Music News

IAn Iranian rapper has become the Salman Rushdie of music after clerics in the Islamic republic issued fatwas calling him an apostate, which is considered punishable by death under the country's sharia law.

Shahin Najafi, a Germany-based Iranian singer, recently released a song with references to Ali al-Hadi al-Naqi, the tenth of the 12 Shia Muslim Imams, a senior religious character.

The clip posted on Youtube, watched by hundreds of thousands online, has divided opinions in the country with many finding it 'offensive' and 'insulting' to their beliefs and others defending the song, saying it broke taboos especially in regards to expressing views about religious characters.

When asked for a religious ruling on the fate of Najafi and his blasphemous music, clerics unanimously declared that such a person must be considered an apostate.

Ayatollah Naser Makareme Shirazi said:

Any outrage against the infallible imams ... and obvious insult against them would make a Muslim an apostate.

Najafi has denied claims that his song Naqi is meant to insult people's religious beliefs, though the song criticises Iranian society. He told Deutsche Welle:

I thought there would be some ramifications. But I didn't think I would upset the regime that much. Now they are taking advantage of the situation and making it look like I was trying to criticise religion and put down believers.

An Iranian religion website, Shia-Online.ir, has offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who kills Najafi.

The extremist Islam Defender Font (FPI) says it will take to the streets if US singer Lady Gaga does not cancel her upcoming Jakarta concert on June 3.

FPI chairman Habib Rizieq said:

FPI is strongly rejecting Lady Gaga's concert because we know very well how she is during the performing in concerts everywhere.

He promised that he would join FPI members in taking to the streets if the concert went ahead.  He said:

If you want chaos in Jakarta, just continue to hold the concert,

Rizieq said that he would directly convey the group's opposition to the President

Update: Police Consider Ban

14th May 2012.  See article from thejakartaglobe.com

Lady Gaga's sold-out Jakarta concert is scheduled for June 3, but police have yet to decide whether Indonesia's 40,000 ticket-holders will be able to see Lady Gaga perform. The planned concert has attracted the ire of extremist Islamists of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), who ludicrously called Lady Gaga to the devil during rallies and warned that her concert will degrade the nation's sense of morality.

The Jakarta Police recommended that the concert be canceled. But, in the end, the decision is not theirs and permits are issued by the National Police who are still undecided whether to allow the perfomance.

We ask the National Police to take into consideration the public's opposition to Lady Gaga's concert, said M. Mahendradatta, board chairman for the Muslim Defenders Team, an organization known for representing hard-line Islamists and alleged terrorists. Mahendradatta claimed that the pop diva promotes devil worship and that her concert will corrupt the moral sensibilities of young Indonesians. He spewed:

Whether you like it or not, Lady Gaga teaches [fans] to worship the devil. That goes against the teachings of any religion. We don't approve of that.

FPI's leader Rizieq Syihab furthered the devil worshiping claims, adding that the singer was planning to build Lucifer's kingdom in Indonesia.

Update: Threats pay off

16th May 2012. See article from bbc.co.uk

Indonesian police have banned a concert by US pop star Lady Gaga in the capital next month. This follows follows the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) threats to intercept Lady Gaga at the airport and stop her getting off the plane.

Saut Nasution, a spokesman for the Indonesian police, told the BBC's Indonesian service:

It is better that we don't give permission rather than that [the concert] ends up being stopped by the people. We have already received a letter requesting us to consider the people's plea [for cancellation].  And the Jakarta Police also refused to recommend a permit for the concert because we don't want people to clash [on the matter].

Habib Salim Alatas, the Jakarta head of the FPI said: She's a vulgar singer who wears only panties and a bra when she sings. He also described her as dangerous for Indonesia's younger generation, and claimed that Lady Gaga had referred to herself as the devil's messenger.

The extremist Islam Defender Font (FPI) says it will take to the streets if US singer Lady Gaga does not cancel her upcoming Jakarta concert on June 3.

FPI chairman Habib Rizieq said:

FPI is strongly rejecting Lady Gaga's concert because we know very well how she is during the performing in concerts everywhere.

