Today, Apple launched Apple Music to the world. And Apple’s always on, “progressive” radio station Beats 1 is currently censoring the music it plays worldwide.
Apple, who gave Dr. Dre a “senior role” in the company when it acquired his Beats company last year, is bleeping out curse words in songs from The Chronic.
“Beats 1 is a place for progressive radio programming. Alongside new music programs from our anchor DJs, we’ve invited some of the biggest artists in the world to make brilliant radio shows — from exclusive weekly DJ mixes to interviews with iconic musicians about albums that changed their lives. Beats 1 plays everything from old-school hip-hop to futuristic pop, and it’s all handpicked by people who live and breathe music,” says Apple.
And edited tracks, like if someone gave Walmart a deck and its own radio station.
Apple confirmed to BuzzFeed that “it is censoring explicit content on Beats 1, and it’s doing it worldwide. The company declined to provide any further comment.”
Other popular internet radio destinations like Pandora do not censor content, instead providing an “explicit filter” if listeners choose to block explicit content.
It looks like Apple wants to keep Beats 1 family friendly. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering Apple’s draconian regulation of App Store apps.
