The Grammys Cave To China's Media Restrictions

Lady Gaga

The Grammys is looking to break into China, but it will have to do so without the help of some of its top stars - Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga among others - after it pledged to bring only well-behaved artists to meet Chinese censors' demands.

According to Reuters, Lady Gaga, plus Bjork and Bon Jovi, are blocked in China after they met or expressed support for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. China recently blacklisted Canadian star Bieber, citing bad behavior.

China's huge consumer base is a magnet for Hollywood studios to theme park operators, but entry in the market comes with strings attached. The country has long censored imported film and music and is now clamping down hard on audiovisual content online.

The Recording Academy, which runs The Grammys, pledged on Thursday in Beijing to respect China's media curbs as it plans to launch a tour in China in 2018 featuring its award-winning artists, or nominees, performing live shows.

"If there are restrictions and things in that nature, we have to be respectful," Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of The Recording Academy, told Reuters in Beijing.

China has launched a campaign to cleanse the entertainment sector of content it deems inappropriate and unhealthy, a vague term the authorities frequently use to justify censorship of politically sensitive topics.

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