He promised that he would join FPI members in taking to the streets if the concert went ahead.  He said:

If you want chaos in Jakarta, just continue to hold the concert,

Rizieq said that he would directly convey the group's opposition to the President

Update: Police Consider Ban

14th May 2012.  See article from thejakartaglobe.com

Lady Gaga's sold-out Jakarta concert is scheduled for June 3, but police have yet to decide whether Indonesia's 40,000 ticket-holders will be able to see Lady Gaga perform. The planned concert has attracted the ire of extremist Islamists of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), who ludicrously called Lady Gaga to the devil during rallies and warned that her concert will degrade the nation's sense of morality.

The Jakarta Police recommended that the concert be canceled. But, in the end, the decision is not theirs and permits are issued by the National Police who are still undecided whether to allow the perfomance.

We ask the National Police to take into consideration the public's opposition to Lady Gaga's concert, said M. Mahendradatta, board chairman for the Muslim Defenders Team, an organization known for representing hard-line Islamists and alleged terrorists. Mahendradatta claimed that the pop diva promotes devil worship and that her concert will corrupt the moral sensibilities of young Indonesians. He spewed:

Whether you like it or not, Lady Gaga teaches [fans] to worship the devil. That goes against the teachings of any religion. We don't approve of that.

FPI's leader Rizieq Syihab furthered the devil worshiping claims, adding that the singer was planning to build Lucifer's kingdom in Indonesia.

As announced in the Queen's Speech, the Department for Culture, Media, Sport and Censorship is seeking views about the exemptions in the Video Recordings Act and about how advertisements shown in cinemas are censored.

Consultation Open date: 09 May 2012
Closing date: 01 August 2012

Please send your comments or if you have any queries about this consultation to:

AdsExempt@culture.gsi.gov.uk

or by post:

Advertising and Exemption Consultation Department for Culture,
Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London SW1Y 5DH

Cinema Advertising Censorship

The government is asking whether the BBFC really needs to get involved in the censorship of cinema adverts. At the moment it is mandatory that the BBFC rate such advertising, but the Government is asking if the more general system of advert censorship provided by CAP and ASA is sufficient.

Option 0: No change

Under this option cinema advertisements would continue to be referred to the BBFC for age rating whilst also being subject to mandatory self-regulation overseen by the ASA.

This regime has been in place for a number of years and it could be considered that it should remain on the grounds that it appears to work effectively to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate content via cinema advertisements and consumers' rights are properly observed. Some may feel also that the statutory backing is an essential element of the regime.

However, as set out earlier in the preceding paragraphs, others may consider that the age rating role provided by the BBFC in relation to cinema advertisements is already adequately covered by the self-regulatory approach of the industry and that it therefore represents an unnecessary burden on business.

Option 1: Remove the requirement for BBFC classification of cinema advertisements

This option would potentially remove the financial and administrative burdens on the cinema advertising industry of having to submit each advert to the BBFC for an age rating. Arguably, this would also make matters simpler for industry, reducing the additional time constraints resulting from both BBFC and CAA clearance.

The BBFC has indicated that the current average classification cost is around £111 per ad classified. There is an additional administrative burden for industry attached to this process in supplying the BBFC with hard copies of the adverts requiring classification. The impact on the BBFC of removing the classification requirement would simply relate to their resourcing of this function.

However, could removing the requirement to age rate adverts shown in cinemas by the BBFC result in a reduction in consumer and child protection? The industry bodies and the CAA believe the existing advertising clearance system as set out in paragraphs 4.6 to 4.23, underpinned by the ASA's non-broadcast advertising code (CAP Code), is robust enough to ensure there are no regulatory gaps, particularly in relation to child protection, and that suitable consumer safeguards will be maintained.

