Censhorship

(Frank Zappa on Crossfire in the 80's when all the PMRC crap was going on)

Let's discuss censhorship.  Does anyone think that is a good idea to have a 'Parental Advisory' ruining the artwork of albums or even having the explicit words removed from the album altogether?  Any other kinds of censorship?  I know that in some towns certain books have been banned (ex. Harry Potter).  Movies get banned in some countries have having "questionable" material in them.  

I agree with Frank Zappa.  If you don't like something, don't listen/watch/read it.

Well I think parental advisory is only fair, as parents are responsible for their children (keep in mind that I'm 15, so I'm not biased in the other direction).  As for remove the material, that is horseshit, the marring the media as it was meant to be viewed.

I really could care less about the cover art of any album that's likely to have a Parental Advisory, in fact I could care less about most albums that have a Parental Advisory, for that matter. A lot of the bands I listen to have excellent cover art, but I mostly listen to 'art rock/metal', so it's not likely to have a Parental Advisory at all.

But on the other hand, if the parents really care about what their sons and daughters are listening to, they will look up the lyrics on the internet and find out what context they are in and such.  Haven't you ever seen an album cover ruined by that black and white rectangle?

Agg, yea, that is annoying, I bought Danzig, by Danzig, and the classic album art was totally ruined.

they will look up the lyrics on the internet and find out what context they are in and such.

This is actually why a parental advisory board is neccesary. Posting lyrics like this is a violation of copyright, so the only way to find out is to buy the thing, listen to it, and see if your kid should. Now, I don't know, do stores still accept returns on music CDs? I know I can't ask for a refund of my movie ticket just because I was only screening it to see if I should see it with a kid. This is why movie ratings exist.

Too bad it is a violation of copyright law to put lyrics to songs on the internet, though I'm sure it would be okay if it was on the band's website or a band sanctioned website.  Let's not forget about the fact that there are tons of albums that don't get the sticker simply because they were released on an independent label.  If we absolutely have to have a parental advisory, can we at least have it in a place where it won't be ruining the artwork, yet still visible?  Yes, there are places you can take used CD's but you don't really get much back on them.

can we at least have it in a place where it won't be ruining the artwork, yet still visible?  

Oh, your actual argument. Well, yeah, of course. The back sounds good, or does artwork actually wrap around?

even having the explicit words removed from the album altogether

This is where the constitution or whatever of your country is fun to read. In America, this is perfectly fine, and I agree with it. Private entities don't have to give you a platform for your speech. Thus, starting your own record label, and putting up stores which only sell records with the 'naughty words' is perfectly legal.

Does this in a sense put practical limits on free speech? Maybe, but then again, the US isn't buying my guns for me either.  :lol:

I know it sounds dumb, but I really value the artwork.  I'm trying to strike a compromise here!  

I don't really listen to bands that are under RIAA regulation, thus don't have parental advisory.