Ten KTV bar owners in Beijing received copyright access licenses on Friday after paying either six months' or a year's worth of royalties to the China Audio and Video Collective Management Association Beijing Office.

The development marks the latest step in the contentious effort to impose a royalty regime on the nation's karaoke bars.

Wang Huapeng, the association's vice-president, said KTV bars in Beijing has been granted a preferential rate of 8 yuan ($1) per room per day. The standard rate is 12 yuan ($1.6) per room per day, according to the announcement last September by the National Copyright Administration (NCA).