tablishment, producing music dubbed as conventional or "unplugged." More recently, the government has lifted its ban on certain Western music, some 847 songs that radio and television stations have been unable to play under three successive military regimes, because of pressure from the U.S. government for a more open marketplace.
Most of Asia has long been a target for Western entrepreneurs, but the Chinese market is only beginning to open to the West. However, to date the entry of Western record companies into this potential market of 1.2 billion consumers has been hindered by cultural and bureaucratic obstacles. Western music is not totally accepted by Chinese listeners, just as previously other Asian peoples resisted this different musical style. Yet the strength of Western music in Asia as a whole was demonstrated recently at the first International Music Market held in Singapore, where about 130 music industry professionals from Australia, Asia, and Europe met and discussed th
...