Afghanistan s During the initial
five-year reign of the
Taliban government in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, all Western technology and art, including music, was prohibited. Instruments were demolished, celebrations were banned and all that was played on the radio were chants glorifying the Taliban. The one and only instrument to be exempt from this ban was the frame drum, also known as the
Daireh or Daf. While briefly lifted during the twenty-year tenure of the
Islamic Republic, the ban was resumed upon the
return of Taliban rule in 2021.
Australia The
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA) maintain a self-regulatory system known as the "Recorded Music Labelling Code of Practice", which utilizes a three-tier ratings system for objectionable content in music recordings. "Level 1" applies to content of a "moderate impact" (including "infrequent aggressive or strong coarse language; or moderate-impact references to drug use, violence, sexual activity or themes"), "Level 2" for "strong impact" ("frequent aggressive or strong coarse language", or strong references to drug use, violence, sexual activity or themes), and "Level 3" for "high impact" content (graphic and high-impact references to drug use, violence, sexual activity or themes). The Level 3 classification was introduced in March 2003, and requires purchasers to be over the age of 18. The code bans the distribution or sale of any recording with material that exceeds Level 3 classification, which includes content "which promote, incite, instruct or exploitatively or gratuitously depict drug abuse, cruelty, suicide, criminal or sexual violence, child abuse, incest, bestiality or any other revolting or abhorrent activity in a way that causes outrage or extreme disgust." Australian consumer law also bans the import of any product that "describe[s], depict[s], express[es] or otherwise deal[s] with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults". In 2003, copies of an album by
grindcore band Intense Hammer Rage were seized by the
Australian Customs Service, and the three band members were each fined
AUD$500 each for violating customs law. The violations centred upon the abhorrent subject matter of the album's artwork and printed lyrics; the albums had been manufactured in the United States by their record label, and imported into Australia for their distribution. The band criticized the seizure as being a dilution of
freedom of speech. In May 1990, Nick Franklin, acting news director of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio station
Triple J, was suspended by the ABC's management after having played a portion of
N.W.A's song "
Fuck tha Police" during a segment in which he discussed the song's vulgar lyrics and subject matter. The song had received airplay on the station for several months, but ABC Radio head Malcom Long requested that the song be given a "rest". In protest of the suspension, Triple J staff engaged in an
industrial action, and the station played the N.W.A. song "Express Yourself" 82 times in a row before the ABC reinstated Franklin. In 2014, Triple J would pay homage to the event while launching its digital radio station
Double J, playing various cover versions of the song on a loop as a
stunt prior to its official launch.
Austria Austrian rapper
Mr. Bond was arrested in January 2021 on the charges of "producing and broadcasting Nazi ideas" and "
incitement to hatred". He was later sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
Brazil During the
military dictatorship that ruled from 1964 to 1985,
Institutional Act Number Five (AI-5) granted the authority to censor cultural works that were seen as subversive to moral or political values. It was estimated that at least 500 song lyrics were censored under AI-5. The present-day
Constitution of Brazil adopted in 1988 prohibits the censorship of "political, ideological and artistic natures". The genre of
funk carioca has faced attention due to its often-provocative subject matter. One subgenre known as "
Proibidão" (lit. "strongly prohibited"), which originated from the
favelas of
Rio de Janeiro, is promoted at parties organized by
drug cartels, and often contain lyrics that glorify the cartel and
diss their competitors. Funk carioca parties (
baile funk) have been associated with
criminal activities such as violence and
drug trafficking. A bill proposing a ban of funk carioca was rejected by the
Federal Senate of Brazil.
Cambodia During the dictatorship of the
Khmer Rouge (1975 to 1979), all music in Cambodia was banned – the only exception being anything to do with party propaganda. Instruments and records were systematically destroyed by the regime, and as many as 90 percent of musicians and dancers were killed.
