After over a week of not being able to download the various Queen, AC/DC, Smashmouth, and Chumbawamba songs necessary to excel during the final moments of this year’s 2008 Bejing Summer Olympic Games, users in mainland China can finally once again access iTunes. Apple's US-based online music store was fully blocked in China last week, after it became apparent that Olympic athletes in Beijing had been using the store for its, you know, intended purpose and downloading things -- specifically, a compilation called Songs for Tibet. The individual page for downloading Songs for Tibet, however, remains blocked on iTunes, as well as on the U.S. site Amazon.com for Chinese users.
The 20-track compilation was released by the U.S.-based Art of Peace Foundation August 5 to coincide with the beginning of the 2008 Summer Olympics and was offered as a free download to all participating athletes. A statement accompanying the release reads: "Wearing an iPod, a simple yet powerful symbol of personal freedom, provides Olympic athletes with an acceptable way to make a statement about the repressive atmosphere of the Games and express support for free expression."
But following an additional statement released by the Art of Peace Foundation August 18, which revealed that over 40 Olympic athletes had downloaded the album, users in China began reporting problems with accessing iTunes, citing the Chinese Government's infamous internet censorship as the source of the problem.
An article posted on China.org.cn (an official government news site) August 8 stated that the album had "ignited strong indignation" among Chinese web users. According to the article, "the angry netizens are rallying together to denounce Apple in offering Songs for Tibet for purchase. They have also expressed a wish to ban the album's singers and producers, most notably Sting, John Mayer, and Dave Matthews, from entering China." Uh, but not Queen or AC/DC or Smashmouth or Chumbawamba, so that’s good at least.
On second thought, maybe Chumbawamba.
