A blog post from a foreign musician trying to make music in Japan, this post gives us a nice inside look of the music industry in Japan.
http://nitrogenandneon.blogspot.com/2010/08/gaijin-musician-in-japan.html
This guy is funny as well, trying to get a Japanese womens cell phone number by freestyling on the street
Another nice blog about a student living in Japan
http://gaijinnosekai.wordpress.com/
American girl who learned herself to speak Japanese, very popular on youtube with Japanese people.
http://www.youtube.com/user/kerokerorin813
zondag 31 oktober 2010
Related Projects
I went to the Jrock Con (Japanese Rock Convention) in 2007 in Tivoli Utrecht, it wasn't really my music but I did enjoy the bands and the audience. I was a bunch of people that love Japanese Popculture so you could feel the resemblance. Here is some info and pictures of that event: http://www.jrocknl.org/2007/index.html
There was a Dutch band that makes Japanese rock music and I was inspired to use some Japanese words in my songs. So first I started with one line, and in a second song I used three Japanese lines and now I wrote a Japanese song and I'm busy writing another. There is not much material from Dokumi, they don't seem very active on the internet, but you can check out their Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/dokumi
The singer of Dokumi is called Nana and has a project of her own as well, Nagisabox. This is acoustic Japanese music, I think this comes really close to what I am doing so I am going to contact them and maybe we can help each other or share our passion for writing Japanese music. (and I want to know how they write their songs, I mean translate the lyrics ;) I think I want to make a video for my first Japanese song and translate the lyrics to English as well.
The guitarist of Dokumi has his own project as well, but he is looking for a vocalist so I should contact him and maybe we can work together. http://www.myspace.com/mugenjouproject
If anyone knows more related projects, please let me know.
There was a Dutch band that makes Japanese rock music and I was inspired to use some Japanese words in my songs. So first I started with one line, and in a second song I used three Japanese lines and now I wrote a Japanese song and I'm busy writing another. There is not much material from Dokumi, they don't seem very active on the internet, but you can check out their Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/dokumi
The singer of Dokumi is called Nana and has a project of her own as well, Nagisabox. This is acoustic Japanese music, I think this comes really close to what I am doing so I am going to contact them and maybe we can help each other or share our passion for writing Japanese music. (and I want to know how they write their songs, I mean translate the lyrics ;) I think I want to make a video for my first Japanese song and translate the lyrics to English as well.
The guitarist of Dokumi has his own project as well, but he is looking for a vocalist so I should contact him and maybe we can work together. http://www.myspace.com/mugenjouproject
If anyone knows more related projects, please let me know.
Gaijin Invasion
This is from a show called Adam and Joe go Tokyo, they wrote a song with all the Japanese words they know and played it on the street. Someone from a Japanese tv channel spotted them and offered them a chance to play on the Japanese tv Show. It's a great example for me, I should try something funny to get attention when I am in Tokyo.
Here is the video of when they are on the show, lucky for us there are subs!
I am trying to get my hands on the complete show of Adam and Joe go Tokyo, I think it will be good research material.
This video is very funny as well
Here is the video of when they are on the show, lucky for us there are subs!
I am trying to get my hands on the complete show of Adam and Joe go Tokyo, I think it will be good research material.
This video is very funny as well
zaterdag 30 oktober 2010
Making music in Japan research
It's time to do some research and what better way to start than with everyone's best friend on the world wide web, google. I just tried some searches as, "making music in japan" and "how to make it big in japan" and I found some satisfying results, such as this website: http://japanmusicmarketing.com/
The Music Market in Japan
- Japan is the world's 2nd largest music market next to the USA.
- The total population of Japan is 127 million.
- The population of Tokyo is 35 million. (The total population of Canada is only 33 million.)
- Annual digital download sales in Japan is well over $1 billion and growing.
- Over 90% of digital download sales in Japan come from mobile downloads
- while less than 10% come from computer downloads.
- About 1 out of every 4 CD's sold in Japan comes from a foreign artist.
- Japanese income and consumer purchases are among the highest in the world.
The goal of this website and related services and resources is to help foreign recording artists/bands and record labels sell and promote music in Japan. Please read the various sections and articles in this website to gain insight into doing business effectively in the Japanese music market.
I kinda knew these things, not in all the details but I had a feeling that it is a good country to make music as a foreigner. My chances might be good when I look a these facts, it's not that I want to make music there to be rich but I want to mix cultures and share my music. The whole website is a step based strategy to get your music in Japan, I'm so excited about this website! I never thought it would be this easy to find information!
As I can see now there are three steps to make it Big in Japan, so that doesn't sound so hard at all ;)
How to make it 'Big in Japan'
Step 1: Create a localized Japanese web and mobile site. It is the essential foundation for distribution, promotion and sales of your music in Japan. Click here to get a Japanese web and mobile site.
Step 2: Get some form of distribution in Japan whether it be through a Japanese record label or a DIY (do-it-yourself) method. If your music is not available for sale in Japan, then it is pointless to do promotion and advertising in Japan. Click here to get distribution in Japan.
Step 3: Promote your music in Japan. Doing live shows in Japan is a great form of music promotion. Of course, it is too difficult and expensive to do shows all the time everywhere in the world. So publicity and advertising in print and online media will be required to reach the millions of music consumers in Japan. Click here to get promotion in Japan.
Note; if you want to click on the links you will need to go toe the website to do so.
I will definitely do step one once I have enough material to make my own website, think of, music, video, photo, news and scheduled performances in Japan. It's nice to see that you don't need to read or write Japanese to a website there on a big music page. I never thought of a mobile website, but I guess its a must now that everyone has unlimited excess to Internet on their mobile phones.
