Reports that MTV has “banned” Duran Duran’s ‘Girl Panic!’ video have been all over the internet this week, stating that the network has refused to air the nine-minute film directed by Jonas Akerlund due to explicit sexuality and overt use of product placement.

Sound familiar? Back in 1981, The ‘Girls On Film’ video was banned by the BBC for titillating our pre-pubescent minds with images of nude models frolicking around in mud and shaving cream. This wholly premeditated effort provided the just-naughty-enough patina to the the band’s (until then) wholesome image that was so often the death knell for burgeoning boy-bands of that era. Duran Duran knew what they were doing then, and they know what they are doing now.

Things are just a little bit different this time around. There has been no official statement from MTV stating that the video has been banned. In fact, MTV is still featuring the video as “Buzzworthy” and continues to highlight fashions from the video in their “MTV Style” feature.  Yet nearly a month after the video’s premiere, online music news outlets such as Gigwise are reporting that the video has been pulled from the airwaves, inciting cries of outrage from fans and providing a very convenient opportunity for “a source very close to the band” to deliver their marketing message. Says this inside source, “The band had an amazing time filming the video and certainly don’t take themselves too seriously, playing cameo roles as waiters, bell hops, chauffeurs and paparazzi. The video reflects a supposed day-in-the-life-of expose, that has every ounce of trademark Duran Duran tongue in cheek humour and glamour.” Why, of course it does!

I find it a bit hard to swallow that it somehow took MTV a month to notice that they had been promoting what is (certainly not just) an advertisement for Swarovski and champagne  sprinkled with pretty girls in expensive bondage gear playing a little tonsil-hockey. Perhaps not coincidentally, this same “MTV has banned it! Shock and outrage!” cry was rallied for Akerlund’s Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ video, prompting MTV to release a statement soon after that they had in fact not banned the video at all, and that “no one even checked with us to see if that was true.”

The video already has nearly five million views on VEVO, a company who sees no shame in product placement. Rio Caraeff, Chief Executive Officer for VEVO has proudly stated that the company “works as a conduit between the world’s largest music companies and brand marketers,” and they also don’t seem to to take any issue with the fact that sex sells.  Duran Duran don’t need people to watch their ‘Girl Panic!’ video on MTV. They just need people to keep talking about it, a month after it’s release and as the band kicks off another world tour. And thanks to a bit of spin-doctoring, that’s exactly what they’re getting.

Girl Panic! is a gorgeous video that we will all be talking about for a long time, I’m sure. You can watch it here. And if MTV actually even plays music videos anymore, I’ll bet you can still watch it there too.