Canada song "
Money for Nothing" was the subject of a ruling by broadcast self-regulators in Canada. In Canada, content broadcast by commercial radio and television stations is self-regulated by the
Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) under the code of the
Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). The CBSC acts upon complaints that are submitted by the general public. The CAB Code prohibits radio broadcast of undue coarse language or sexually explicit material, nor content which glorifies violence. The
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) can intervene in more substantial cases. The CBSC overturned the ruling; while panellists agreed that the slur was inappropriate, it was considered to be satirical and non-hateful in context. It was also noted that lead singer
Mark Knopfler had substituted the word himself with alternatives (such as "queenie") during live performances, which was considered an admission that his original choice in words was in bad taste. The CBSC stated that it was up to individual stations whether or not they would play the unedited version.
China During the rule of
Mao Zedong, "
Yellow Music" became subject to criticism and censure, since the
Chinese Communist Party saw Shanghai
shidaiqu pop music as indecent, and critics saw the sentiments of love songs as appealing only to the
petite bourgeoisie. The genre was also criticized over its connections to American
jazz music, due to
anti-Americanism from the
Korean War. This resulted in many artists associated with shidaiqu, including
Li Jinhui (who had been credited as a leading figure in the genre) and
Chen Gexin, being branded as "
rightists" and persecuted. Shanghai pop was displaced by
revolutionary music that promoted
Maoism and other ideologies of the Communist Party. Many Shanghai artists fled to
Hong Kong, where the genre reached its height in the 1950s until the late 1960s, when it was superseded by
Taiwanese pop (
Mandarin adaptations of
Japanese enka songs), and later by
Cantopop. In 1966,
Tian Han—writer of the Chinese national anthem "
March of the Volunteers"—was imprisoned over his allegorical play
Xie Yaohuan (which was critical of Mao's regime) in one of the opening salvos of the
Cultural Revolution. His works were banned, leading to "
The East Is Red"—a song which glorified Mao's
cult of personality, being used as the
de facto national anthem at this time. The
Chinese Musicians' Association, developed in July 1949, was established to recruit and train
socialist musicians to strengthen the socialist ideology in the new generation. In contemporary times, musical works that criticize, or could be interpreted as criticism of the Chinese government, have also been subject to censure.
Guns N' Roses' album
Chinese Democracy was banned in the country, as its
title track criticizes the Chinese government and contains references to the
Falun Gong (a spiritual movement which is subject to persecution in China). The song "Legacy" on
Pet Shop Boys' 2009 album
Yes was changed to an instrumental for its Chinese release, as it contains the lyric "governments fall". In July 2017, it was reported that
Justin Bieber had been banned from performing in the country, citing "a series of bad behaviours, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China, which caused discontent among the public." In addition to criticism of the government, there is also censorship for drug use, over sexualising and misogynistic content. Chinese artists, such as PG One, have faced scrutiny from various institutions for having lyrics that contain misogyny and drug-related activities, seen as promoting what the Chinese government sees as inappropriate behaviour. In 2013, German electronic music band
Kraftwerk were denied
entry visas over their intent to perform at a 1999
Free Tibet concert in
Washington, D.C., which was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Maroon 5 had concerts cancelled in the country after bandmember
Jesse Carmichael posted a
Twitter message for the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday, and
Oasis concerts in China were cancelled after lead singer
Noel Gallagher performed at a Free Tibet concert in New York City. In 2016, the
Publicity Department banned
Lady Gaga after she posted a video of her meeting with the Dalai Lama prior to a conference in
Indianapolis. In July 2016, a
voluntary boycott of
South Korean
music and entertainment was practiced after the U.S. and South Korea
announced the deployment of a
THAAD missile defence system to protect against attacks by
North Korea (which has diplomatic ties with China).
