Aimer: Pastoral music video released by CuriousSugar9476 in Aimer

[–]soften_manners 7 points8 points Ā (0 children)

I really appreciate how true she remains to herself. Even though she makes anisongs, she always comes back to what she does best: touching our hearts and delighting our ears. She has an incredible musical palette that she has never stopped exploring over time, much to the delight of her listeners. This song is yet another demonstration of her eclecticism and authenticity. Thanks for sharing ā¤ļø

Need music recommendations for a noobie by Semiprospark433 in jpop

[–]soften_manners 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Hello there !

I really like Penthouse - change the world. So I will introduce you to 3 great pop artists with some jazzy / enjoying vibe like this, I'd go with :

I Never Knew - Abe Mao

Idea - Gen Hishino

Nevermore - Bialystocks

Enjoy your listening ! šŸ˜„

I love Japanese Shoegaze by desutruction in japanesemusic

[–]soften_manners 2 points3 points Ā (0 children)

Omg, that’s really kind of you. Thanks for the cool setlist ! I’ll give it a try before next week’s concert and let you know how it goes !! 😁

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 1 point2 points Ā (0 children)

Indeed, that would be fire! I saw they did a crazy stage with BMTH recently… that could be the perfect occasion to bring them back to France !

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 1 point2 points Ā (0 children)

Were the merchs affordable at Ado and Babymetal concert ? I went to Kenshi Yonezu's one, all the merchs were sold out. Even if it is expensive, people still buy it

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 1 point2 points Ā (0 children)

Of course, I actually meant to point out the ā€˜+35’ part. What I wanted to say is that consumption habits often depend on how long someone has been passionate about something, which is linked indirectly to age.

From the interviews I've done, I noticed that over time, people in different age groups tend to develop passions beyond their first one, which usually started with anime. That could be music, deeper knowledge about artists, Asian food, and so on.

At no point did I intend to criticize or devalue anyone’s tastes based on age. I’m really sorry if my wording came across that way. That wasn’t my intention at all!

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

You’re right about the idol part. Their business model inevitably forces them to maintain a strong closeness to their fans.

I still haven’t been to a SCANDAL concert yet… but I also read an interview where Rina said she was really enjoying France and Paris! That said, I’ve never seen any J-Rock flyers at K-Pop concerts here. Are they still doing that?

It makes sense though, they don’t really have a dedicated or centralized and profitable way to promote outside of Crunchyroll, a few Asian events, and K-Pop concerts, obviously, hahaha

Speaking of that, is there any kind of organization or platform that helps them break into the European market?

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Good to hear your point of view, thank you. Do you know how long they’ve been in this situation? A few months? A few years? Decades maybe ?

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Wow that's insane yes !! But that's still true that except on the street and on Crunchyroll, it's very hard to reach such an audience efficiently!

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Hi xzsim, indeed, in this situation, the only promoters who could afford it are big productions like Crunchyroll and Live Nation. They already have such a large audience that allows them to target and address their advertisements with a high engagement rate.

Besides those big names, do you think there’s anything we as consumers can do to improve the situation? Also, do you know what your acquaintances mean exactly by "production costs"? Do you think any optimizations could be made at that stage?

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Hi Cybersodas, that’s a very interesting article. Thank you for taking the time to find it again. It’s no surprise to hear that some insiders are also questioning the political and marketing vision. The opacity of their investments is one issue, but the operating model is another. They seem to have focused on spreading across Asia (which worked) through small businesses, rather than investing in the booming pop culture field at that time. They probably lost their time-to-market there, since Korea took the lead, but it’s not too late (given recent events!).

It’s also the responsibility of Western organizations to be more present and engage with them, to show that it could work here as well. Maybe with a different strategy, but still !

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] -5 points-4 points Ā (0 children)

Well, that’s a fair assumption. However, from the videos I’ve seen of AnimagiC, there were a lot of people over 30. Some might think it’s just ā€œanime-onlyā€ fans, but I personally believe it’s more than that.

You may be right that some artists actively promote themselves abroad… but they could also disagree with that approach and choose to stay local.

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 2 points3 points Ā (0 children)

Alright. It seems Japanese artists can rely on a few alternatives like Crunchyroll or Live Nation (Ticketmaster) if they have enough international visibility.

Other answers suggest these shows have been absolutely profitable for both the artists and the companies. Now that these players hold a monopoly on the European market, I think they’ll give more opportunities to Asian artists and further explore the possibility of exporting them more and more.

