China:
Ministry makes new push to control online music
The Chinese ministry of culture implements new censorship rules for the country’s online music providers by 1 January 2010. This is necessary to ensure that lyrics are "acceptable" and to protect "intellectual property rights", stated the ministry
It was announced on the website of the ministry of culture on 3 September 2009 that Chinese online music distributors such as Yahoo China, Baidu and Google (which has just launched a downloading service) will have to submit all imported music to the ministry for vetting.
In a statement sent to AFP, the culture ministry said the rules were necessary “to regulate the transmission of cultural information, guarantee the safety of the nation's culture, and regulate public ethics.”
The official Global Times stated that music providers would have to submit songs for approval by 31 December 2009, at which date the new rules go into effect. They would also have to translate the lyrics of foreign songs into Chinese.
Music banned by the Chinese authorities will not be available at a new free Internet music download service launched earlier this week by Google Inc. and major music companies
Western musicians and tour organisers have encountered difficulties with performances in China due to a tightened political control over the arts and Christianity.
"Any artistic group or individual who have ever engaged in activities which threaten our national sovereignty will not be allowed in," the Chinese Ministry of Culture stated
The Chinese Ministry of Culture announced on 26 April 2008 that China will tighten up controls over cultural activities and products ahead of the Summer Olympics
Jamyang Kyi, prominent Tibetan singer and a song-writer, internet writer and feminist activist, was arrested on 1 April 2008 and is held without charges by Chinese authorities
During a concert Björk added “Tibet! Tibet!” to her song “Declare Independece”. The statement was followed by angry reactions amongst Björk fans and Chinese politicians.
A religious group in Taiwan managed to get the government to ban the singer Singa Rinpoche from entering the country for one year. The ban only increased his popularity
Beijing officials who seven years ago banned the music of Taiwan's pop star A-Mei now use her name to improve political ties between mainland China and Taiwan
An edited version of a part of a thesis entitled 'Three Decades of Canto-pop: Hybridization, consolidation and Innovation', written for University of Liverpool in 2005
200 professional musicians, scholars, and composers from 22 countries met at the 3rd Freemuse World Conference on 25-26 November 2006 in Istanbul, Turkey