As an essential part of any Japanese business marketing plan, you will require a localized Japanese web site. In addition, a mobile site used with QR Codes will allow you to reach mobile users. (In Japan, over 90% of all music download sales come from mobile phones.)
http://artists.topmusic.jp/artist_signup.htm
Below is a commercial using QRickits (QR Codes). It's in Japanese but you'll get the point.
This is an example of what a website may look like and I must say it looks good, if they translate my website into Japanese I could not be happier.
The Music Market in Japan - How to Make it "Big in Japan"
Article 1:
Japanese Market Opportunity for Foreign Music
Japan is the 2nd largest music-buying market in the world after the USA and represents almost 20% of total worldwide sales. Japan has an affluent and modern society with a population of about 127 million people. Just Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million—the world's most populous city. If you are in the business of selling music then Japan is one of your major markets and should not be overlooked.
Although overall CD sales are declining, annual CD imports (physical audio recordings) into Japan numbered over 62 million units in 2007 and represents about 23.5% of all sales in Japan. That means almost 1 in every 4 CD's sold in Japan is likely from a foreign artist. The leading suppliers of CD's imported into Japan from Western countries are the USA, the UK and Germany. As Japanese are usually first to embrace technology, digital downloads in Japan have increased 200% within the past 2 years. Over 90% are mobile downloads while less than 10% are PC downloads. With a billion-dollar-a-year download market, Japan represents a good revenue opportunity for foreign indies who are able to get digital distribution much easier nowadays.
The Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones, Beyonce, Sum41, U2, and other foreign artists all sing in English and they still have generous sales in Japan. So language is definitely not a barrier between consumers and foreign music sales. Considering the size of the market, even "small in Japan" is no laughing matter. Many foreign indies have been able to achieve a level of sales in Japan that rivals that in their home countries.
Japanese Music Consumers
Japanese are exposed to and influenced by a much wider variety of music than people from countries such as the USA or the UK. They listen to and buy music from many diverse countries and often do not discriminate by nation. There are rarely any negative preconceptions with foreign music or artists. For example, Japanese people do not think or say "Disco Sucks!" or "Country music is for country folk!" or "Michael Jackson is not cool". What may seem obscure or "uncool" in your country may not be so in Japan. On Japanese mainstream radio you can hear an eclectic mix of music in Japanese, English, Spanish, and French from famous as well as unknown artists, even from your own country, all in one radio program. Even if the words cannot be fully understood, it is often the image, mood, style, and culture of the music that appeals to Japanese.
Naturally, the younger generation are influenced by pop culture from the West. Whatever is trendy in the USA and UK will eventually be embraced by the people of Japan in their own special way. With the 25+ generations, current pop culture is not so much an influence. There are niche groups in almost all kinds of music. And since Japan is a large population, these niche groups can be large (enough to spend your marketing budget on). There are fans of country, bluegrass, swing, Hawaiian, Brazillian/Latin, gothic punk, emo, etc. Fans in Japan tend to be the best fans in the world since they really are eager to participate and learn everything about anything having to do with a particular genre of music and artist.
Sometimes people in the West are surprised when they find out that one of their own local bands is "big in Japan". Most people don't care about this distinction and the phrase "big in Japan" has become somewhat of a joke. But when you consider Japan is the 2nd largest market next to the USA, even "small in Japan" can mean big revenues for that band. Surely, any indie band selling a couple thousand CD's and getting recognized in Japan does not consider it a joke. They are probably laughing at all the other bands and artists who have ignored Japan completely.
Currently, the most popular genres of music in Japan are foreign and domestic hiphop, RnB, alt rock, hard rock, metal, punk, techno, house, dance/club, classical, and jazz. However, there is a demand for music with foreign ethnic origins such as African-American ("Black") gospel, soul, funk, and blues, as well as reggae, world, healing (new age), Hawaiian, and Brazilian/Latin music.
A notable change in the Japanese music industry has been the ongoing weakening of the traditional pattern whereby young "manufactured" pop idols drive the market with million-selling hit songs. Also, consumers age 30 to 55 years old are purchasing more music products than ever before. Such consumers do not follow youth trends or fads, and demand more diverse music products for mature tastes. This market demand can be supplied by music products from foreign artists.
Recently, independent labels and artists—once the focus of a small number of hardcore fans only—are growing in popularity as the music demands of consumers are becoming increasingly diverse. The distribution and sales systems in Japan for "indies" are now better established—making it possible for successful indie artists to sell multi-platinum in Japan.
As is the case around the world, overall sales of CD's are declining while online digital and mobile music sales as well as licensing for film/TV and compilations are providing a growing source of revenues for both foreign and domestic artists.
Foreign and domestic indie artists can take a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach by forgoing traditional distributors and sell CD's, merchandise and downloads directly to Japanese consumers via the internet. Although promotion is still a challenge, it is easier now to distribute music to consumers all over the world via online methods. The internet is another tool for promotion and can be less costly than traditional methods. Playing shows at "live houses" and other venues is still the best promotion in Japan. Read more about playing gigs in Japan in Article #3 of this website.Article 2:
The Music Business in Japan
Indie Music Culture & Record Companies in Japan
Japan has a large population of about 127 million people who are very Westernized. Although Japan has bountiful forests, mountains and open countryside, the majority of young people are drawn to the major urban centers, such as Tokyo, where trends and tastes (i.e. what's "cool") usually emerge. Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million—the world's most populous city.
Like in the West, there are thousands of young kids in every small town and big city with dreams of being a "rockstar". There is MTV and other music TV shows in Japan, and kids have grown up hearing and seeing the most popular mainstream artists from Japan and abroad.
Most domestic Japanese indie music is in the pop, rock, hard rock, punk, hiphop/rap, singer/songwriter, and techno/house genres.
