by Victor Strange

Created on: March 09, 2008

Should the music industry do more to improve the moral content in song lyrics? If the average person were asked this question they would immediately say no and quickly jump on some sort of creative rights or freedom of expression bandwagon. But the truth is most artists are trying to make a living and they know what the industry is looking for.

With that being said, the industry is very discriminative when it comes to artists, groups or bands. Maybe it is due to the narrow mindedness of the record label CEOs or maybe it is just downright greed. Music is a reflection of our lifestyle regardless of our creed and background. Music the "Universal Language" has a way of reaching you right where you are. It may be Gospel, Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Jazz, Soul, R&B, Rock or Hip Hop. There is a music that parallels our lifestyle.

Music has more of an influence in society than people tend to realize. You could be on an elevator, or on the phone trying to get in touch with the insurance agent. You could be watching the news, the sports show, the talk show or tuned in to the radio, you are going to hear some music. Each of the above referenced outlets have a musical thread that is intended to incite a particular emotion. KFC, McDonald's and other major food concessionaires have music incorporated into their promotion campaign because they understand the power of music.

Now we as a people have a responsibility toward one another, that is to ensure that this type of power does not go unbridled and unmonitored. Music is very suggestive whether people agree or not. If you are in a movie theater you know when the fight scene is coming because the music suggests it. You also know when the love scene, or the sad scene, or the terror scene is approaching because the music suggests it. Each sequence maintains the ability to draw a certain emotion from within man.

Now lets talk about the power of the spoken word. We are in the midst of a presidential campaign. The candidates are not singing to us or rapping over loud beats, they are simply speaking. The key is they are speaking in order to get you and I to make a particular response or action. I personally do not think that there is anything more powerful than the power of the spoken word. Men spoke and wars were fought, treatise were made. People spoke and fell in love with one another, people spoke and led others astray through lies and deception. Jesus Christ spoke words that were so powerful, that even two thousand plus years later

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