television Network has refused to air ads for the new Dixie Chicks documentary, ‘Shut Up & Sing’ 30 October 2006 China: Rolling Stones had five songs censored Chinese censors restricted the Rolling Stones from performing five songs when they made their debut in mainland China on 8 April 2006. 10 April 2006 Musical responses to 9/11: From Conservative patriotism to radicalism This article poses the question: What would a suitable American popular music response to the events of 9/11 sound like? Read the chapter by Martin Cloonan, from the book "9/11 – The world's all out of tune" 09 December 2004 Repression against musicians of Belarus Open letter from Belarusian musicians concerning political pressure being placed on musicians who allegedly oppose President Aleksandr Lukashenko 08 October 2004 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 12 December 2003 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 10 June 2003 Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation employs Ian Smith laws Article on Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation - still the sole broadcaster in Zimbabwe despite calls from all sectors of the media to free the airwaves 14 October 2002 Turkey: New media law heavily criticised The Turkish parliament has approved a controversial bill that critics charge will further curtail press freedoms and strengthen media monopolies 16 May 2002 Local TV censored A 200-year-old Kurdish song caused the closure last week of a television station operating in southeastern Turkey, home to the country's Kurdish population. Gun-TV was taken off air on Friday for one month after broadcasting the song 29 March 2002 Patti Smith From Tibet to the US: Video interview with Patti Smith on the importance on free musical expression 17 August 2001 Singapore upholds Janet Jackson ban Officials in Singapore have thrown out an appeal against a ban on Janet Jackson's album, ‘All For You’. The Publications Appeal Committee, a panel of academics and professionals, decided that the lyrics of the album, particularly one song, Would You Mind, were "not acceptable to our society". 05 June 2001 Israel: On the road to McCarthyism? With sponsors canceling events as a result of the artist's political views, artistic freedom could be under threat 24 April 2001 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 List of banned songs in Zambia 2004 A few Zambian artists gained further popularity in 2004 by releasing controversial songs, but several artists learned a tough lesson when songs with “vulgar language” were banned by local radio stations and condemned publicly. “Opinion” in Times of Zambia supported the censorship 05 January 2005 Pop lyrics and their censors "Political correctness has imposed a new restraint on free speech." Interview with Freemuse co-chair Martin Cloonan on explicit lyrics and music censorship today 15 January 2004 Ojos de Brujo Video interview with Max and Xavi, percussionists of Ojos de Brujo. Censorship and money in the Spanish music industry 26 August 2003 Chuck D/Public Enemy Censorship, MTV and political music in the US. Video interview with Chuck D from Public Enemy 16 July 2003 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 Germany: Norwegian band censored by German publisher When the Norwegian band Honningbarna wanted to release their debut album in Germany they were told by their publisher to leave the song ‘Free Palestine’ out 03 October 2011 UK / USA: ‘Offending’ album title covered with sticker The British rock band Arctic Monkeys’ new album is entitled ‘Suck It And See’ - a phrase which causes a stir in the US where major stores will cover the offending album title 06 June 2011 India: Album recalled and destroyed because it offends Christians EMI Music has pulled the new album by the American Heavy Metal band Slayer from music stores across India because of protests from the Christian community 12 October 2006 Tunisia/Egypt: Najla too sexy for Egyptian tv The Egyptian music channel Mazzika will not air Tunisian singer and dancer Najla’s new music video because it is considered pornographic 23 February 2006 USA/UK: Media giant claimed to threaten British music “Texan media firm Clear Channel Communications is increasingly casting its shadow over the music scene in Britain,” writes Granville Williams 23 February 2006 USA: Rock superstars censored for their lyrics On February 5, 2006, rock music veterans The Rolling Stones were censored during their performance at the Super Bowl - one of the most-watched events on US tv 10 February 2006 UK: Banned group returns to stage They were censored on Top of the Pops and infuriated the National Front in the late 70’s. Now the Gang of Four returns to the stage for a few gigs. Vocalist Jon King claims Gang of Four was banned more than the Sex Pistols 11 January 2005 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 11 December 2004 Musical responses to 9/11: List of allegedly 'banned' songs A list of "lyrically inappropriate" songs banned from some US radio stations in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 09 December 2004 Zimbabwean rapper Maskiri banned Maskiri says his latest album has been banned from the airwaves because of what State radio bosses considered offensive content 30 November 2004 Reggae stars dropped because of 'homophobic' lyrics A collection of articles and background information on Hate Music and the current debate, where Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, the two controversial reggae acts accused of inciting violence against homosexuals, have been dropped from the UK Mobo Awards show 08 September 2004 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 04 September 2004 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" 20 July 2004 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 16 July 2004 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 12 July 2004 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 05 July 2004 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. 27 February 2004 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” 07 January 2004 More mergers: consolidation in the music industry With EMI, Warner Music, Sony and Bertelsmann racing to get regulatory approval for their planned mergers - what will consolidation mean for the music industry? 19 November 2003 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 13 November 2003 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 05 March 2003 Public Enemy vs MTV MTV will not show the video for 'Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need' 14 October 2002 Primal Scream change title and lyrics The UK band have made a dramatic u-turn and re-recorded ‘Bomb the Pentagon’ in the wake of September 11 29 May 2002 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 16 April 2002 Ban the bomb Primal Scream’s new album looks set to be banned in the U.S. - for featuring their controversial song ‘Bomb the Pentagon’. The song, a bitter attack on US foreign policy, was premiered live just before the September 11 terror attacks 10 April 2002 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 25 November 2001 CNN "Worldbeat": A Victim Of Terrorism Another TV music outlet has gone as a side-effect of the September 11th terror attacks 13 November 2001 The culture of conflict: September 11 effects The attacks in America may cause a change of heart in Hollywood, but what of the other arts? And what will be the effect on the creative scene in Britain? From dance to pop, Guardian critics assess the likely impact 29 September 2001 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 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 01 February 2001