Video #27 - China: Internet Pop Star
Monday, January 16, 2006BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As in the U.S., recording artists in China have begun to embrace the Internet as a new medium for music. However, unlike their counterparts in the United States, they seem to have abandoned the idea of being compensated through the Internet. This is in response to the immense amount of music piracy in China, which takes place on a daily basis throughout the country. The International Federation of Phonographic Industry has estimated that 95% of music sales in China are of pirated copies. As Wang Lee Hom, a Chinese artist, puts it, "Pirates have already killed China's Music Industry dead. It frustrates my life and destroys China's creative future." As a result of pirates, Wang believes that his released albums serve as nothing more than promotional tools for his concerts.
A lot of other Chinese artists feel the same way. To cover their expenses, they take advantage of concerts and sponsorships by businesses. Their logic is the more fans get exposed to the artists -- even if it's through pirated merchandise -- the more the fans will want to support them by going to their concerts or buying the artist's products.
Additionally, the task of charging for music and other products online is almost impossible to accomplish right now as China lacks widespread services (such as credit cards or paypal) that enable people to make small payments over the Internet. So in a country where pirated copies of popular CDs look almost identical to originals and are even sold in the same stores, there seems to be little chance for legitimate online music businesses (like Apple's iTunes) to take root in the country.
SOURCES
Maney, Kevin "If pirating grows, it may not be the end of the music world." USA Today May 3rd 2005.
"The Effects of Piracy: Musical or Monetary?" CRI Online. December 30th 2004.
Crampton, Thomas "In China, record companies find new ways to do business : Pop stars learn to live with pirates". International Herald Tribune. February 24th, 2003.
Gorman, Timothy J. "When Your Customers Look Beyond Manufacturing Capabilities, What Do They See?" IRMA. September 7th 2005.
Goldkorn, Jeremy "Music and movie pirates: If you can't lick 'em..." Danwei. September 27th, 2005.
LESSON PLAN
Brown, Janelle. "Can a petition silence China's MP3 pirates?" Salon.com. August 2nd, 1999.
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:
10-12 grade Economics, International Relations, World History, Geography, International Baccalaureate Programs (IB), Current Events.
PURPOSE:
To present activities to be used in a variety of classroom situations in order to enhance student understanding of the Asian economy and its significance globally.
OBJECTIVES Students will be able to:
- Discuss the concept of piracy and the effect it has on businesses in China and elsewhere.
- Understand the principles and difficulties of doing business online in China.
- Come up with and debate current models for dealing with piracy in China and elsewhere.
ACTIVITIES:
May be assigned as group activities or as individual tasks. They may also be designed as preparation for related presentations either by individuals or groups.
- Have the students discuss the concept of sharing media over the Internet and whether China would be as good a market for this service as the United States.
- Research and report on the piracy of music, and how different countries deal with it.
- Have the students role-play as a record company dealing with issues of piracy in China and how it would deal with the problem.
- Have the students act as a model United Nations, and have them try to work out an international treaty to stop music piracy.
EVALUATION:
Individual assignments should be graded by the teacher using established criteria.
Group activities, presentations and projects may be evaluated by teachers and students using the following criteria and scale:
Content 1 = Superior (A) Creativity 2 = Excellent (B) Clarity 3 = Good (C) 4 = Fair (D) 5 = Poor (F)
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