This option would also not place additional enforcement burdens on local authorities

On music censorship the government is nominally considering 4 options:

option 0: Leave the existing exemptions in place and untouched, on the basis that either the present arrangements do not give rise to concerns to an extent that would justify legislative change, or that removing exemptions would place unnecessary or disproportionate burdens on industry for limited benefit.

option 1: Remove the exemptions from age rating for music, sports, religious and educational video works. This requires primary legislation to achieve. Removing the exemption would mean that producers would have to submit all film material to the BBFC for classification before making them available for sale in the UK regardless of genre.

option 2: Lower the existing content thresholds for exemption so that more products are brought within scope of the age rating requirement (as we have done recently for video games). This can be achieved by secondary legislation.

option 3: Ask other parts of the video industry to introduce a self-regulatory parental advisory system for the currently exempt genres, similar to the BPI's PAS labelling scheme for the music-themed products.

Option 2 is noted as the Government's preference

A group of Christian nutters from South Korea are planning to hold a prayer meeting in protest of Lady Gaga's show in Seoul on 27th April.

AFP reports that 300 members of Alliance for Sound Culture In Sexuality are planning to attend the meeting.

Kang Ju-Hyun, a prayer organiser, told AFP: We will pray to God that the concert will not be realised so that homosexuality and pornography will not spread around the country. The group have accused Lady Gaga of spreading unhealthy sexual culture through lewd lyrics and performances.

Under 18s have been banned from the concert, after the Korea Media Rating Board deemed the show unsuitable for young audiences.

Update: A small group of Christians

29th April 2012. See article from bbc.co.uk, Thanks to Nick

A small group of Christians staged a rally outside Seoul's Olympic Stadium, where around 45,000 fans saw the singer perform hits like Poker Face and Judas.

The poster for Lady Gaga's Seoul concert said it had adult certification Activists in Seoul have been protesting over the concert for weeks, claiming the singer was obscene and could taint young people.

A group calling itself the Civilians Network against the Lady Gaga Concert said her performance was too homosexual and pornographic.

Early day motion 2968: Age Ratings For Music Videos

That this House

• is concerned about the lack of progress being made in the formulation and introduction of age ratings for music videos which currently are exempt from any restrictions in the UK;

• believes this to be totally unacceptable as many contain material which is often highly inappropriate for children in respect of language, violence and sexual imagery;

• is alarmed that despite promises made, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has so far failed to even establish a consultation process on this most important matter; and

• calls on the Government to act quickly to protect children from being exploited by such unacceptable commercial practices.

Primary sponsor: Alan Meale, Labour, Mansfield

Signed by:

• Peter Bottomley, Conservative, Worthing West
• Ronnie Campbell, Labour, Blyth Valley
• Martin Caton, Labour, Gower
• Katy Clark, Labour, North Ayrshire and Arran
• Jim Dobbin, Labour, Heywood and Middleton
• Mark Durkan, Democratic and Labour, Foyle
• Mike  Hancock, Liberal Democrats, Portsmouth South
• Margaret Ritchie, Social Democratic and Labour , South Down
• Steve Rotheram, Labour,  Liverpool Walton
• David  Simpson, Democratic Unionist, Upper Bann

A popular Iranian singer who publicly defied regime censorship by releasing pro-opposition songs on the internet has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Arya Aramnejad fell foul of the authorities after singing political songs in condemnation of the regime's crackdown against the Green movement. Aramnejad, whose works are banned inside Iran, initially released two songs in support of the movement during the campaign period before the country's disputed presidential elections in 2009.

In the unrest following the elections, which saw dozens of protesters killed and hundreds arrested, Aramnejad released music that particularly infuriated officials and led to his arrest.

Shortly after the protests, Aramnejad released a song called Ali Barkhiz (Wake-up Ali), which spoke out against the violent crackdown against the opposition. One version of the song, which made it into a video clip posted on YouTube, has been viewed more than 80,000 times.

Security forces arrested Aramnejad for the first time in February 2010 after his song attracted a great deal of attention. He spent 45 days in solitary confinement before being allowed to contact his family. He was later sentenced to six months, a term he served from November 2011 until recently, when he was allowed out of prison for the Persian new year.

