China's decade of strict music-streaming rules

中国严格的音乐流媒体规范十年

Round Table China

2025-07-14

25 分钟
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From sweeping crackdowns on music piracy to the boom of paid subscriptions, China's decade of copyright reforms has turned music streaming into a lucrative business. But in this regulated ecosystem, who's really benefiting: artists or the platforms? / Motivational Monday (23:01)! On the show: Heyang, Steve Hatherly & Yushan
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  • Discussion keeps the world turning.

  • This is Roundtable You're listening to Roundtable with myself He Young.

  • I'm joined by Steve Hatherly and Yuxian in the studio.

  • Coming up, from a mass takedown of pirated digital songs to the rise of paid subscriptions,

  • China's decade-long copyright rules have transformed music streaming into serious business.

  • But in this new, cleaner ecosystem, are musicians finally winning or just the streaming platforms?

  • And need a boost to crush the week.

  • Our special segment Motivational Monday is your ultimate adrenaline shot to kick things off strong.

  • Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple Podcast.

  • Got a question that's keeping you curious from social issues to tech and everything in between?

  • Let us take a stab at it.

  • Email us at roundtablepodcastatqq.com.

  • Emails are fine, but voice memos are always better.

  • And now let's switch gears.

  • Ten years ago, China's music industry looked a lot like the global scene.

  • Piracy was rampant, MP3 download sites thrived,

  • and the quote-unquote free music felt like a birthright.

  • Music was everywhere, but rights were rarely respected.

  • Then came July 2015, when China introduced its strictest-ever streaming rules,

  • ordering millions of unlicensed songs offline.