- 1990
Missouri legislators introduce a bill in January that forbids the sale of records containing lyrics that are violent, sexually explicit or perverse. Similar measures are introduced in 20 other states.
The City Council in Westerly, Rhode Island, passes an ordinance to thwart an upcoming 2 Live Crew concert in the city. The legislation forces the promoter to appear in court to justify why his entertainment license should not be revoked for sponsoring the band's appearance.
To avoid the newly adopted universal warning sticker, many major recording companies (such as MCA, Arista, Atlantic, Columbia, Electra, Epic, EMI, and RCA) establish committees to review upcoming releases for objectionable material.
Three county prosecutors in Eastern Pennsylvania warn retailers in April that they may be prosecuted if they sell 2 Live Crew's Nasty As They Wanna Be to minors. Prosecutors in Chester and Delaware County join Montgomery County prosecutor Michael Marino in declaring the album obscene.
Disc Jockey, a retail chain with nearly 200 stores, announces it will not carry any album with the warning sticker. Another large retailer, Trans World (with more than four hundred stores) announces they will require proof of age before selling stickered products.
The Broward County, Florida, Sheriff's department embarks on a campaign to eliminate 2 Live Crew records from the county, spurred by the group's current hit, "Me So Horny". After receiving a judge's declaration that the album is obscene, the Sheriff's office immediately mails copies of the judge's ruling to record retailers in the county. They follow up with visits to more than a dozen record stores to inform retailers that they potentially face arrest and prosecution as felons if they continue selling the record. The matter is tied up in the courts for more than three years.
Record Bar, a retail chain with more than 170 stores, announces that it will pull all 2 Live Crew recordings from its stores due to the controversy surrounding the band.
Waxworks, a chain music retailer, refuses to stock any product that carries a parental warning sticker for fear of potential protests and obscenity prosecutions. Following customer complaints and the adaptation of the music industry's standard sticker, the chain reverses its decision.
Also in March, a Tennessee judge rules that 2 Live Crew's Nasty As They Wanna Be and N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton are obscene under state law. Anyone arrested for selling the records could face fines from $10,000 to $100,000, depending upon the involvement of minors in the offense.
Article comments
1 - Chris
There are several examples in there of real Censorship, but the rest of the list is not. Only when the Government supresses speech in some form can it be truly called censorship. The rest are examples of people/businesses exercising judgement about what they will/will not release and/or play. There is no right to a record contract, and there is no right to radio play. Ask David Allan Coe.