K-pop groups, as well as soprano
Sumi Jo, had performances cancelled in the country due to the boycott. Share prices of
SM Entertainment and
YG Entertainment also fell, as South Korean entertainment companies had increasingly invested in China to take advantage of the
Korean Wave. In November 2017, following the settlement of the THAAD dispute, Chinese media outlets began to ease their censure of Korean music. "
Do You Hear the People Sing?" from
Les Misérables was removed from Chinese music streaming services in the wake of the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, as the song has been considered a
protest song in Hong Kong. Another protest song associated with the movement, "
Glory to Hong Kong", was banned under the
Hong Kong national security law in 2023; the ban was upheld by appeal in May 2024.
Iran performing at
Scotiabank Centre in
Toronto,
Canada In July 1979, during the wake of the
Iranian revolution, supreme leader
Ruhollah Khomeini banned all
popular music, considering it corrupting to youth's minds. The ban prompted many Iranian musicians to
move to the U.S. city of Los Angeles to pursue their careers and industry there instead. Female vocalists such as
Googoosh were also targeted under the ban (although her works remained popular via the black market), and she subsequently refused to perform. The restrictions were relaxed in the years that followed, especially under reformist president
Mohammad Khatami in the 1990s. Khatami also lifted bans on male pop groups (so they could perform in concerts marking the 20th anniversary of the Revolution), and began to authorize performances by female singers internationally, and to all-female audiences inside the country. In 2000, Googoosh was given authorization to embark on an international comeback tour. In 2005, president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad enacted a ban on western music from state-run broadcasters. The move came shortly after conductor
Alexander Rahbari had resigned from the
Tehran Symphony Orchestra due to backlash over their performance of
Beethoven's
Symphony No. 9 (the first time it had been performed in Iran since the Revolution). All music must be approved by the
Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance; typically, authorized releases are limited to traditional Iranian
folk,
classical, and
pop music. As some have faced government action for writing, producing, and performing unapproved music, many Iranian musicians do so as emigrants outside of the country. However, there have been thriving underground scenes in genres such as
hip-hop and
rock.
Israel The German composers
Richard Strauss and
Richard Wagner have been considered controversial figures in Israel due to their associations with
Nazi Germany, in addition to Wagner's
displays of antisemitism towards the Jewish faith. Although the works of Strauss have since been performed in the country, and broadcasters have played the works of Wagner without controversy, there has historically been
resistance to live performances of Wagner's music in Israel—with concerts intending to do so having been met with protests.
Malaysia In Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, local law prohibits radio stations from playing songs that are "offensive to public feeling" or "violate good taste and decency". References to
LGBTQ topics were censored from
Lady Gaga's "
Born This Way" by local radio stations because
homosexual acts are illegal in the country, while "
Despacito" was pulled by Malaysia's state-owned radio stations following listener concerns over its "
un-Islamic" lyrics. Concerts in Malaysia have also been subject to censorship to comply with the country's moral values;
Avril Lavigne was instructed to not wear revealing clothing, jump, shout, or include any "negative elements" in a 2008 concert in Kuala Lumpur, Muslim citizens were initially banned from attending a Black Eyed Peas concert in 2009 due to its
Guinness sponsorship, as alcohol is banned under
Sharia law (the ban was lifted after Guinness agreed to cease advertising its involvement nor sell its products at the event), and
Adam Lambert agreed to make changes to a 2010 concert due to concerns that he would promote "
gay culture".
Myanmar In 1962,
General Ne Win banned all Western music and dancing to preserve the culture of what was once known as
Burma. Under Supreme Leader
Kim Jong Un, Western music has been selectively exhibited by the country, such as by the all-female
Moranbong Band during their inaugural concert in 2012, and a concert by Slovenian band
Laibach in July 2015 featuring covers of traditional songs and
selections from
The Sound of Music (the latter being described as the first ever
rock concert in the country). In July 2015, it was reported that Kim Jong-un had issued a directive calling for inspectors to destroy music CDs and cassettes containing prohibited content, as well as adding additional songs to the blacklist (such as the entire soundtrack of the historical drama
Im Kkeok Jeong).