Most of the instruments and gear used today come from Japanese companies such as Yamaha, Roland, and among many others. All the music instrument shops have the latest domestic and foreign gear and software on display. There are plenty of music schools to teach drums, guitar, bass, synths, singing, and even stage presence. As the "indie" route is becoming more popular in Japan, more schools are offering courses on the music business and the DIY (do-it-yourself) process. Clothing shops and hair salons cater to appearances. Whatever genre, Japanese can sound and look like pros.
Music shops, schools and privately-run facilities also have professional recording gear and rehearsal rooms which individuals and bands can (and have to) rent since Japanese houses are not suited for gathering and playing loud music (many older houses are small with paper walls called shoji). Besides, nobody wants to disturb the "wa" (peace) in their neighborhoods. Some of the operators of these facilities and "live houses" (read more about this in Article #3) have formed indie record labels. Some are scrupulous and charge bands high fees to produce and press their indie CD's while others are genuinely trying to help talented bands to make it big and spending money to do so.
You often see kids with soft guitar cases on their backs on trains, bikes and on the streets. Many can play their instruments well by the time they are in high school. However, due to strict school and parental rules, high school kids cannot really go out and gig at night (but like all teenagers, they sometimes break rules). They are left to perform in their high school talent show or cultural festival, or some weekend talent contest sponsored by Yamaha or such. By the time they've finished high school they have to get a "real" job and some will abandon their "rockstar" dreams while others will continue in indie bands at night after work. They will play gigs at "live houses", sell tickets, their CD's and merchandise at their gigs. Those who are serious will relocate to Tokyo to play at more "live houses" or even on the street. Bands breakup and new ones form from their scattered members. And some bands and artists will find success....Sound familiar? It's not much different than other countries except the numbers are more in Japan. Subsequently, infrastructure (online communities, support, distribution, rights management/administration) has been set up for indie artists and record labels. Now indies can access distribution and administer music rights just like the major record companies.
Every year the record labels and production companies hold auditions or accept demos. Talented indie bands and artists with a good demo, show and workable image (you must send in photos) may get "signed". However with the larger record/production companies in Japan, "signed" means you become an employee of the company and they pay you a nice salary (plus bonuses) for several years. There is little or no negotiation. But this is the way it has been done in Japan. Many things are standardized in Japan to make society run smoothly and life easier. (Even price-fixing for music products is common at all levels. That's why import CD's are cheaper than domestic ones—but that's another story). The company takes care of you as long as you do what they want. This is a dream for many Japanese kids.
Those indie artists who don't get "signed" by a big record company may get a deal with a smaller indie record label. These deals are mainly structured around licensing or P&D (production and distribution) whereby the record label will manufacture and sell the CD's with some fixed amount or rate going back to the artist. Again, there is little or no room for negotiation. Also, there are usually little or no advances. So if your CD does not sell enough you may not see any money. (Maybe being an employee is not so bad after all.)
There are over a million foreigners who are permanent residents in Japan. Recently, record labels run by foreigners who reside in Japan have emerged. Many are bringing in the music they already know and love from their home countries. Some labels are fledgling startups with little experience and resources to be profitable while some have become relatively successful. Whether run by Japanese or foreigners, these record labels will either license, import or P&D music from foreign artists. Typically the record labels in Japan that deal with foreign artists have at least one person who can communicate in English.
Companies will offer licensing and P&D deals when it is cheaper to press domstically rather than import/ship your products to Japan. Actually most prefer to P&D so it allows them to make a CD/record with Japanese cover and liner notes—a very important feature for both the shops and music consumers (see image). Imagine shopping for something written in a foreign language!
Although there are hundreds of retail music shops throughout Japan, there are only a few (mainly vinyl record shops) that will actually carry an inventory of indie products. Most have to be specially ordered by the customer. This is alright since the shop can order it wholesale from the distributor who can have it sent to any place in Japan within 24 hours (Japan is about the size of California State and has a vast, cheap and efficient next-day delivery system). Naturally, if there are a lot of requests by customers for a certain product, a store may put it on its shelves. Larger record companies/labels employ an army of retail shop promoters whose job is to encourage retail shops to put the products of their company on shelves. Smaller record companies may only have 1 or 2 people to do this type of work. With the growing boom in the indie scene, more and more Japanese music retailers—even HMV, Virgin and Tower Records—are including an "indies" section in their stores. (Tower Records is still very much alive in Japan)
Click here to get distribution in Japan.
Nowadays, in Japan, indie record labels are also "distributors" because they can tap into the indie distribution network and get your music into the main PC, mobile and retail CD shops (not on shelves but online and special order) like the major record companies. In actuality there is another middleman or aggregator that also takes a cut, but as long as your OK with the cut the record label is offering you then it doesn't matter. You can expect to get 30% to 40% of net sales (wholesale price) when you are under a Japanese record label/distributor.
If you manage to get a good deal with a record label in Japan that will get your music in all the main PC, mobile and retail shops in Japan and who will actually pay for significant promotion then that is great. If you know your record label is small with limited financial resources to devote to you, try to cooperate and offer to contribute to some of the promotion expenses like print/online advertising, or airfare for a tour (but negotiate a higher share of sales).
Traditionally, in Japan you were either a "pro" (i.e. "signed" to a record company) or an "amateur" (i.e. not an "employee" of a record company). Recently, "amateur" has been replaced with the word and concept of "indie". The indie scene is booming in Japan with new distribution, sales, and rights administration systems set up especially for indie bands/artists and record labels.
Some indie artists can make a living playing at "live houses" and selling CD's and merchandise. Successful indie artists have sold over 100,000 units. Though rare, some have sold over 1 million units. These indie artists have signed to major labels and enjoyed a high level of success, leading some major labels to focus increased efforts on scouting indie artists (and labels) for new talent. The smaller record companies are always scouting for foreign and domestic talent.
Many foreign artists and record labels have found Japan to be a very receptive environment and a valuable source of music revenues.
