Rock bible tossed
From:
From correspondents in Beijing

March 30, 2006

Rolling Stone
Shut out ... Rolling Stone

CHINA has ordered the closure of the Chinese edition of Rolling Stone magazine, less than a month after its inaugural issue hit the streets, saying the publication had broken the rules.
The bible of rock was a hit with readers, selling out at many Beijing newsstands, but it failed to establish a connection with the authorities.

The Shanghai Bureau of Press and Publication said the magazine had failed to follow the proper registration procedures.

A bureau official, Liu Jianquan, said yesterday: "We have issued them a warning and told them to stop their illegal action." Gaining a publishing licence in a country where all publications are carefully monitored by cultural commissars can be long, complicated and arduous.

For a foreign title, the process is doubly difficult.

Mr Liu divulged a few details of where Rolling Stone went wrong. He said the Chinese magazine Audio-visual World had "co-operated without authorisation with a company based in Beijing that was said to have the right to use Rolling Stone stories".

A foreign magazine must first find a Chinese publisher willing to enter into a partnership and gain the approval of the relevant authorities to go ahead.

Having established a partnership venture, the Chinese side must then apply for a licence from the Bureau of Press and Publication to publish the foreign magazine under the title of a (usually defunct) local magazine.

That can take a long time.

It is believed Rolling Stone and its Hong Kong publisher, One Media Group, took at least a year to get the first edition on to the Chinese newsstands.

However, many foreign publications have appeared successfully recently, many after obtaining licences with remarkable speed. Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar are all competing for the disposable income of China's emerging middle class. The content of such fashion-heavy publications is unlikely to fall foul of the Chinese censors.

Hao Fang, editor of the Chinese Rolling Stone, expressed surprise when asked if the magazine had been closed.

"I have received no such notification," he said.

From The Times, London

...typical. I bought the first issue with the free hat as a keep-sake..lucky I did.

Wow! That was interesting, I wish I had bought a copy when I saw them.

Maybe it wasn't Chinese-y enough (from the Times of London):

"On the cover of the first edition in Chinese of the American bible of pop culture is Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock and roll. Featuring the 44-year-old rock star was a bold choice. Cui only last September played his first public concert in China in 12 years, to nearly 10,000 fans in the Workers’ Stadium in Beijing.

The magazine features Jay Chou, a pop star from Taiwan, Nigo, a Japanese hip hop artist and Muzimei, a Chinese blogger famous for her sex diary, to round out its Asian input. More than half of the content is translated from the US edition."

They still had some at Carrefour two days ago.

Oh, thanks travelinjack - I'm going there today. It could be worth something one day ; )

Rolling Stone hits regulatory wall
30 March 2006

After selling-out its first print run of 125,000 copies, the Chinese version of music magazine Rolling Stone has run into regulatory problems as the government said approval had not been granted for the tie-up with a local publisher. An official at China’s press and publications administration said the cooperation agreement with Audiovisual World magazine has been halted for legal reasons, the Financial Times reported. According to government rules on foreign involvement in magazines, ownership and ultimate editorial control must remain in Chinese hands. Rolling Stone was effectively just a new version of the Audiovisual World publication as it was published under the Chinese magazine’s license. It is believed that the comprehensive changes in design and content prompted concerns over the extent of the foreign party’s involvement.

http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/subs ... hp?id=7093

hey allix... if you go and see some, will you grab one for me too? don't have time to get out there but it would be kind of cool to have the one and only rolling stone china!

if you don't see this in time, will you let me know if they still had some and perhaps i can make it out there on sunday.

I was there yesterday and didn't see any - if I see any anywhere, I'll def. pick up a few!

opps.. didn't realize today was the 31st!!! sorry! but thanks! i shall keep my eyes out too!