In the Soviet Union, song competitions had an important role in presenting new artists and songs. The Mikrofona aptauja contest of Latvian radio (1968–1994) was the main forum for new Latvian pop music. It had a reputation for expressing nationalist feelings within the limits of Soviet censorship. In 1988, with the rise of new political movements in the Soviet Union, the competition became a venue for the Latvian independence movement. The winning song of 1988 was a demand for ‘freedom to the fatherland’. The competition also played a part in the rehabilitation of pre-war popular music which had been forbidden in Soviet Latvia. The paper discusses the role of journalists, politicians and songwriters in this process. After the privatisation of the economy, the song competition was taken over by private entrepreneurs, as public interest in political songs waned.

中文翻译：

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派莱卡……现在是时候了。拉脱维亚广播和电视的歌唱革命

在苏联，歌曲比赛在展示新艺术家和歌曲方面发挥着重要作用。这Mikrofona aptauja拉脱维亚广播比赛（1968-1994）是新拉脱维亚流行音乐的主要论坛。它以在苏联审查范围内表达民族主义情绪而闻名。1988年，随着苏联新政治运动的兴起，比赛成为拉脱维亚独立运动的举办地。1988年的获奖歌曲是对“祖国自由”的要求。比赛还为恢复在苏维埃拉脱维亚被禁止的战前流行音乐发挥了作用。本文讨论了记者、政治家和词曲作者在这一过程中的作用。经济私有化后，歌曲比赛由私人企业家接管，因为公众对政治歌曲的兴趣减弱。