*As a side note...Some of you may find your CD already in the catalogs of some Japanese shops even though nobody has informed you. Some of these shops simply buy the wholesale price CD's from CDBaby or Super D and then resell them on their website. This shows you that there are people who think your music can sell in Japan so you should definitely pursue the market further. If it is one or several Japanese customers who have purchased the full retail price CD then you know for sure you should be more serious about the Japanese market. Don't let this revenue opportunity pass by because the life of music products and bands is short.
Playing Gigs in Japan
Promoting Your Music at Japanese "Live Houses" and Other Venues
If you are an indie artist/band or record label searching for "booking agents" or "concert promoters" in Japan you will not find any. Well, not like the ones in other countries. In Japan, venues do not pay bands to play so there is no revenue. Since there is no revenue, there are no booking agents or promoters (who exist on taking a cut or percentage of the show revenue earned by the artist/band). There are several concert/event organizers in Japan, but it is expensive to bring over and pay foreign artists. So they only work with relatively famous artists and their record labels that they know they can make a profit from. If you are not known in Japan, they will not be interested.
Doing live gigs is the best form of promotion in any country. So how do indie artists get gigs in Japan? If you do not live in Japan, but can afford to pay for all the expenses (airfare, hotels, food, personal expenses, local travel, guide/translator/manager, etc.) then you can use one of the few companies that specializes in setting up and managing gigs for foreign artists and record labels. These companies do not pay you or any of your expenses. You must pay them for their services. If you have a deal with a record label in Japan, they should be able to set one up for you. If you are with a small label with little financial resources, you can cooperate by offering to pay for some of the expenses, like your airfare, etc (but negotiate that into your deal).
Indie artists and record labels that already live in Japan usually set up gigs themselves by auditioning for the venue manager or renting the venue and producing the event themselves. They usually have to sell tickets and do their own show promotion. In effect, they have become their own booking agents, event producers and promoters.
In short, you have to "pay to play" or "audition to play" in Japan. For most indie bands and labels, doing live shows is a promotional expense NOT a revenue-generating activity. (Actually this is becoming more the case in other countries where there are fewer live venues that will pay decently for an indie artist/band.)
The venues where most indie artists/bands play is called a rai-bu house (live house). These are venues set up especially for live musical performances. They also offer food and bar service. Some are designed like upscale clubs with world-class sound systems, lighting and stages with seating capacities over 1,000 people while others are a little more sparse in terms of interior design and equipment (i.e. a neighborhood pub). Most fall in-between.
There are hundreds in Tokyo alone and all across Japan in most major cities and even smaller towns. Venue capacities typically can range from 50 to 500 people. All drum kits, amps, effects, cables, PA, and other stage, lighting, recording equipment, and engineers are included or can be rented.
Some live houses will hold auditions and then "book" bands for certain nights. 3-5 bands may be booked for the night and each band may get a 15-45 minute set. There is no pay. The bands usually have to sell a set number of tickets (15-20 tickets at $15 to $35 each). If they don't sell their quota then they must pay the difference. For foreign bands, this quota may be waived and the band may play for a fee (or for free if the live house operator is nice or thinks that you will attract customers). Since foreign bands cannot fly to Japan just for a 5-minute audition, you should send a video of a previous live performance and your CD of course (or a Japanese web page with music clips, videos, photos, and Japanese bio may be enough). It is also a good idea to contact Japanese artists and record labels in your genre who may be able to put you on their show schedule. They won't pay for any of your expenses but you don't have to setup the gigs yourself or do any promotion.
If you can speak Japanese, have a good budget, and are keen at event production then you can book a live house (i.e. rent the space) yourself. In Tokyo, rental fees for a decent live house can range from $1,000 to $5,000 for a Friday, weekend, or holiday night. You get the venue from about 3PM to 11PM (soundcheck usually at 4PM). Shows typically last from 2 to 3 hours maximum and start anywhere between 6 to 9PM. The live house usually opens its doors 1 hour before start time. There are hefty charges if you go overtime. Tickets and merchandise can be sold to recoup costs.
Live house operators usually have no problem renting their venue to a foreign band/event producer/record label as long as they get paid the rental fees. They don't care about your other expenses like airfare, accommodation, etc.
If you are not receiving any "pay" for the show (and are not selling items) you do not need to get a special work visa—which can take a long time. If you have a valid passport and come from a country which has a visa requirement waiver agreement with Japan (USA, Canada and most European countries) then you can enter Japan on a temporary visitor's entry stamp which is normally valid between 90 days and 6 months depending on your nationality. If the Japanese immigration officer finds that you have a criminal record then you will not be permitted to enter Japan. Please check with your nearest Japanese consulate or embassy for details.
If you are lucky enough to be invited to play in Japan by an event organizer, then that is great. There are several music festivals held during the year in Japan. (Access the Members Resources area to get a list of music festivals/conferences in Japan that invite/book foreign artists.) If you have sent your music and presskit to the right people in Japan, you may be surprised with an invitation to play. Creating a Japanese web page/presskit is a good start at getting some attention in Japan. Click here to get a Japanese web page and add yourself to the TopMusic.jp Music Guide.
A live house has everything so the band only needs to show up with a guitar, bass and pair of drumsticks. This helps "indie" artists to travel light since many will use the train system to get to gigs. Guitars, basses, synths, pianos, etc. can sometimes be rented at the live house.
Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million so you may want to only play in this area depending on your budget. However, since Japan is about the size of California State and the train system vast, fast and reliable, it is possible to play gigs in many major urban areas throughout Japan. Osaka and Nagoya are the 2nd and 3rd largest cities respectively. The bullet train can take you to northern cities like Sendai and Niigata or southern cities like Fukuoka and Hiroshima in several hours. With a Japan rail pass, you can cover most of the country in a short period of time relatively inexpensively (assuming you don't have tons of gear and a huge entourage) and establish a good fan base in one tour. Some tours have the band playing 7 shows in 7 different cities—all in 8 days! If you're coming from America then you will start feeling sleepy late in the afternoon or early in the evening Japan time and wake up very early morning Japan time so you may want to give yourself a couple of days to get used to the time change (if your budget allows or else drink a lot of can coffee or energy drinks from the vending machines).
