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The one thing made in mainland China that doesn't show up in shops in the west as often are CDs. On the other hand, those that don't sell in the west wind up in the peoples republic of over a billion. They're supposed to be recycled or left for dead at a dumpsite. However, many wind-up in the hands of kerb-side dealers, selling them for a few yuan. These are usually cut-out CDs that have a saw-gash (dakou in Chinese) on the spine the labels unload. This is how a lot of western music is discovered in the communist nation, which limits the media as we all know (just saying whats in the papers). Some CDs have cut marks, making them useless, but some survive, and a subculture has sprouted among the youth.
There are a lot of used CDs that even collect dust in the charity shops, so maybe I could collect some to send to China. Maybe find some pirate releases someone could send back, like I found in the former USSR, though those are more painfully obvious than Russias even to the layman. A chemist in my area before they sold out to a chain used to carry pirated DVDs (I have one of
Cheaper by the Dozen '03). Some CD-Rs are made on the Asian continent as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong, and those are used to make pirates, but thats too easy.
As for dakou, there could be albums that can't even be given away in my country, but could either be sold on the street in Shanghai or turned into compost.
Maybe record companies will find another way to outsource unwanted product if they feel they're haemorraging money this way. Too easy to put something in the dustbin here.
