Another banning, another country

China’s Agency for Cultural Affairs has recently put a ban on various songs. Users in China will not be able to search for
these songs or download them from music sites, as the country will be  removing them. In total, this ban will prohibit people from trial
listening to the songs, hearing them on broadcasts, and downloading them.

Most of the bans affect Taiwanese and Hong Kong artists, but Japanese artists such as Hirai Ken and Kuraki Mai also were on the ban list. Four songs from Hirai Ken including “Itoshiki Hibi Yo” and “Sing Forever” are banned, as is Kuraki Mai’s “Mou Ichido”.

Several western artists are banned as well. Lady Gaga has six songs banned including “The Edge Of Glory”, “Judas”, and “Bloody Mary”. Katy Perry’s “E.T.” and “Last Friday Night” are banned. Britney Spears’s “Burning Up” is also on the blacklist. The most shocking among western artists is Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”, which was released over 10 years ago.

They explain that the reason for the bans include: racial discrimination and/or hatred, paganism, superstition, or content containing sex.