Music captivates the soul. It can change the attitude of individuals. Jazz can soothe the soul, while heavy metal can enrage it. So should this brand of art be censored? In my opinion, the answer is yes and no. Artists should have the right to write and create whatever song they want. They have rights to do this, because of the first amendement. However, the distrubutor has the right to sell the product. They have rights to free business, as long as they are not selling anything illegal. They also have rights under the first amendment under the "right to free expression." For example, let's say you own a store, and the only type of cheese you want to sell is Tillamook. Now let's say that a representative from Kraft walks in your store and demands that you distribute their brand, Kraft cheese. The store owner, in my opinion, have the right to tell them "you can't force me to sell Kraft, it's my store. I can sell whatever I want [as long as it's not illegal]."
The Wal-Mart example can be applied to such stations as MTV and the FCC. MTV has every right to decide which songs they want to play. They may be ridiculed as a censor by critics, but let's face it, MTV owns the station and they pay money to maintain the station. Therefore, they own and have the right to air the music video.
If I was the ruler of all music, I would censor music that promotes and glorifies hatred toward those of different lifestyles and cultures. There is just no need to release songs of this nature. I also believe that it's very difficult to say that I want to censor music that is too violent, too obsence, or too inappropriate. Saying that I want to censor violent music is too broad. I have to actually hear the song, understand its context, and why the artist wrote it. From there, I can clearly make a decision.
Do I think artists should be allowed to play music with inappropriate lyrics (glorifying violence and sex)? Yes. It's under their First Amendment rights. But again, it's clearly up to the stores to decide whether or not they want to sell it.
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