RE: Music police -- myth or monster?

replyThese last few e-mails bring up a point, however. The point is that the fewer corporations there are who own radio stations, the fewer different playlists there will be. I'm not advocating that coporations give up their right to play what they want on the stations they own. But it behooves us to investigate using the Internet as a medium for getting our music and message out there if avenues no longer exist through the mainstream media. Technology has made it more than ever possible for small-time musicians to get their stuff out there--and we should be smarter about taking advantage of that fact.

Anne

On Wed, 19 Sep 2001, Filksinger wrote:

> From: John C. Bunnell
>
> > "Hoax" seems to be the wrong word for the Clear Channel
> > situation, although
> > it's the one my local CC air personality used. I'm not sure
> > "urban legend"
> > is right either, however -- another source just sent along this NY Times
> > story about the matter.
> >
> > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/19/arts/music/19POPL.html
> >
> > The truth seems to be less than corporate censorship, but still
> > enough to be
> > distinctly unsettling.
>
> Having already looked this over, I don't find it disturbing at all.
>
> Whenever there is a truly major disaster in this country, radio stations try
> to avoid certain songs because they are afraid of upsetting people. This
> "self-censorship" is nothing but editorial policy, which _always and
> continuously_ edits what you hear on any particular radio station. It would
> have to, unless you just listen to a station that has recordings of all
> songs everywhere and plays them at random.
>
> If this had been a call from the government, or even a general call to all
> radio stations, that would be a different matter. But, as it is, this is no
> more censorship than refusing to play C&W or punk rock, or not playing
> Eminem because you think he is a bigot. You _always_ have a perfect right to
> choose what your own organization plays, and this isn't even a forbidden
> list, only suggestions.
>
> Filksinger
>
>
>
>
Received on 09/20/01