A friend of Aramnejad said: Arya has been recently informed that he has been given a one-year jail sentence for his other songs released since 2010. He's been accused of acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the regime, the friend said.

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemns the arrest of rapper and activist of the 20 February movement, Megaz El Haked, by the Moroccan security forces on March 29 claiming that one of his songs is offensive to a public institution.

El Haked was summoned for interrogation on a charge of offending a public authority by a Casablanca Cour. In one of his songs, El Haked criticized the political situation in Morocco, which authorities considered a defamatory insult against public officials. The activist jailed on remand to stand trial on 4 April.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that El Haked has been arrested for his songs. He was imprisoned for four months on trumped-up charges before being released in January 2012.

El Haked's arrest for the content of his songs for the second time is unacceptable and is a clear violation of freedom of expression, which includes freedom of creativity and art, stated ANHRI: Freedom of expression is an inherent right and no one should be punished for expressing his opinions, whether that was critical of the system or not.

ANHRI calls upon the Moroccan authorities to immediately release El Haked and ensure that peaceful free expression is protected.

Update: Still Jailed

20th April 2012.  See article from hrw.org

Moroccan authorities should drop charges and release a rapper who has spent three weeks in pretrial detention on charges that he insulted the police in his songs and a video set to his music, Human Rights Watch said today.

Police arrested Mouad Belghouat, known as al-Haqed (the sullen one), on March 29, 2012, because of a YouTube video with a photo of a policeman whose head has been replaced with a donkey's. The lyrics denounce police corruption.

The offending material cited in the case file consists of a rap song Belghouat composed and recorded, entitled Kilab ed-Dowla (Dogs of the State), and a YouTube video containing a photo-montage set to the song. The song denounces police corruption with lines like, You are paid to protect the citizens, not to collect people's money and take it to your chief.

It is understood the Prime Minister is considering new rules that would oblige websites hosting such videos to introduce robust age verification systems similar to those used to safeguard children online gambling.

Music videos are currently exempt from BBFC censorship under the Video Recordings Act 2010. There are currently no legal restrictions on children downloading music videos of any kind.

The Prime Minister is understood to be disappointed with the music video industry's response to a Government report that whinged about sexualisation of childhood.

Cameron is to summon leading figures in the music video and social media world to Downing Street for a summit next month and threaten censorial new laws if more is not done to protect children.

Campaigners claim there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of sexual content and explicit language in music videos which can be accessed by very young children on computers and mobile phones.

Around 200 million videos are watched each month on Vevo, a music video website popular amongst the young. Although MTV, and other television channels, censor sexual content before the 9pm watershed the same is impractical for video-sharing websites.

Music videos were singled out for strong criticism in Let Children be Children, a Downing Street commissioned report written by anti-sexualisation campaigner Reg Bailey, head of the Mothers Union, a Church of England campaign group.

The  government also remains 'concerned' by the style and promotion of so-called Lads' mags, such as Loaded, FHM and Nuts. This industry is also set to be called in to Downing Street over the summer to be asked what steps they are taking to protect children.

There is likely to be strong opposition to Government restrictions on accessing music videos online. Rio Caraeff, the chief executive of Vevo, has said that age ratings are unnecessary and would be difficult to enforce. Vevo has claimed the move would be bad for business and would cut the royalties earned by some acts.

Ten dangdut songs with the titles Jupe Likes 69 Best, Rocking Van, Sorry I Got You Pregnant, Accidentally Pregnant, Anything Goes, Just One Hour, Pimping Love, Breaking Womens' Law, Here's Something Long and Crocodile Hole have been banned for broadcasting by Indonesian provincial censors.

Dangdut is a genre of Indonesian popular music that is partly derived from Malay, Arabic, and Hindustani music. It developed in the 1970s among working-class Muslim youth, but beginning in the late 1990s reached a broader following in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines.

The West Nusa Tenggara Broadcasting Commission (KPID) has decreed that radio and television broadcasters are prohibited from airing the songs, which it claims have pornographic lyrics.

