The following article originally appears in an Anti-Racist Action (Toronto Chapter) flyer about the White Power music industry. This flyer is very informative, and is highly recommended.
Racist rock is an essential element of today's fascists' strategy to recruit young people. Youth culture in the 60s and 70s gave a voice to people working for social justice and open fascists were on the fringes of mass culture. Today, they are trying to come out of the closet, to reconnect with youth, and build an army of "white warriors" to do their dirty work for them. The neo-nazi music industry is an ideal tool.
Racist rock music, like all neo-nazi propaganda, promotes hatred against people of colour, Jews, queers and women. Absurdly, racist rock also promotes an image of whites as the "victims" in any situation. Meanwhile, racist bands idolize violence, through their lyrics and even their names (like Aggravated Assault, or Brutal Attack).
Obviously, this makes their shows dangerous for communities where they take place. Nazi boneheads get inspired by violence by the music and the atmosphere. More generally, racist rock shows create a self-contained space for white youth where there will be no challenge to their racism, anti-semitism, homophobia and woman-hating. Racists know damn well that North America culture is suffused with Black art, music and fashion, and that they have to create something as far away from that as possible to compete for young white minds.
Meanwhile, the racist rock industry rasies money for the cause and gives reasonably stable jobs to whites within the fascist movement. For them, it's all about creating businesses, propaganda machines, "cultural" institutions, and community.
Unfortunately, some otherwise alright people are swayed by the argument that organzing against the white power music industry is violating fascists "freedom speech". but freedom of speech isn't the issue. Incitement of hate-motivated violence is. Fascist recruitment of young people is. A grassroots fascist movement is growing in this society -- and the only freedom they take seriously is the freedom for straight white christian men to treat anyone else like garbage.
If anti-racists can't prevent the growth of the white power music industry, we won't be able to prevent fascist recruitment. So let's get busy!