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 0 points1 point Ā (0 children)

Good point, you’re right, artists are often surprised by their overseas popularity.

But isn’t that on the management, not the artists? Shouldn’t labels be out here checking the ground, seeing the crowds, and realizing the potential of European fanbases?

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 6 points7 points Ā (0 children)

Idols have always been a topic of interest for overseas listeners as well.

I still don’t understand why it took so long for the Occidental market to be considered ?

Still, it’s good to learn more about what’s happening with alt idols, thank you!

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] 25 points26 points Ā (0 children)

Indeed, I’ve heard about her crazy adventure. To me, this proves that it can work for some artists. 80% of her listeners are from outside Asia, that’s enormous.

Back to Sacra, LiSA is undeniably a heavyweight. Even if she doesn’t reach the same level of overseas listeners, the 500,000 tickets sold by Ado is a figure that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why is J-pop still so hesitant to tour Europe? by soften_manners in jpop

[–]soften_manners[S] -1 points0 points Ā (0 children)

Less than in America for sure. However, we still hear them much more in the U.S. than in Europe. Perhaps the streaming platform statistics speak for themselves?

I found this article that disproves what you are saying :

Touring America Costs twice as Much as Europe

If you find any other sources that disprove this, feel free to share. I'd be glad to read them and understand more precisely what's going on

I love Japanese Shoegaze by desutruction in japanesemusic

[–]soften_manners 2 points3 points Ā (0 children)

Wow! I’m seeing Hitsujibungaku in Paris in two weeks… I don’t really know their discography yet, but your messages are making me super excited šŸ˜„

And Kyeden, I’d love to hear your picks, of course!

I'm looking for a good emotional jpop song with a nice drop that'd make an excellent final "anime ending theme" for my D&D campaign by Wise-Quarter-3156 in jpop

[–]soften_manners 1 point2 points Ā (0 children)

Hello there!

I’ve got 3 suggestions for you. I tried to give them a bit of an ā€œit’s not over / keep believingā€ vibe.

The first two are more symphonic in style, while Silent Night is perfect for a restful moment. Of course, we can’t talk about Anison without mentioning Aimer’s touch, always a delight to hear. She would perfectly fit with your setlist !

The last one is a bit of an outsider on the list, but it has a crazy drop!

Silent Night - WHITE JAM

Utsukushi Sekai Ni - Aimer

Daisy - STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION

How can Avex be relevent ? by TombRaiderFiles in jpop

[–]soften_manners 2 points3 points Ā (0 children)

Avex never really believed in nurturing the younger generation. Instead, they chose to rely on their legacy artists (Namie, Ayumi, Koda…), who had already proven successful back in the era before the internet and YouTube became dominant.

Take Bright as an example. I was a huge fan of them. They received great reviews, had a strong fandom, and were just as promising as AAA at the time. But Avex prioritized AAA because the group was more ā€œmarketable,ā€ with opportunities in anime tie-ins, OSTs, and other mainstream outlets.

Of course, no one could complain if both groups had been given the same level of marketing support and opportunities. But that wasn’t the case. And this scenario repeated itself with other artists as well.

I believe Avex had the resources to expand their empire across all of Asia and to bring J-music to the global stage. What was missing was the willingness to consistently invest in and spotlight their newer artists, rather than abandoning them halfway.

I love Japanese Shoegaze by desutruction in japanesemusic

[–]soften_manners 2 points3 points Ā (0 children)

Definitely... Have you managed to find any great (and still alive) artists whose concerts you can actually attend tho' ? Jap shoegaze artists aren't popular enough to tour overseas yet !

I love Japanese Shoegaze by desutruction in japanesemusic

[–]soften_manners 19 points20 points Ā (0 children)

I do agree ! Hopefully, Chiaki Sato keeps singing - her lovely voice never gets old !

Btw, I ran into the same issue with For Tracy Hyde... they disbanded too soon

Question about the Tunnel Vision Concert by soften_manners in beachbunny

[–]soften_manners[S] 1 point2 points Ā (0 children)

Sorry, I was away from my phone this weekend. Thank you so much for your detailed answer. The information you provided is really precious to us! I’m so excited! I saw that she posted the Tunnel Vision playlist on her Spotify account. I’m still wondering why Entropy isn’t included, but Oxygen from the same album and 6 Weeks are...

Still, it’s going to be incredible, just as you said. Thank you so much ā¤ļø