The cover of Jay Chou's EP Hidden Track Photo: Sina Weibo

Sony Music Taiwan announced on Thursday that the Hidden Track, an iconic EP created by Chinese musician Jay Chou in 2003, will not be reissued by now. While the news instantly put many Chinese netizens in a sentimental mood, it also inspired them to see the charm of C-pop, the Chinese pop music movement led by "King Jay" and enjoyed by international audiences. 

Sony Music Taiwan, a record company in the island of Taiwan under Sony Music Entertainment, said that the EP will not be released because the original material supplier had closed down, causing a shortage of materials that cannot be fixed due to a lack of suitable suppliers. 

Chou's extinct EP became a hot topic on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, igniting nostalgia in many Chinese netizens, many of whom called the EP a treasure and said that the star's music is very special because it has "educational" value. 

"Being a classic born in the post-1990s, his songs have been with me ever since I learned about "love" and how to love… It carries emotional and mental value, even though some of those songs can sound a bit outdated for today's pop music, likes the widely-liked K-pop. But Chou's are still the dearest," Zixuan, a 27-year-old man in Beijing, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Some other netizens discussed what made C-pop unique. 

"C-pop is distinctive because it often has sophisticated, emotionally sensitive and literary lyrics compare to K-pop and J-pop. And, C-pop's biggest strength is China has a rich history of music that provides pop musicians with very good inspirations to add Chinese elements to contemporary music, such as Chou's poem-like lyrics, and Leehom Wang's mix of Beijing Opera. They make C-pop one of a kind," Xiaoguang, a 32-year-old C-pop music producer, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Some fans found Sony Music's explanation of a "material shortage" is inconvincible, speculating that the actual reason is that the original masters of the EP may have been lost by Sony Music or JVR music, the company that manages the EP. The speculation originated in a rather odd incident that had taken place before the announcement. 

JVR Music had announced on April 15 that it would be reissuing the Taiwan version of the work on April 15. Then Sony's announcement came a week later, dashing the hopes of music fans. Since then, JVR has kept silent and has not issued any statements on the issue. 

"How can JVR still keep silent? I think Sony Music asked JVR for the original masters but they were lost, so they had to use a fabricated explanation in the statement," posted a netizen on Sina Weibo. 

Sony has not issued any further statements since its initial announcement. 

"I'd never felt so lucky that I still have it, not just because I can trade it for a insanely good price now, which I won't, but having this makes me feel like an art collector," Daisy, a Jay Chou fan in Chengdu, told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that the EP is being sold by some for nearly 2,000 yuan ($307).