A live tour should be coordinated with other advertising and promotion to be most effective. In addition to posting your tour schedule in your Japanese web and mobile pages, there are several music websites in Japan where you can promote your live house tour. Most live houses will use flyers and posters to promote the shows that they organize themselves. If you are renting the live house for yourself then you will have to do this yourself or hire someone to do it. In most cases, if people know it is a foreign band, they will be more interested in checking you out. Needless to say, you should also have your music readily available for Japanese to purchase either from a traditional retail shop in Japan or a website that caters to Japanese customers and that accepts YEN in the popular payment methods in Japan. You can sell your CD's directly from your Japanese web page so all you have to do is let the audience know your website URL.
A good idea is to get a bunch of bands/artists together so you can all share the expenses (and experiences) of a live tour in Japan. Some record labels bring over 3 to 5 bands/artists for one tour (i.e. a showcase for the label).
Remember, the main goal of doing live shows in Japan (your first tour anyway) is music promotion—developing a fan base and generating publicity—not making an income. It is a marketing cost that you or your record label pays in order to increase sales of your music products in Japan. Nevertheless, a tour of Japan is a fun and wonderful experience for most foreign artists.
If you are contacting potential Japanese distributors/licensors for your music, it is a good idea to let them know that you are also committed to playing (and perhaps paying for) a live tour in Japan as part of sales promotion.
The best form of promotion is performing live shows in Japan.
Live shows/tours are the best way to establish a loyal fan base in Japan and to promote your music. It also helps in getting publicity in other media and motivates your distributor to push your product at stores.
If you can setup gigs yourself you can save money but unless you can speak/read/write Japanese, this may be difficult. You can either contact Japanese record labels or artists in your genre to help you or use one of the companies that specializes in planning/managing live tours for foreign artists and record labels. The costs of touring in Japan will vary depending on the number of members and amount of tour support services required. In addition to everyone's transportation, accommodation, food, and other personal costs, the tour planning/management company must also be paid for its services.
If you are wondering about how much doing a Japan tour costs simply go to your local travel agency and ask them how much a standard tourist package would be for Japan (staying 7 days and visiting Tokyo and Osaka) for the number of people in your band—then add some extra to come up with a conservative budget for your tour! If you have that budget ready and at least 4 months leadtime (and valid passports with no criminal records) then contact the companies that specialize in the planning and management of live tours and concerts for foreign artists and labels in Japan.
Article 4:
How Much Does It Cost?
The music business in Japan, like other parts of the world, is a very difficult business in which to be profitable. CD's are becoming harder to sell. However, online digital and mobile downloads are on the rise, allowing indies to get into the Japanese music market relatively easily and inexpensively. Although it is now easier to deliver music to consumers, the costs of marketing and promotion have not decreased. While larger record companies with bigger budgets may rely more on traditional marketing (videos/TV, print advertising, in-store promotion, radio promotion, tie-ups, cross-marketing), smaller independents must rely on touring and online methods to get the most out of their tiny budgets.
It is still a risky business as less than 10% of all releases are profitable and less than 1% ever sell more than 10,000 units. (This is a general statistic, but even if you think it does not apply to you, it does reflect how hard the music business is—something you probably already know!) The good thing for indies is that there are new resources to help sell and promote music in Japan using a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach. With lower overall costs for indies it means that a modest revenue may be enough to be profitable.
Regardless of approach, if you are in the business of making and selling music—be it CD's, vinyl records, downloads, or licensing—Japan should not be overlooked since it is the 2nd largest music-buying market in the world next to the USA and represents a large source of potential revenue.
The cost of (or investment in) sales promotion in Japan is probably cheaper than in the USA where there are many fragmented markets. You have to do separate promotion per region or city (i.e. west coast, east coast, major cities, etc.) whereas in Japan, everything is centered around 1 area, Metro Tokyo. Remember that Japan is only as large as the state of California. The major media are based in Tokyo and reach across the whole country. Also, there are many specialized publications in Japan so it is easier to reach your target audience. If you create a "buzz" in Tokyo it will spread across the country fairly quickly since many eyes and ears are focused here where trends and tastes are set for the rest of the country (and sometimes the world).
Unlike in the West, in Japan you do not have to pay thousands of dollars for "radio promotion". There are only 3 major FM radio network companies in Japan: JFN, JFL and Mega Net (and a few independents). Each prefecture (i.e. state) in Japan has at least one FM station under the big 3 and maybe a few independents. FM in Japan is from 76 to 90 MHz, resulting in a very limited number of possible stations (Japan's geography is very mountainous). There are now plenty of internet and broadband radio (and video) stations, as well as podcasting. In Japan, the number of internet and mobile users far outnumbers the number of listeners of FM/AM radio. In Japan, FM/AM radio does not play as big a role in the promotion of artists as it does in the West.
Getting a Japanese website and basic promotion will cost less than $100 using TopMusic.jp. If you are really serious about the Japanese market and generating significant revenues you will have to reach thousands to several million Japanese music consumers using internet and print advertising. A budget of at least a couple thousand dollars will be required. There is no magic number, but if you can spend several thousands on recording music and manufacturing CD's then you should be prepared to put at least the same into promotion. Sales is directly related to your marketing expenditure. So the more you can spend on advertising and promotion, the more sales you will likely have.
If you focus on a business model with sales from digital content rather than CD's, then you will have a larger budget for promotion. It is easier to be profitable when you don't have significant CD manufacturing and distribution costs. Great for indies!
