Copy thachin

During the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma period, the ruling Burma Socialist Programme Party heavily blocked the importation of foreign media and restricted VISAs for foreigners, which caused the large absence of Western music for a long period. However, officials such as diplomats and scholars were allowed to bring Western instruments, songbooks, and cassette tapes into the country, which were often slowly spread through small circles, often through teenagers. Playboy Than Naing's Shwe Thachin Myar or "Golden Songs" is considered to be the first copy thachin album. Released in 1975, the album had versions of songs by Western artists such as The Beatles and The Doors along with that of Indonesian artist Vivi Sumanti. == Popularity ==

were also covered. Despite the government of Myanmar attempting to censor copy thachin throughout its history, it can widely be heard today in many public spaces. Most copy thachin was released during the 1990s. However, it has seen a level of decline in recent years. This decline can be attributed to younger artists taking pride in making their own unique music, the influence of music producers who have taken a disliking to copy thachin, and stronger copyright law being passed into law under the military regime since 2019. == Examples ==

In the 1984 Burmese film, Achit Hlay starring Playboy Than Naing, he sings a song named "Sate Kuu Yin Eain Met" meaning "Fantasy Dream" in which the instrumental is directly taken from John Lennon's "Imagine". The title itself, "Fantasy Dream", is a reference to Lennon's 1980 album Double Fantasy. == References ==