Poland In May 2020, Polish radio station
Trójka—run by state radio broadcaster
Polskie Radio—was accused of censoring "Twój ból jest lepszy niż mój" ("Your Pain is Better Than Mine"), a song by
Kazik Staszewski that was critical of the ruling
Law and Justice party. The song was inspired by a controversy involving party leader
Jarosław Kaczyński, who had visited the graves of his mother and twin-brother
Lech Kaczyński at a Warsaw cemetery, even though they were closed to the public due to
COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The song does not reference the party or Kaczyński by name.
South Africa The
SABC developed a record libraries, where all record companies were forced to submit their records to have their lyrics reviewed. Records that had banned lyrics, including those that influenced public opinion, were destroyed. In 1980, the SABC banned
Pink Floyd's "
Another Brick in the Wall," as it contained the lyrics "we don't want your education," which were seen as influencing public opinion. The SABC also banned "Cry Freedom" written by
George Fenton and
Jonas Gwanwa due to its association with
Nelson Mandela, and
Roger Lucey's "Lungile Tabalaza" and "You Only Need Say Nothing." In 1985, a group known as
Artists United Against Apartheid released
Sun City, an album protesting the
apartheid in South Africa. Its
title track references
Sun City—a luxury resort in the
bantustan of
Bophuthatswana that frequently hosted concerts by major musicians. The song encouraged other artists not to perform at Sun City during the apartheid, calling for justice.
South Korea Due to tense
relations between Japan and South Korea following the end of
Japanese rule, the Korean government imposed
various restrictions (ostensibly meant to target Japan) on the importation of cultural works from other countries. In September 1999, South Korea lifted its ban on live performances of Japanese music, but only in venues with a capacity smaller than 2000. In June 2000, it became legal to perform Japanese music in larger venues, and to sell music recordings originating from Japan. However, until January 2004, it remained illegal to sell recordings containing
Japanese-language lyrics. It remains illegal to broadcast Japanese music over terrestrial radio and television in South Korea. To appeal to the country's conservatism, television broadcasters have sometimes
pulled music videos from airplay for containing content they deem to be inappropriate, such as violent or sexually suggestive content. While Korea's three largest television networks—
KBS,
MBC, and
SBS—have all banned videos at some point, the
public broadcaster KBS is known for having stricter standards and practices, and additionally bans songs that encourage inappropriate behaviour (especially among youth), or contain references to brand names or Japanese words. This results in some songs, such as
Psy's "
Gentleman" (which was banned by KBS for a scene in which the singer kicks over a
traffic cone) being banned only by KBS, but still receiving airplay by other networks. In 2010, the
Supreme Court of South Korea ruled that it was illegal under the
National Security Act to possess music that praises North Korea, even if instrumental, as it constitutes an "enemy-benefiting expression".
Ukraine In June 2022, after the
Russian invasion of Ukraine which was started on February 24, 2022, the
Parliament of Ukraine voted to ban the distribution of Russian books and the playing or performance of Russian music by post-Soviet-era artists who support
Russian aggression against Ukraine. This ban does not apply to artists included in the list of musical performers who condemn the war against Ukraine.
United Kingdom ' "
God Save the Queen" was banned by radio stations, and allegedly suppressed from being the number-one song in the UK, due to its criticism of the British government and monarchy. The
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) adopted the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Parental Advisory label program; in July 2011, the BPI published guidance for use of the logo on digital streaming platforms. The
BBC was historically known for
censoring various songs from being played on its
radio and
television stations; from the 1930s through the 1960s, the BBC had banned songs such as "
Hold My Hand" for its religious references, pop arrangements of classical tunes (though barring "
Sabre Dance" because it was "not a well-loved classic whose perversion we would be encouraging"), and during
World War II, songs that were "slushy in sentiment", such as "
I'll Be Home for Christmas", due to concerns that it would affect the morale of soldiers. "
Mack the Knife" was also banned from airplay outside of
The Threepenny Opera, as the BBC felt it would be offensive outside of the context of the play.
