JD Meltzner, opinion writer
February 7, 2022

Freedom of speech is perhaps the most controversial of the rights promised so long ago to Americans. The extent to which it protects our speech and actions is constantly debated in a multitude of social arenas, including legal issues settled in court and cultural issues settled on social media.

However, it is often forgotten that freedom of expression is not exclusive to the political sphere but is also an extremely influential element in matters of education, scientific progress or economic industries. One area impacted by freedom of expression is often overlooked: the art world, particularly the music industry.

The music industry is notably differentiated from other arts industries by its obsession with targeting popular topics or positions, often at the expense of artistic integrity – a practice colloquially known as “sell.” Thus, musicians are often faced with difficult decisions regarding all aspects of their music: what should the lyrics say? What kind to mention? What vocal styles should be inflected?

To be successful, it often seems like the answers to all of these questions must conform to what the culture is devouring at the time, and often artists take this desperate path to break into the mainstream of such a competitive industry.

But what about artists who decide not to, who decide to break the norm and produce music that lives outside the machinations of “great music”? It is at the intersection of fringe artists and the pressure of the popularity-obsessed industry that the impact of free speech lies.

Since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll—characterized by its taboo subject matter and loud, intense sound—the bigwigs of the music industry and sometimes even the government have attempted to silence these deviations from musical norms. In the 1980s, concerned parents lobbied for censorship rock bands like AC/DC and Def Leppard, asking for content warnings to be put on their files.

Even now, these attacks on freedom of musical expression continue. Legal debates rage over whether or not rap lyrics describing violence can be used as evidence in court cases, with many decrying the practice as a violation of free speech rights.

“It’s the music scenes in small towns like Fort Collins that are fighting the music industry’s pervasive culture of infringing on the freedom of expression of small artists who represent bands considered out of the ordinary.”

Although these examples present major and widespread examples of attacks on freedom of expression in the music industry, they only demonstrate the stifling culture of silent artists who promote socio-cultural groups or positions that exist outside. of the standard that permeates the industry.

These smaller artists and fringe movements are often suffocated by industry roadblocks. Bigger hurdles, such as the reluctance of major music labels to sign these artists or larger venues denying them the chance to perform, combine with smaller issues, such as content platforms like YouTube revocation monetization on music videos they deem inappropriate for advertisers.

So how do these little artists release their music? How do they amplify their voice to continually draw attention to those topics that the industry deems inappropriate? They use the existence of small town music scenes which, while not as connected to the industry as national scenes like Nashville, Tennessee or Los Angeles, foster the growth of artists who have not yet conquered the beast of the music industry.

These scenes are complex in how they operate, being an amalgamation of demographic factors including location, local average age and more, and yet they are essential to the existence of the music industry’s counterculture.

Our own Fort Collins, while not small itself, is an example of one of those small town scenes fighting the good fight against the violation of freedom of expression in music. It’s a college town filled with open-minded young people who essentially define the music of the fringe artist by often crossing paths to bring awareness to the same subject present in their music. It is also a cultural center, being one of the largest cities in the state as a whole.

Beyond demographics, Fort Collins has a carefully cultivated music scene that combines the aforementioned music from fringe artists with the unique Colorado sound on which it was built. Everyone gets a chance to tell their story here, and venues like Aggie Theater put on gigs ranging from bluegrass jam bands to underground rappers in a week.

It’s this cultivated fanbase, built on the origins of the city and the music that accompanies it, who are introduced to new music and new visions that may go against the grain but are still respected. here.

For example, Alice Longyu Gao, a Chinese hyperpop artist, recently performed at The Coast in the Old City. His music is a brash and exciting take on traditional pop styles, and his lyrics are often attorney for the LGBTQ+ community, a group often rejected by the music industry. Here in Fort Collins, however, her music was well received and she was given a platform without having to jump through industry hoops and sell her vision.

It’s the music scenes in small towns like Fort Collins that are fighting the pervasive culture of the music industry that undermines the freedom of expression of small artists who represent bands considered out of the ordinary. It is vital that these scenes are supported and continue to grow, as this is the only way to ensure the survival of a counterculture music scene – a scene that champions sidelined bands and gives voice to issues considered taboo by the mainstream.

Contact JD Meltzner at [email protected] or on Twitter @jd_meltzner.