Not really intending this to be a thread about a particular song, band, album, or genre. But more of a musical trend I've seen that is so embedded into things lately, that I think most people don't even bother thinking about it.

I think one of the rules of the group sort of demonstrates that trend well:

extremely offensive music

Offense, at least in the case of the rule, is at least given an attempt at explanation. As long as that explanation is used for this group, the rule is fine. The thread isn't so much about the rule though, just using it as a starting point for the conversation. Thing about offense though is, different things offend different people, and to different degrees. None of the things listed under the rule would offend me, regardless of how they were presented to me. Other people are offended by simple bad language, such as the word, "fuck."

The trend I've long noticed in music is that people are quick to censor music. Everyone feels they have the right to produce "clean" versions of songs. People bleep out "bad words" and so on. Overall, this is nominally fine. If that was where it ended, and some people were willing to put up with a chopped, bleeped, and otherwise ruined piece of art in order to protect themselves from "bad words" then that's their choice.

The issue is that it has crept further. Now, music that is mangled is typically labeled normally. With no indication that it has been subjected to this treatment. Instead, the original versions of these songs are marked as "dirty" or "explicit."

Worse still, there is no real way to filter out these chopped up versions of songs. A site like Fimfic has a mature filter. You can use it to block things that are naughty. If someone writes a story, they can mark what level of content it has, and that's fine for everyone. But there aren't, usually, stories with "cleaned up" versions. With songs, even if someone did offer such a filter, it would only be there to block out "explicit" music for people with these sensitive feelings.

So what about what does offend me? Where is my filter to block out censorship? Where is my filter to ensure that if I go to Youtube and search for music by artist that interest me, I can ensure that I won't have to sift through tons of different bleeped and mangled pieces of shit in order to find the actual, original, uncensored version of the song as the artist(s) intended it to be?

What are your thoughts and opinions on the topic?

5876123 they can only censor if the creator ask or tells them to censor because other wise it be copyright and illegal basically editing someone else's work but people don't see it as copyright since the owner doesn't say anything about it or don't see it. where i stand on it? i stand let the original version be and ask before censoring like serious how hard is it to ask plus don't listen to the song if your offended if you like the song you you won't mind cuss words in it. my point where i stand is let the original be and ask

5876123
5876160
Hmmm... you both have some good points . I might change up the rules a little sometime these next two weeks. Thanks.

~RW

5876215 thank you

5876160
First, try complete thoughts/sentences. It's easier for everyone if you take the time to actually use your words to say what you mean. I'm going to attempt to respond to what I think you've said. This is, first and foremost, a site dedicated to reading and writing. You are communicating with the written word. Try a little harder.

they can only censor if the creator ask or tells them to censor because other wise it be copyright and illegal

Who is they? Anyone and everyone can take any piece of music, edit it, and create a "cleaned up" version. In the days of my youth, before the Internet was in widespread use, the only people who had access to this sort of power were recording studios, and they would indeed work with the publishers on these versions. The trend was embedded even back then. If an artist wanted to get published, they had to be willing to follow all these rules. The FCC has rules on what can and can't be played on the airways.

Now, with much more saturated access to digital copies of music and editing software, anyone with the inclination to edit a song can, and songs can be uploaded and played practically anywhere. Yes, the publishing industry does make efforts to control this, but it is really out of their hands for the most part. Sites like Youtube work with them to enforce their rules, but they're pretty unreasonable in most cases.

As for it being illegal, no not really. Fair use is a thing. You can take something made by someone else and parody it. You can use actual sections of someone else's work for informative or criticique purposes. You can do this for money, such as in a magazine article that you sell. Furthermore, any piece of intellectual property is supposed to go into public domain after the lifetime of the creator. (supposed to, thing have gotten muddled due to Walt Disney Co.) Copyright law is not as simple as you make it out to be. There are different people with different, competing interests involved on both sides of what the laws are supposed to do, they shift over time, and neither your nor my opinion on them matters in the long run.

how hard is it to ask

It can, in fact, be really hard to ask. Did you ask Hasbro if it was OK for you to create an original character based on their property, have art made (or make art of) that character, and use it to represent yourself on some popular website on the internet? How hard would it be to ask them permission to make use of what rightfully belongs to them? Oh, you feel like the way you're using their stuff is OK? It probably is, and you probably don't need to ask permission. Music is the same way. Some stuff does need permission, some doesn't.

don't listen to the song if your offended if you like the song you you won't mind cuss words in it

Therein lies the tricky part. The artist want people to listen to their stuff. People listening to their stuff makes them famous and, with other steps involved, makes them money. So they're generally OK with creating censored versions of their songs, because then they can have those easily offended people still listen and still generate those dollars.

I'm not worried about the legal side of things though. I'm worried about those silly people who are offended by words, and are getting their way. I want them to still enjoy any music they feel like listening to, including something with bad words in it but bleeped out so they can remain unoffended. I want them to have their way, but I want my way too. I want to be able to filter out censored music, so I can more easily find the original versions. I want my interests catered to also. And it feels like that isn't happening. It feels like the people who want to censor music are going above and beyond their desires to not be offended, and going to where they are trying to stamp out other people's positions.

5876215
Reread what I said. I said the rules are fine, as written. As long as the way they are written is the way they are enforced. You specify things that are already against the site rules: bigotry, basically. Songs that attack specific people.

What I mean is, if someone posts a link to a song that contains the word, "fuck" in it and you punish them for it, that isn't in your rules and it better not happen. I don't care if someone else claims to be offended. If someone posts a link to a song that contains the message, "kill all gay people" and you punish them for that, that is in your rules, and should be fine. Because that would also be against the site rules.

5876271 to be honest i'm as confused on what you meant and i really just typed what i thought

5876271 Oh, yeah, that's what I mean, but I feel like the rules are a little vague about that.