“Access to Apple’s online iTunes Store has been blocked in China after it emerged that Olympic athletes have been downloading and possibly listening to a pro-Tibetan music album in a subtle act of protest against China’s rule over the province,” Stephen Hutcheon reports for The Sydney Morning Herald.
“The album, called Songs for Tibet, was produced by an a group called The Art of Peace Foundation, and features 20 tracks from well-known singers and songwriters including Sting, Moby, Suzanne Vega and Alanis Morissette,” Hutcheon reports.
“It was released as a download on the iTunes Store on August 5 – three days before the start of the Olympics – with the physical CD launched on Tuesday this week,” Hutcheon reports. “The Foundation provided free downloads of the album to Olympic athletes, urging them to play the songs on their iPods during the Games as a show of support.”
Hutcheon reports, “Funds raised from the sale of the album are being used by the non-profit Foundation to support “peace-related projects that are dear to the Dalai Lama”, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader whom China regards as subversive.”
“On Monday, expatriate iTunes users living in China began experiencing technical problems with their previously unfettered access,” Hutcheon reports. “That was the same day the US-based Campaign for Tibet organisation claimed on its website that ‘over 40 Olympic athletes in North America, Europe and even Beijing’ had downloaded the album.”
“A blogger calling herself JeninShanghai has reposted what she says is a reply she received from Apple’s customer support after reporting that she had problems with her US iTunes Store account,” Hutcheon reports. “‘iTunes is not being blocked in China from our end, but access to the iTunes Store IS restricted in some areas in China. This would also explain why it’s happening to your friends there as well,’ the response reads.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Songs for Tibet via Apple’s U.S. iTunes Store (US$11.99) is here.
thats it!
now they have crossed the line.
Frak China!
Those bastards.
Don’t mess with Apple.
I hope this undermines the perception of China’s “ruling party” among Chinese young people!!
Go Apple!
Thats just bad karma man.
I thought they were blocked from listening to the fabulous musical remake, Hello Dalai Lama!
Someone’s not going to get any Gunga galunga.
The Chinese government must collectively have the smallest weiners in the universe.
Are we to be surprised that a communist state would do this? I was surprised that they didn’t try to block, detain or shoot the athletes.
Great golfer the Lama…
You can’t imaging how many things dasapear in US archieves! CIA is hard at work too for political sensure…
You’ll have to believe the lies that are available…
Apple will remove the music, I am almost certain. If they do not, then how will they be able to sell iPhones in China?
It really amazes me how the Chinese leadership does not realize how stupid things like this make them look. They also CLEARLY do not understand how western media works. If it wasn’t banned, nobody would even know this album exists. The Chinese, by causing the media to report on this, has guaranteed that 100x more people will now check out this album than ever would have otherwise.
I just bought it on iTunes. Good stuff! Support the cause!
Hey Almux – saying “but, but, but the US or Bush or whoever” is not a valid argument. China is a step above North Korea – full of lies, and ruled with an iron hand. Wish Apple built their stuff elsewhere.
Asshats!
almux, du yew noe hou 2 spel?
like people in china would pay money to buy anything from itune stores anyway. apple won’t lose much over it.
That’s a heartening story.
AND to think that China OWNS us!
“That’s a heartening story.
AND to think that China OWNS us!”
not wholly, just a majority.
thank god for a republican economy! errr, wait…..
Give me a f*cking break here….. this is just retarded.
COMMUNISM FOR EVERYBODY!!!
Great choice. Apple should totally lose China market because their involvement in politics.
@Jake
Wishful thinking. Everything the west has been trying to do to China, including totally biased and single-minded “report” on Tibet have completely alienated the young generation of China. Many young Chinese registered an account on iTunes just to low rank that album.
Screw China
Is the Olympics need to watch out for
The sole purpose of IOC/USOC/etc ?
All one big game for benefit of International Corporation$ like GE-NBC/Coke/et al … and probably includes Engulf and Devour
Promoting International Goodwill and Sportsmanship ?
Yea, right
Long as they make a dollar in the process – a LOT of dollars/yen/euros
Please, running around with sticks and ribbon streamers is a ‘sport’ ?
Why don’t they tie in with Trump and do Miss Universe as an Olympic Event ?
Or maybe the High School Cheerleader pep rally contests ?
Or Survivor/Big Brother ? Oh, nope, that’s CBS
Yea Yea, I know – some serious ranting from me on this
But, I gave up watching/caring about the Olympics once I became an Adult and realized the politics in play with judges who decide the ‘winner’ – THAT is the ‘game’
Surprised – somewhat – more haven’t figured this out too
Oh well – can say same about Windows
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So, someone make some songs/music about how the Olympics is rigged and a joke – now THAT would be priceless
Thanks, BC
Let’s just get something clear here: the authorities have blocked access to the US iTunes store. If you wanted to access your Chinese (or French, or German) iTunes store from China, you wouldn’t be blocked.
As pointless as this exercise is, it is also rather meaningless for anyone (except the Tibetans, of course).
And to add to BC Kelly’s rant, we all know why that swimmer guy Phelps was given the win in the race that was quite obviously won by Milorad Čavić – his big Omega sponsor, a.k.a. the official timekeeper of the Olympics. These are enormously big bucks on the line here, and Omega rakes it in big time if Phelps character gets an extra gold.
But that’s now all history – even Čavić himself seems to be quite happy with silver. Still… way too big bucks…
“Great choice. Apple should totally lose China market because their involvement in politics.”
Google did something similar.
Predrag
Yes, wasn’t that “win” by 00:001 of a second ?
Believe is some type of pressure device that trips the timer
(If it is THAT accurate then maybe NASA should contract with them for rocket launches to other Galaxies)
Was the ‘winner’ announced immediately ?
If not, then why not ?
What kind of ‘lag’ would there be in a system that accurate ?
Makes me think of Olympics in old days when bunch of guys with stop watches had to determine the time/winner by eye – think those results, on occassion, became a group decision following formation of a Committee after they conducted a survey.
If the machines now are precise enough to measure 1/100th of a second as a finger/hand in the water touches a spot, then should be able to have instant result, since we’re not talking about something like taking pictures of horses crossing an imaginary line from 100 feet away.
AND, think GE/NBC/KBR/Haliburton/whoever is using HiDef TV
Did they show the freeze-frame-instant-replay-photo-finish ?
Or are we just expected to take their word for it ?
Just curious
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BC