The Kinks' "
Lola" was briefly banned under BBC rules prohibiting
product placement, as its lyrics contain references to the brand name
Coca-Cola. In the midst of an American tour, lead singer
Ray Davies flew back to
London to re-record the offending lyric as "cherry cola". The
Sex Pistols' 1977 single "
God Save the Queen" was controversial upon its release, as it was critical of the British government and monarchy (among other things, referring to the United Kingdom as a "fascist regime"), and was released during the year of
Elizabeth II's
silver jubilee. "God Save the Queen" was banned by the BBC and all
Independent Local Radio stations, but still peaked at #2 on the
UK singles chart during the week of the official Jubilee celebration. It was alleged that the chart's rules were changed for that week only to exclude sales from record shops that sold their own records (in this case,
Virgin), in a deliberate effort to prevent the controversial song from reaching the number-one spot and causing wider offence. The
Frankie Goes to Hollywood song "
Relax" generated controversy due to its suggestive lyrics; the chorus contained double entendres such as "when you want to suck to it" and "when you want to come", which were interpreted as being oblique references to
oral sex and
ejaculation respectively. On 11 January 1984, Radio 1 morning DJ
Mike Read stopped the song on-air during a chart rundown to point out its "obscene" lyrics, and announced that he would no longer play the song during his show. The BBC subsequently restricted the song to evening airplay. When the band made statements in a
Daily Express interview confirming the possibility of sexual connotations in the lyrics, the BBC banned "Relax" entirely. The ban only
increased interest in the single, causing "Relax" to become the number-one song in the UK two weeks later. Thirteen years later, in November 2020, it was announced Radio 1 would revert to playing the censored version again, although other stations such as Radio 2 played the original. As the song's
subject matter was deemed too inappropriate for airplay pre-watershed, BBC Radio 1 played an edited version of
Rihanna's song "
S&M" during the daytime hours, and referred to the song using the alternate title "Come On". As Rihanna objected to the censorship of the song's title, the BBC later compromised by referring to the song as "S&M (Come On)". For the same reasons, Ofcom deemed the song's music video to be unfit for broadcast pre-watershed. was played in full earlier in the show. The BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee upheld its decision not to play the song, due to its context as a celebration of Thatcher's death. "
Liar Liar GE2017", a song released during the run-up to the
2017 general election that is critical of prime minister
Theresa May, was not played by British radio stations due to broadcasting regulations in force during electoral campaigns, which forbid political advertising and require all broadcasters to practice impartial coverage. Despite the suppression, the song still managed to reach #4 on the UK Singles Chart.
United States label was voluntarily adopted by the U.S. music industry to designate recordings that may contain objectionable content. While music can be classified as a
protected form of expression under the
First Amendment, there have still been instances of voluntary censorship within the music industry, particularly in regards to
protecting children from being exposed to age-inappropriate subject matter, corporate objections to an artist's work, and by radio and television stations to remain in compliance with the regulations of the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The 1978
Supreme Court case
FCC v. Pacifica Foundation established that the FCC had the power to regulate the broadcast of content considered "indecent" on terrestrial radio and television. In the 1970s, the Native American band
XIT was targeted due to its radical support of the 1969 to 1971
Occupation of Alcatraz and affiliation with the civil rights group
American Indian Movement, as well as its debut concept album
Plight of the Redman —which denounced the historical treatment of
Native Americans by the government. The
FBI threatened to audit the band's label
Motown if they did not cease promotion of the album. In 1985, the
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), founded by
Tipper Gore, published the "Filthy Fifteen"—a list of fifteen songs it deemed to be the most objectionable due to their references to drugs and alcohol, sexual acts, violence, or "
occult" activities. The group pushed for the adoption of a
ratings system, and for lyrics to be printed on the back covers of albums so they could be previewed by parents.
