Tags: Genre, Music Genre, Topical Concept.
VIA music (Russian: ВИА) or Vokalno-instrumentalny ansambl (Вокально-инструментальный ансамбль vocal and instrumental ensemble) was the general name used for pop and rock bands that were formally recognized by the Soviet government from the 1960s to the 1980s. In Soviet times the term VIA generally meant band but it is now used in Russia to refer specifically to pop rock and folk groups active during the Soviet period.
