[OutVoice] FCC Bleeping

[TsunamiInc at aol.com]

I've seen this issue from both sides, as a DJ and as an artist. I did play 
one song on the air that had four letter words and just cut the volume, as JD 
suggested. It's hard though and like him, I had to really like the song. I don't 
know if I would play a bleeped version. I'd be paranoid about using the right 
version.

One of my own songs has a few four letter words. I've tried singing with 
substitutions but really, it just doesn't have the same impact. When I record this 
song I'll simply include a note to DJs that says it has the word and they 
won't play it. There'll be 12 other songs they can play so I'm not worried.

Damn FCC. None of this should matter.

Jamie

Jamie Anderson
singer-songwriter-parking lot attendant
touring nationally for 19 years
www.jamieanderson.com

In a message dated 8/31/2006 5:27:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
Jddoyle1 at aol.com writes:
In a message dated 8/31/2006 11:17:16 AM Central Standard Time, 
freddy at freddyfreeman.com writes:
Do any of you radio people have any thoughts on this or know what is 
acceptable and not acceptable? 
Would you play a song with a bleeped Fuck in it, have things changed, can you 
now play it unbleeped? 
Just looking for some feedback from Y'all 
Freddy,
   Nothing's changed. A couple of years ago I did several internet-only shows 
(my own way of protesting) and I included a page on the FCC guidelines, as 
compiled by a Pacifica lawyer and presented to us at a meeting. It's at....
http://www.queermusicheritage.com/fccrules.html

Yes, we can play a song with the word completely bleeped, though I personally 
find that very distracting and annoying. Another appoach is to just cut the 
volume for that word, a bit less noticeable. Both are hard to do "on the 
fly." 
I would never chance it, and I'd want to use an editing program and then burn 
a disc of that song to take to the station. I did that recently with one of 
Kris Landherr's songs. I readily admit, I'm a busy guy and I have to REALLY 
like 
a song before I would go to that trouble. I'm betting you don't want to 
gamble airplay on a producer's willingness to try to censor your song.

Not all songs can be successfully "bleeped" without ruining the impact or 
rhythm. For example, Saturn has a wonderful song, "I Luv Everything About 
You," 
that I was not able to doctor in a suitable way, so regrettably I just can't 
play it.

I know money is important to an indy artist, but I often wonder if you have 
that dynamite radio-almost-ready song and you don't want to censor it, if you 
could record two versions of it, and have both on your CD, giving those who 
program for "regular" radio an option. Substitute a safe euphemism 
perhaps....."messin' around" for "fuckin' around" or whatever. Or even have a 
radio-safe 
version ready to email upon request as an mp3.

My two cents,

JD Doyle