If you are an indie artist with 1 CD and no record label supporting you then naturally the costs are higher per product/artist whereas a record label selling and promoting several products/artists at one time will have a lower cost per product/artist. Signing up for joint print advertising will allow indie artists the chance to share advertising space with other artists to help reduce individual costs (i.e. a $2,000 ad space shared by 2 indie artists is $1,000 each and you still get good exposure in the popular Japanese magazine which would otherwise be out of your budget).
Useful Tips On Visiting and Doing Business in Japan
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/article5.htm
Distribution in Japan
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/japan_distribution.htm
Music Promotion in Japan (Sales Promotion, Marketing)
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/salespromotion.htm
'A Japanese website is essential when seeking publicity'
Other Japan Music Marketing Resources
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/japan_resources.htm
Well enough info for now, OVERKILL! Next post will be more entertaining :D
The Music Market in Japan
- Japan is the world's 2nd largest music market next to the USA.
- The total population of Japan is 127 million.
- The population of Tokyo is 35 million. (The total population of Canada is only 33 million.)
- Annual digital download sales in Japan is well over $1 billion and growing.
- Over 90% of digital download sales in Japan come from mobile downloads
- while less than 10% come from computer downloads.
- About 1 out of every 4 CD's sold in Japan comes from a foreign artist.
- Japanese income and consumer purchases are among the highest in the world.
The goal of this website and related services and resources is to help foreign recording artists/bands and record labels sell and promote music in Japan. Please read the various sections and articles in this website to gain insight into doing business effectively in the Japanese music market.
I kinda knew these things, not in all the details but I had a feeling that it is a good country to make music as a foreigner. My chances might be good when I look a these facts, it's not that I want to make music there to be rich but I want to mix cultures and share my music. The whole website is a step based strategy to get your music in Japan, I'm so excited about this website! I never thought it would be this easy to find information!
As I can see now there are three steps to make it Big in Japan, so that doesn't sound so hard at all ;)
How to make it 'Big in Japan'
Step 1: Create a localized Japanese web and mobile site. It is the essential foundation for distribution, promotion and sales of your music in Japan. Click here to get a Japanese web and mobile site.
Step 2: Get some form of distribution in Japan whether it be through a Japanese record label or a DIY (do-it-yourself) method. If your music is not available for sale in Japan, then it is pointless to do promotion and advertising in Japan. Click here to get distribution in Japan.
Step 3: Promote your music in Japan. Doing live shows in Japan is a great form of music promotion. Of course, it is too difficult and expensive to do shows all the time everywhere in the world. So publicity and advertising in print and online media will be required to reach the millions of music consumers in Japan. Click here to get promotion in Japan.
Note; if you want to click on the links you will need to go toe the website to do so.
I will definitely do step one once I have enough material to make my own website, think of, music, video, photo, news and scheduled performances in Japan. It's nice to see that you don't need to read or write Japanese to a website there on a big music page. I never thought of a mobile website, but I guess its a must now that everyone has unlimited excess to Internet on their mobile phones.
As an essential part of any Japanese business marketing plan, you will require a localized Japanese web site. In addition, a mobile site used with QR Codes will allow you to reach mobile users. (In Japan, over 90% of all music download sales come from mobile phones.)
http://artists.topmusic.jp/artist_signup.htm
Below is a commercial using QRickits (QR Codes). It's in Japanese but you'll get the point.
This is an example of what a website may look like and I must say it looks good, if they translate my website into Japanese I could not be happier.
The Music Market in Japan - How to Make it "Big in Japan"
Article 1:
Japanese Market Opportunity for Foreign Music
Japan is the 2nd largest music-buying market in the world after the USA and represents almost 20% of total worldwide sales. Japan has an affluent and modern society with a population of about 127 million people. Just Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million—the world's most populous city. If you are in the business of selling music then Japan is one of your major markets and should not be overlooked.
Although overall CD sales are declining, annual CD imports (physical audio recordings) into Japan numbered over 62 million units in 2007 and represents about 23.5% of all sales in Japan. That means almost 1 in every 4 CD's sold in Japan is likely from a foreign artist. The leading suppliers of CD's imported into Japan from Western countries are the USA, the UK and Germany. As Japanese are usually first to embrace technology, digital downloads in Japan have increased 200% within the past 2 years. Over 90% are mobile downloads while less than 10% are PC downloads. With a billion-dollar-a-year download market, Japan represents a good revenue opportunity for foreign indies who are able to get digital distribution much easier nowadays.
The Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones, Beyonce, Sum41, U2, and other foreign artists all sing in English and they still have generous sales in Japan. So language is definitely not a barrier between consumers and foreign music sales. Considering the size of the market, even "small in Japan" is no laughing matter. Many foreign indies have been able to achieve a level of sales in Japan that rivals that in their home countries.
Japanese Music Consumers
Japanese are exposed to and influenced by a much wider variety of music than people from countries such as the USA or the UK. They listen to and buy music from many diverse countries and often do not discriminate by nation. There are rarely any negative preconceptions with foreign music or artists. For example, Japanese people do not think or say "Disco Sucks!" or "Country music is for country folk!" or "Michael Jackson is not cool". What may seem obscure or "uncool" in your country may not be so in Japan. On Japanese mainstream radio you can hear an eclectic mix of music in Japanese, English, Spanish, and French from famous as well as unknown artists, even from your own country, all in one radio program. Even if the words cannot be fully understood, it is often the image, mood, style, and culture of the music that appeals to Japanese.
Naturally, the younger generation are influenced by pop culture from the West. Whatever is trendy in the USA and UK will eventually be embraced by the people of Japan in their own special way. With the 25+ generations, current pop culture is not so much an influence. There are niche groups in almost all kinds of music. And since Japan is a large population, these niche groups can be large (enough to spend your marketing budget on). There are fans of country, bluegrass, swing, Hawaiian, Brazillian/Latin, gothic punk, emo, etc. Fans in Japan tend to be the best fans in the world since they really are eager to participate and learn everything about anything having to do with a particular genre of music and artist.