Gangsta rap generated controversies due to its often-provocative subject matter. "
Fuck tha Police", a song from
N.W.A's debut album
Straight Outta Compton, proved to be especially controversial; the song criticized
police brutality and
racial profiling, and contained lyrics condoning violence against police officers. Civil rights activist
C. Delores Tucker was also notable for her opposition to gangsta rap. She was known for distributing flyers outside record stores, as well as buying stock in media companies so she could protest the songs at shareholders' meetings. Tucker was notably
dissed in other songs over her criticism of the genre, including
Tupac's "
How Do U Want It". Tucker sued Tupac's estate for emotional distress and
slander over the song; the suit was later dismissed. In 1990, Floridan political activist
Jack Thompson targeted the Miami-based
2 Live Crew and their album
As Nasty as They Wanna Be—which featured songs such as "
Me So Horny"—claiming that it was obscene. In 1992, the
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Gonzalez ruling, as the case presented insufficient evidence that the album passed the
Miller test established by the Supreme Court to determine whether a work is obscene (which includes a lack of artistic merit). The television channel
MTV was also known for
censoring objectionable content from
music videos, and restricting some particularly-controversial videos to
late-night airplay—such as
The Prodigy's "
Smack My Bitch Up" due to its violent imagery and
misogynistic lyrics, and
Sir Mix-a-Lot's "
Baby Got Back" for its suggestive subject matter. Several
Madonna videos have also been banned by the channel, including the sexually-explicit "
Justify My Love" and "
Erotica". Due to its violent content, MTV and sister channel
VH1 only played "
What It Feels Like for a Girl" once in late-night hours for its world premiere, and refused to add it to their regular rotation. Madonna's label subsequently sought other outlets for the video: the women's cable network
Oxygen aired it during its music program
Daily Remix,
AOL streamed it online, and it was released on
DVD. In the aftermath of the MTV-produced
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show (which was televised by its corporate sister
CBS)—where
Janet Jackson's breast was exposed by
Justin Timberlake at the conclusion of the show, in an apparent "
wardrobe malfunction"—the FCC launched a major crackdown against indecent material broadcast on terrestrial radio and television stations. Some
rock radio stations removed or censored certain songs so they would not run afoul of the stricter enforcement, while MTV moved several videos with sexually suggestive imagery to late-night hours. In addition, Jackson was blacklisted by CBS and MTV's parent company
Viacom, resulting in her music being pulled from its television and
radio outlets, and Jackson being removed from the CBS-televised
46th Grammy Awards (where she had been scheduled to introduce a tribute to
Luther Vandross). CBS also aired the ceremony under a five-minute
delay in order to ensure that no objectionable content was seen during the telecast. The blacklisting caused Janet Jackson's subsequent album
Damita Jo to underperform, due to reduced promotion and single airplay. The government of the unified Communist Vietnam also prohibited the sale of overseas Vietnamese music, including variety shows like
Asia and
Paris by Night. In recent years however, bolero had grown popular again, as more overseas singers performed in Vietnam. Additionally, singing competition television series like
Boléro Idol have grown popular, with singers performing songs, including those formerly banned. This led to a large amount of
self-censorship during the regime of
Robert Mugabe, with many musicians choosing to primarily perform propaganda music glorifying the Mugabe government since the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation refused to play songs critical of the then-President. In 2010, the South African band
Freshlyground released the music video "Chicken for Change" in collaboration with the local news comedy programme
ZANEWS, which mocked Mugabe. The video faced criticism from local officials, leading to the band being denied entry into the country for at least eight years. The band attempted to perform at the
Harare International Festival of the Arts in 2014, but were turned away at
Harare International Airport with no reason given by local officials. In 2017, Mugabe was removed from power in a
coup, and Freshlyground would ultimately close the festival in 2018. == References ==