Popular Thai Music has borrowed much from western music, particularly its instruments, but still retains a distinct flavor of its own. Although Bangkok bar bands can play fair imitations of everything from Hank Williams to Madonna, there is a growing preference among Thais for a blend of Thai and international styles.

          Cassette tapes of Thai music are readily available throughout the country from department stores, cassettes shops and street vendors. The average price for a Thai music cassette is 55B to 75B. Western tapes are cheaper (about 30B) if bootlegged, but the days of pirate tapes in Thailand are numbered now that US music industry is enforcing international copyright laws. Licensed western music tapes cost 90B to 110B, still a good deal by the pricing standards of most western nations.

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