Sometimes people in the West are surprised when they find out that one of their own local bands is "big in Japan". Most people don't care about this distinction and the phrase "big in Japan" has become somewhat of a joke. But when you consider Japan is the 2nd largest market next to the USA, even "small in Japan" can mean big revenues for that band. Surely, any indie band selling a couple thousand CD's and getting recognized in Japan does not consider it a joke. They are probably laughing at all the other bands and artists who have ignored Japan completely.
Currently, the most popular genres of music in Japan are foreign and domestic hiphop, RnB, alt rock, hard rock, metal, punk, techno, house, dance/club, classical, and jazz. However, there is a demand for music with foreign ethnic origins such as African-American ("Black") gospel, soul, funk, and blues, as well as reggae, world, healing (new age), Hawaiian, and Brazilian/Latin music.
A notable change in the Japanese music industry has been the ongoing weakening of the traditional pattern whereby young "manufactured" pop idols drive the market with million-selling hit songs. Also, consumers age 30 to 55 years old are purchasing more music products than ever before. Such consumers do not follow youth trends or fads, and demand more diverse music products for mature tastes. This market demand can be supplied by music products from foreign artists.
Recently, independent labels and artists—once the focus of a small number of hardcore fans only—are growing in popularity as the music demands of consumers are becoming increasingly diverse. The distribution and sales systems in Japan for "indies" are now better established—making it possible for successful indie artists to sell multi-platinum in Japan.
As is the case around the world, overall sales of CD's are declining while online digital and mobile music sales as well as licensing for film/TV and compilations are providing a growing source of revenues for both foreign and domestic artists.
Foreign and domestic indie artists can take a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach by forgoing traditional distributors and sell CD's, merchandise and downloads directly to Japanese consumers via the internet. Although promotion is still a challenge, it is easier now to distribute music to consumers all over the world via online methods. The internet is another tool for promotion and can be less costly than traditional methods. Playing shows at "live houses" and other venues is still the best promotion in Japan. Read more about playing gigs in Japan in Article #3 of this website.Article 2:
The Music Business in Japan
Indie Music Culture & Record Companies in Japan
Japan has a large population of about 127 million people who are very Westernized. Although Japan has bountiful forests, mountains and open countryside, the majority of young people are drawn to the major urban centers, such as Tokyo, where trends and tastes (i.e. what's "cool") usually emerge. Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million—the world's most populous city.
Like in the West, there are thousands of young kids in every small town and big city with dreams of being a "rockstar". There is MTV and other music TV shows in Japan, and kids have grown up hearing and seeing the most popular mainstream artists from Japan and abroad.
Most domestic Japanese indie music is in the pop, rock, hard rock, punk, hiphop/rap, singer/songwriter, and techno/house genres.
Most of the instruments and gear used today come from Japanese companies such as Yamaha, Roland, and among many others. All the music instrument shops have the latest domestic and foreign gear and software on display. There are plenty of music schools to teach drums, guitar, bass, synths, singing, and even stage presence. As the "indie" route is becoming more popular in Japan, more schools are offering courses on the music business and the DIY (do-it-yourself) process. Clothing shops and hair salons cater to appearances. Whatever genre, Japanese can sound and look like pros.
Music shops, schools and privately-run facilities also have professional recording gear and rehearsal rooms which individuals and bands can (and have to) rent since Japanese houses are not suited for gathering and playing loud music (many older houses are small with paper walls called shoji). Besides, nobody wants to disturb the "wa" (peace) in their neighborhoods. Some of the operators of these facilities and "live houses" (read more about this in Article #3) have formed indie record labels. Some are scrupulous and charge bands high fees to produce and press their indie CD's while others are genuinely trying to help talented bands to make it big and spending money to do so.
You often see kids with soft guitar cases on their backs on trains, bikes and on the streets. Many can play their instruments well by the time they are in high school. However, due to strict school and parental rules, high school kids cannot really go out and gig at night (but like all teenagers, they sometimes break rules). They are left to perform in their high school talent show or cultural festival, or some weekend talent contest sponsored by Yamaha or such. By the time they've finished high school they have to get a "real" job and some will abandon their "rockstar" dreams while others will continue in indie bands at night after work. They will play gigs at "live houses", sell tickets, their CD's and merchandise at their gigs. Those who are serious will relocate to Tokyo to play at more "live houses" or even on the street. Bands breakup and new ones form from their scattered members. And some bands and artists will find success....Sound familiar? It's not much different than other countries except the numbers are more in Japan. Subsequently, infrastructure (online communities, support, distribution, rights management/administration) has been set up for indie artists and record labels. Now indies can access distribution and administer music rights just like the major record companies.
Every year the record labels and production companies hold auditions or accept demos. Talented indie bands and artists with a good demo, show and workable image (you must send in photos) may get "signed". However with the larger record/production companies in Japan, "signed" means you become an employee of the company and they pay you a nice salary (plus bonuses) for several years. There is little or no negotiation. But this is the way it has been done in Japan. Many things are standardized in Japan to make society run smoothly and life easier. (Even price-fixing for music products is common at all levels. That's why import CD's are cheaper than domestic ones—but that's another story). The company takes care of you as long as you do what they want. This is a dream for many Japanese kids.
Those indie artists who don't get "signed" by a big record company may get a deal with a smaller indie record label. These deals are mainly structured around licensing or P&D (production and distribution) whereby the record label will manufacture and sell the CD's with some fixed amount or rate going back to the artist. Again, there is little or no room for negotiation. Also, there are usually little or no advances. So if your CD does not sell enough you may not see any money. (Maybe being an employee is not so bad after all.)
