Called "The National Karaoke Content Management Service System," it has been approved by the Ministry of Culture and will start a pilot programme in three cities before it rolls out nationwide, according to the Chinese-language press.

The announcement of the news, attended by some Ministry officials, was made by the Culture Market Development Centre, an organization under the Ministry. So far, the Ministry itself has refused press requests for confirmation or elaboration.

But the nation's business media has smelt a rat, so to speak.

"The Centre is a 'guanshang,' a business run by a government agency, and it does not conceal its ambition to monopolize the karaoke market," says a commentary in Chinese Business View. "Even though it touts the principle of 'free choice to plug into the system,' we have reason to worry that, with an entertainment platform built on monopoly, anything can happen."

The author of the article compares this system to China Union Pay, an electronic inter-bank system that started by offering "free lunch" and then graduated to a growing mountain of service fees, causing a major public outcry.

The "KTV tunes database," as the karaoke system is known in layman's term, claims to have one major advantage in stamping out unauthorized use of copyrighted music: Every time a song is requested for singing-along, it will have an automatic record, and therefore, collect a royalty fee for the music label that owns its copyright.

In the past few years, music labels have occasionally targeted karaoke businesses for copyright infringement lawsuits. It is reported that no karaoke business in China pays royalties for every tune used. There is simply no such mechanism even if it wanted to.

The music labels have "expressed support for such a system," said a spokesman for the company that is building the system. But in recent interviews, some labels admitted that they did not really know how it would work out.

One more question: If participation is optional for a karaoke operator, why would he opt in and pay while his competitors can continue the free ride? Wouldn't that create an unfair environment for competition?

To my knowledge, this system by no means fills a void. There is an organization under the Music Association that is supposed to collect such fees. The dilemma is, it is incapable of enforcing the rules even when it wants to.

The most effective thing a centralized "KTV tunes database" can do is to filter out unwanted songs, as it states explicitly to be its top priority. But therein lies the biggest trap.

The database will forbid "unhealthy" songs from karaoke use. But who will define what is "unhealthy"? Some folk songs are quite racy by our standards, but they are part of the traditional dating rituals of some ethnic minorities.

And tastes change over time. Many of the love songs that we take for granted today would have offended millions had they appeared a decade ago.

Suppose the system errs on the side of precaution and goes for the "lowest common denominator." That would keep many of the unconventional tunes out of the door, especially rock, hip-hop and those created in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

It is no secret that many of the hot new melodies come from outside the mainland, where the pop music scene has a freer rein. The sensitivity displayed in those songs would no doubt offend some censors, who tend to have conservative tastes.

On top of it, there is the time lapse in okaying imported music in time for karaoke consumption. As most albums are released simultaneously all over Asia, a consumer who prefers "hot" tunes may not be able to find them in the "KTV database" as they bide their time in the pipeline of approval from censors, a scenario common with film imports.

If that happens, the karaoke business will be sapped of its vitality as it takes on an antiseptic feel. Songs pushed by the system may be those grandiloquent arias, while those giving voice to private feelings such as angst and frustration may be snubbed.

In the worst case, the grass-roots sing-along business may wither.

Email: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn