Grammys go PC in bid to lure China

The organiser of the music industry's annual Grammy Awards yesterday said it would respect China's media curbs and only promote artists with a "positive and healthy" image, in its bid to break into the world's second-largest economy.

The Recording Academy, which is behind the Grammys, plans to launch a tour in China in 2018 featuring award-winning artists, or nominees, performing live shows.

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

"If there are restrictions and things in that nature, we have to be respectful," Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, said. Stars banned in China include Lady Gaga, Bjork and Bon Jovi.