China's censors shine spotlight on karaoke(national database for acceptable songs)

SMH ^ | 08/07/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

China's censors shine spotlight on karaoke

August 7, 2006

BEIJING: With their control over newspapers, television, magazines and the internet secure, censors in China are now turning their attention to the nation's karaoke parlours.

The Ministry of Culture has issued new rules to prevent "unhealthy" songs from ringing forth in the sing-along bars, and to safeguard intellectual property rights.

The Government has picked three cities, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Qingdao, to test the program, under which member businesses will choose songs from a central database. If successful, the program may go nationwide.

"All the songs in the database for use by karaoke parlours and consumers need to be censored" to ensure content meets government standards, Liang Gang, from the Ministry of Culture, told state media.

Media analysts said Beijing's karaoke initiative was aimed at wiping out songs with sexual or vaguely political lyrics or those that seeped across the border from Taiwan and Hong Kong bearing foreign slang.

"It would really bother me if I wasn't allowed to sing a song I liked," said Song Zhu, an 18-year-old student, standing in front of the Cash Box karaoke parlour in Beijing. "I'd be especially peeved if I'd practised and got really good at it."

Tens of millions of Chinese sing in karaoke establishments each year in a multibillion-dollar industry.

At $US6 ($7.80) for a private sound room at Cash Box for an entire weekday evening, this form of entertainment is affordable to many workers and students, as well as to wealthier business people.

Tao Wei, who produces youth-related plays and films for the Government, said: "I think it's a policy to control content, but also to control who gets the money. If a new song wants to enter the system, you have to pay and the Government gets the proceeds."

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hmm... one more group of officials to bribe, karaoke censors at Ministry of Culture.

Also a new business opportunity for Chinese crime syndicate and their sponsor inside Chinese regime: the crime syndicates run illegal karaoke bars featuring censored songs for extra-charge, and the sponsors take the cut for looking away.

So many news money-making opportunities for crooks.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[martin_fierro]

I for one am for the banning of "Wind Beneath My Wings" being performed anywhere, by anyone, in any medium, at any time.

I now return you to your regularly-scheduled FReeping.

[American Soldier]

"It would really bother me if I wasn't allowed to sing a song I liked," said Song Zhu, an 18-year-old student, standing in front of the Cash Box karaoke parlour in Beijing. "I'd be especially peeved if I'd practised and got really good at it."

That's actually one of the most encouraging statements by a Chinese citizen that I have come across in the past year or so.

I truly hope more members of his generation will become "especially peeved" with the state's leadership in the years to come.

[GreenHornet]

The Ministry of Culture has issued new rules to prevent "unhealthy" songs from ringing forth in the sing-along bars

I would not be adverse to banning karaoke in this country.

[wolfcreek]

Seems to me, Communists and Islamofacist countries are hard at work cracking down on the rights of their people. Not just the normal amount of enforcement but, to the point of being rediculous. This leads me to believe these action are preparation for a coming war where, total control of their populations will be critical.

[BipolarBob]

It seems the Chinese had a real problem with "Take This Job And Shove It" for some reason.

[Schwaeky]

That might be something that muslim, jew, tamil, sinhalese, communist, fascist, republican, democrat, christian and atheist--but all alpha males--- would agree on... how about bannning Barbara Streisand too...