Media Migration of British Culture to Georgia

Since the 1960s, despite the Iron Curtain, illegal media migration of Western culture began in the Soviet Union, including Georgia. British psychedelic rock became very popular among the new generation. The audience resorted to forbidden methods to listen to the music of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Despite the suppression of their signals by the Soviet government, British hits were still listened to illegally in Georgia through the BBC, Voice of America, Radio Liberty, and Radio Luxembourg. Radio was, in fact, the only bright spot and window to the West.

Among the illegal ways of cultural transfer, we can name the transfer of Western music onto secondary X-ray images (“music recorded on bones”), the clandestine import of vinyl records by diplomats, sailors, people on official missions abroad, etc. During this period, receiver was more ineresting in distribution of media products, than the channel.

The active involvement of the audience revolutionized the distribution of illegal music. The media transfer of British culture brought a spirit of freedom to the new generation, and the Soviet government had to establish alternative controlled vocal-instrumental ensembles and allow certain Western hits.