The KPID took two weeks to examine 300 of the most popular dangdut songs after receiving a complaint from a nutter group which it said included academics and cultural scientists from the province.

KPID head,  Badrun A.M., claimed that the body did not take the step to impose censorship lightly.

In principle we do not wish to curb the creativity of anyone's art,...BUT...the KPID also wishes to protect the public from the negative impacts of listening to these songs. There's the potential for children and teenagers to copy what they hear.

The head of the broadcasting supervisory agency said that the words to Julia Perez' song Jupe Likes 69 Best were delivered in an erotic voice, with lustful sighs and emphasis on lyrics which portrayed intimate relations and the singer's preferred mode of sexual intercourse.

More vulgar still, according to Badrun, was Rocking Van by Lia M.J. and Asep Rumpi, which he said, promoted sex outside of marriage, and went into details of sex positions.

This is very vulgar, and completely inappropriate to be heard by our community here in West Nusa Tenggara. Not to mention 'Pimping Love' which tells the story of a husband who sells his wife as a prostitute --- this does not represent our Eastern culture, he said.

Ofcom has made an appeal decision that Ofcom was correct to determine that the MTV online service Viva TV Music is subject to expensive censorship as an on-demand programme service

An appeal by MTV Networks Europe against an ATVOD determination that its web- based music video service Viva TV Music is an on demand programme service and therefore subject to regulation has not been upheld by Ofcom.

The decision means that MTV is required to pay a substantial fee for its own censorship and ensure that the Viva TV Music service complies with a range of statutory requirements .

In order to fall within the scope of the censorship overseen by ATVOD, a service must satisfy a number of statutory criteria, as set out in section 368A of the Communications Act 2003. One of these is that the principal purpose of the service is the provision of programmes the form and content of which are comparable to the form and content of programmes normally included in television programme services.

In the case of Viva TV Music, the decision turned on a number of issues, including whether the Viva TV Music section of the website constituted a service in its own right, and whether music videos are 'TV-like programmes.

Sri Lanka Ministry of Culture and the Arts says it plans to bring a new bill soon to censor Teledramas and songs on TV deemed unsuitable for all audience.

With the implementation of the proposed act, the Teledrama producers will have to obtain the approval for the production from the Public Performances Control Board before telecasting it through TV channels.

The song writers will have to submit their lyrics to the Public Performances Control Board and the songs will be inspected by the board even after music is composed, the Ministry says.

Currently the Public Performance Control Board pre-censor only movies and stage drama.

A private member's bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat Don Foster, will lift some of the state control and restrictions imposed on gigs by the 2003 Licensing Act.

The changes will mean that a licence will no longer be required for unamplified live music taking place between 08:00 and 23:00, and for amplified live music taking place between the same times before audiences of no more than 200.

The bill passed unopposed and will have to go back to the House Of Lords on the 10th of February before becoming law.

The MP from Bath was steering the bill through the House Of Commons on behalf of his Lib Dem colleague, Lord Clement Jones. The success is a relatively rare example of a House of Lords private member's bill making it into law.

Foster explained:

It was said the Licensing Act 2003 was going to lead to an explosion of live music but, in the event, in small venues it was drastically cut.

We saw village halls, school halls, pubs and clubs reducing the the amount of live music, not increasing it.

Hopefully the bill, when it comes into law, will reverse that.

Separate to the private member's bill, the government is conducting its own review of the Licensing Act.

There is always someone campaigning against the allegedly evil lyrics on hip-hop records. Back in the late 1980s, it was Tipper Gore, wife of Al, and her posse of perfectly manicured, perfectly white Washington wives who spent sleepless nights panicking that hip-hop artists' allusions to sex and violence would warp young people's minds. (This was before the Gores realised that global warming was a bigger threat to mankind than gangsta rap.) Today, the anti-hip-hop baton has been passed from the prim and well-off arm-candy of politicians to feminists and black activists, who fancy that their campaign to excise words like bitch and ho from hip-hop is radical and edgy, when in fact it is only a spin-off of the squeamish censoriousness of Tipper and her girlfriends.

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