2. AKB48 Koko ni Ita Koto
3. EXILE Negai no Tou
4. Lady Gaga Born This Way
5. Shojo Jidai GIRLS' GENERATION
6. Namie Amuro Checkmate!
7. KARA Super Girl
8. Keisuke Kuwata MUSICMAN
9. SMAP SMAP AID
10. Ikimonogakari Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection
Good evening J-C: thoughts? It seems there was/is a highly symbiotic relationship between TV and music in Japan: music shows, competitions, CM, themes, anime, crossover of singers and actors ...... here in the US we have (had) MTV and the occasional theme song, but nothing like what I've noticed in Japan. What is the predominate method of disseminating music these days? Radio? Internet? TV? I pick up some of the newer groups off Facebook and YouTube (e.g. Polkadot Stingray), but how do the big companies market their artists? Thanks for any insights .......... ("Sony" translates to "Not available in your country" I've noticed).
ReplyDeleteHello, T-cat.
DeleteI think the relationship between TV and music is still quite strong...perhaps to the level of Siamese twins. Anime and TV dramas are still using theme songs made by singers and aidorus.
As for disseminating music, there are still plenty of commercials advertising upcoming releases. I think radio is needed to a certain extent but unless I hear from other folks, songs have never been played to their full extent on that medium, perhaps the first minute or so. I think the reasoning is that if listeners want to hear the full version, they have to buy the album or single. TV and the Internet are probably the big messengers right now; the latter through the singer's website, for example. Of course, studios also let folks know through YouTube accounts and the like.
Hi again J-C: I was wondering about the radio role since TV seemed so prevalent. I'm surprised they play the truncated version on the air; many of these songs follow an AABAA format as opposed to the western AABA - hearing that extra verse always makes me feel good (just when you're expecting the end, there's more) and pushes the song out another minute. I've also noticed in my vinyl searches not many "DJ copies" turn up. The first time I ever heard Takashi Hosokawa was on a streaming Internet Japanese "radio" station - old meets not so old :)
DeleteHi, T-cat.
DeleteI guess for us Japanese music fans, finding a singer from any sort of platform is a great thing whether it be an old audiotape or a streaming station. For me, I first heard about Hosokawa on my old favourite radio program "Sounds of Japan" when he sang "Kita Sakaba".
By the way, while I have you here, I was thinking of a little project within the realm of KKP. I'm planning to start a new category called "The First" in which contributors talk about the song or songs that finally got them to listen to Japanese pop music. I've been asking my fellow contributors but would also like to see if any of the regular commenters can give some of their own insights through their own articles. I've been able to contact one commenter so far and she seems amenable. Would you be interested as well? If so, you can contact me via the contact form on the upper right of the screen.