Copy Thachin

Copy Thachin
Popular Burmese Copy Thachin bandIron Cross
Etymology	"Copy Song"
Stylistic origins	Cover Music Burmese Music Western music Burmese Psychedelic Rock
Cultural origins	1980s,Burma

Copy Thachin,or simply "Copy Music"is a genre of music inMyanmarthat originates from the early 1980s. It merges the melody and instrumentals of international songs withBurmesevocals. Proponents of Copy Thachin argue that the style is separate from cover songs due to it having unique vocal arrangements and lyrics.

A small portion of Copy Thachin songs are direct translations of their foreign counterparts, while the vast majority often have different meanings.Additionally, Copy Thachin is known to change locations from Western Landmarks to local Burmese locations.Thukamein Hlaing,Min Chit Thu,Maung Thit Min,andWin Min Htwaywere known to use clever wordplay andinnuendosto refer to deemed "explicit" or banned content such asgang violenceorpremarital activities.

Fewer than 140 vocalists recorded the more than 3,000 songs that make up the Copy Thachin repertoire. According to available data, just 22 bands accompanied half of all these songs. Notably, the bandIron Crossworked on a total of 660 songs

Origins

During theSocialist Republic of the Union of Burmaperiod, the rulingBurma Socialist Programme Partyheavily blocked the importation of foreign media and restrictedVISAsfor 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,andcassettetapes into the country, which were often slowly spread through small circles, often through teenagers.

Copy Thachin takes much inspiration from the heavily psychedelic "Stereo Music" genre popularized by artists such as Naang Naang andSai Htee Saing.Playboy Than Naing'sShwe Thachin Myaror “Golden Songs”is considered to be the first Copy Thachin Album. Released in 1975, the album had versions of songs by Western artists such asThe BeatlesandThe Doorsalong with thatIndonesianartistVivi Sumanti.

Popularity

While most Copy Thachin songs are taken from European and American artists, Asian Artists such asVivi Sumantiwere also covered.

Despite thegovernment of Myanmarattempting 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.For much of the country's history, theCopyright Act of 1911was the only Copyright law relating to artistic and musical creations. The law didn't include any protections for foreign media, it wasn't until Burma joined theWorld Trade Organizationand signed theTrade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS) agreement in 1994 that the nation began to enforce foreign copyrights.There is a perceived stigma around Copy Thachin in modern-day Myanmar, as many musical critics and artists view it as embarrassing and as a cheap replication of original music.

Examples

In the 1984 Burmese film,Achit Hlaystarring "Playboy"Than Naing,he sings a song named "Sate Kuu Yin Eain Met"meaning"Fantasy Dream"in which the instrumental is directly taken fromJohn Lennon's"Imagine",the title itself,"Fantasy Dream",is a reference to Lennon's 1980 albumDouble Fantasy.