Some are calling it an “outburst,” others refer to it as a whisper, but one thing’s for sure: Bjork’s chants of “Tibet, Tibet,” at her March 2 Shanghai concert were heard loud and clear by the Chinese government. The Icelandic chanteuse’s remarks quickly erupted into a scandal; control of Tibet is an extremely sensitive issue for the Chinese government, and Bjork’s remarks even “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” according to the Culture Ministry.
It has now been nearly 2 weeks since the kerfuffle, and while the grandstanding songstress is comfortably beyond the reach of the arm of Chinese law, the ripples are beginning to be felt by the 1.3 billion Chinese who will now be suffering the repercussions of Bjork’s publicity stunt. Reuters has an interesting look at how the Bjork incident will affect China’s music industry. With the Culture Ministry’s recent announcement that it will “tighten controls over foreign singers and other performers,” China’s concert promoters are pointing out that the real losers in all this are the Chinese people, whose access to creative influences and diverse forms of expression will be more restricted than before.
While staff at Emma Ticketmaster, who organised the Bjork show, refused to comment for the article, other promoters voiced their worries that this incident might prove to be quite a setback for the country’s burgeoning music business.
The article also speculates that it will be promoters who will bear the brunt of financial and legal sanctions for similar incidents in the future. This speculation has the ring of truth, as the government is eager to lay the blame elsewhere, and international artists are, well, international and difficult to prosecute under Chinese law. Stay tuned for details of the fallout in the coming weeks.
“It is unfortunate that this has happened. I know artists have to stand up for their beliefs, but she can’t expect to accomplish any good in doing what she did,” said John Siegel from China West Entertainment.
“I am concerned that tougher restrictions will apply, when it was finally getting a little more relaxed. Also, artists may not want to comply with tougher restrictions and choose not to come to China altogether.”