Carnival Cruise’s new rules spark backlash

ThatRobGuy said:

I was referring to "clean" rap as in not explicit in its unfiltered form (which is why I referencing the cheesy old Will Smith and Vanilla Ice stuff). If you're referring to "clean edits" where they simply blank out the explicit content or do 'word replacement' in post editing, there is industry data to show that it's not terribly popular.

Sales Impact​

• Albums with the warning label saw a 30% boost in sales.
• Hip-hop albums with the label often outperformed their "clean" versions by 3:1

Modern Numbers​

The digital age brought new ways to mark explicit content, but the impact remains strong:

• Streaming platforms flag 65% of hip-hop content as explicit
• Labeled tracks get 35% more plays than clean versions
• 80% of listeners prefer explicit versions when available

The warning label transformed from a cautionary sign into a powerful marketing tool. What started as an attempt to limit sales created a new revenue stream for artists and labels. Now, the label serves as a content guide and a proven sales booster across physical and digital platforms.

Cultural Reach​

• 8 out of 10 Billboard #1 Rap/Hip-Hop albums in 2022 carried explicit content warnings
• 65% of music consumers aged 18-24 view the label as a mark of authenticity

So, I would suggest that it's a tad dishonest for people to try to pretend "it's just like every other genre, it's just peoples' skewed perceptions".

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