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Location: Singapore

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Honey

Yes, the song is very catchy but no, I’m not a Cyndi Wang fan. Kp liked “Honey” the first time she heard it and was contemplating buying the album, but wasn't sure if it was worth it. Then one fine day we saw the China version going for $3.90!!! So Kp made up her mind within a few seconds to buy it, never mind the fact that it didn’t come with the photo-book, poster or other goodies that were given with the original version, since she figured she wasn’t going to pin the poster up anyway.

I don't like China imports but my naggings can’t stop my friends from buying them. I think they are spoiling the market and have no business to be here in the first place because it is printed that they are for sale in mainland China only. Of course real fans will never buy them but people who just want to hear the songs don’t seem to mind. To them (at least to those I’ve spoken to), they would not have bought these albums anyway if not for the availability of the cheap versions. If it was a singer they really like, they would have no qualms about buying the original versions.

I admit that there were a few occasions in the past when I ignorantly or unluckily bought some dubious CDs/VCDs, but these I either give away or stash somewhere. I’m not trying to be ‘qing gao’ here but it’s just a matter of principle. I think it’s only fair that you pay the appropriate amount for what you are getting. If you don’t have so much money, either be more selective, buy 2nd hand or try to save up.

In Japan, CDs are so expensive that you can find overseas versions (prohibited for sale in Japan) sold at half the price in other parts of Asia. But these overseas versions are properly licensed and never found in Japan itself. So I don’t see why China versions should make their way outside China. No wonder the music industry is in doldrums, what with piracy, illegal downloads and now cheap versions :( Give Music A Life!

3 Comments:

Blogger yung said...

i'm not really angry, but just quite disappointed with the current state of things...yeah i think they will get some fees from China versions, but at autograph sessions, i think singers will never sign China versions!

18/4/05 00:56  
Blogger irishblue said...

When you go to China, you can't really tell between the pirated ones and the China editions. So I think actually the china CDs are just pirated copies cos most of them the song combi is all different. my hk fren told me china vers aren't allowed to be sold in hk for a certain period after the album is released. i think they shld make tt rule here too. it's spoiling the market, but pls pls bring in more hk vers haha

i bought china vcd/dvds before being able to find e hk edition (too xing ji haha). so far, the ones i've got the casing always turns out broken juz after i remove the plastic. tt's china for u lol

my ex-colleague ever gave stef sun a china CD to sign and she refused to after signing a "S" haha

19/4/05 22:19  
Blogger yung said...

thks irishblue for the insight into China versions. All the more we shouldn't be buying them!

22/4/05 13:42  

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