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What Is Considered As Explicit Content?

When distributing music on multiple stores, it's required that you label your content correctly.

 

What Qualifies As Explicit Content

A song is considered explicit when it includes:

  • Strong Language: Any offensive or vulgar words.
  • Violence or Abuse: Mentions of physical or mental harm.
  • Sexual References: Any content related to sexual behavior.
  • Discriminatory Language: Hate speech or discriminatory terms.

Why Labeling Explicit Content Matters

  • Improper labeling can result in your music being rejected by certain stores.
  • These labels help parents block explicit content from younger listeners.
  • Even if only one track is explicit, most stores will automatically label the whole album as explicit.
  • If you include a "Parental Advisory" logo on the artwork, the stores will automatically label all the tracks as explicit.

Even if you don’t label your music, most stores are able to identify and recognize explicit material. If your content isn’t marked but contains explicit elements, it will still be labelled automatically. Labeling explicit content is important for compliance and to protect listeners. Make sure your content is labelled properly if you want to avoid issues during the distribution.

 

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