There are over a million foreigners who are permanent residents in Japan. Recently, record labels run by foreigners who reside in Japan have emerged. Many are bringing in the music they already know and love from their home countries. Some labels are fledgling startups with little experience and resources to be profitable while some have become relatively successful. Whether run by Japanese or foreigners, these record labels will either license, import or P&D music from foreign artists. Typically the record labels in Japan that deal with foreign artists have at least one person who can communicate in English.
Companies will offer licensing and P&D deals when it is cheaper to press domstically rather than import/ship your products to Japan. Actually most prefer to P&D so it allows them to make a CD/record with Japanese cover and liner notes—a very important feature for both the shops and music consumers (see image). Imagine shopping for something written in a foreign language!
Although there are hundreds of retail music shops throughout Japan, there are only a few (mainly vinyl record shops) that will actually carry an inventory of indie products. Most have to be specially ordered by the customer. This is alright since the shop can order it wholesale from the distributor who can have it sent to any place in Japan within 24 hours (Japan is about the size of California State and has a vast, cheap and efficient next-day delivery system). Naturally, if there are a lot of requests by customers for a certain product, a store may put it on its shelves. Larger record companies/labels employ an army of retail shop promoters whose job is to encourage retail shops to put the products of their company on shelves. Smaller record companies may only have 1 or 2 people to do this type of work. With the growing boom in the indie scene, more and more Japanese music retailers—even HMV, Virgin and Tower Records—are including an "indies" section in their stores. (Tower Records is still very much alive in Japan)
Click here to get distribution in Japan.
Nowadays, in Japan, indie record labels are also "distributors" because they can tap into the indie distribution network and get your music into the main PC, mobile and retail CD shops (not on shelves but online and special order) like the major record companies. In actuality there is another middleman or aggregator that also takes a cut, but as long as your OK with the cut the record label is offering you then it doesn't matter. You can expect to get 30% to 40% of net sales (wholesale price) when you are under a Japanese record label/distributor.
If you manage to get a good deal with a record label in Japan that will get your music in all the main PC, mobile and retail shops in Japan and who will actually pay for significant promotion then that is great. If you know your record label is small with limited financial resources to devote to you, try to cooperate and offer to contribute to some of the promotion expenses like print/online advertising, or airfare for a tour (but negotiate a higher share of sales).
Traditionally, in Japan you were either a "pro" (i.e. "signed" to a record company) or an "amateur" (i.e. not an "employee" of a record company). Recently, "amateur" has been replaced with the word and concept of "indie". The indie scene is booming in Japan with new distribution, sales, and rights administration systems set up especially for indie bands/artists and record labels.
Some indie artists can make a living playing at "live houses" and selling CD's and merchandise. Successful indie artists have sold over 100,000 units. Though rare, some have sold over 1 million units. These indie artists have signed to major labels and enjoyed a high level of success, leading some major labels to focus increased efforts on scouting indie artists (and labels) for new talent. The smaller record companies are always scouting for foreign and domestic talent.
Many foreign artists and record labels have found Japan to be a very receptive environment and a valuable source of music revenues.
*As a side note...Some of you may find your CD already in the catalogs of some Japanese shops even though nobody has informed you. Some of these shops simply buy the wholesale price CD's from CDBaby or Super D and then resell them on their website. This shows you that there are people who think your music can sell in Japan so you should definitely pursue the market further. If it is one or several Japanese customers who have purchased the full retail price CD then you know for sure you should be more serious about the Japanese market. Don't let this revenue opportunity pass by because the life of music products and bands is short.
Playing Gigs in Japan
Promoting Your Music at Japanese "Live Houses" and Other Venues
If you are an indie artist/band or record label searching for "booking agents" or "concert promoters" in Japan you will not find any. Well, not like the ones in other countries. In Japan, venues do not pay bands to play so there is no revenue. Since there is no revenue, there are no booking agents or promoters (who exist on taking a cut or percentage of the show revenue earned by the artist/band). There are several concert/event organizers in Japan, but it is expensive to bring over and pay foreign artists. So they only work with relatively famous artists and their record labels that they know they can make a profit from. If you are not known in Japan, they will not be interested.
Doing live gigs is the best form of promotion in any country. So how do indie artists get gigs in Japan? If you do not live in Japan, but can afford to pay for all the expenses (airfare, hotels, food, personal expenses, local travel, guide/translator/manager, etc.) then you can use one of the few companies that specializes in setting up and managing gigs for foreign artists and record labels. These companies do not pay you or any of your expenses. You must pay them for their services. If you have a deal with a record label in Japan, they should be able to set one up for you. If you are with a small label with little financial resources, you can cooperate by offering to pay for some of the expenses, like your airfare, etc (but negotiate that into your deal).
Indie artists and record labels that already live in Japan usually set up gigs themselves by auditioning for the venue manager or renting the venue and producing the event themselves. They usually have to sell tickets and do their own show promotion. In effect, they have become their own booking agents, event producers and promoters.
In short, you have to "pay to play" or "audition to play" in Japan. For most indie bands and labels, doing live shows is a promotional expense NOT a revenue-generating activity. (Actually this is becoming more the case in other countries where there are fewer live venues that will pay decently for an indie artist/band.)
The venues where most indie artists/bands play is called a rai-bu house (live house). These are venues set up especially for live musical performances. They also offer food and bar service. Some are designed like upscale clubs with world-class sound systems, lighting and stages with seating capacities over 1,000 people while others are a little more sparse in terms of interior design and equipment (i.e. a neighborhood pub). Most fall in-between.
There are hundreds in Tokyo alone and all across Japan in most major cities and even smaller towns. Venue capacities typically can range from 50 to 500 people. All drum kits, amps, effects, cables, PA, and other stage, lighting, recording equipment, and engineers are included or can be rented.
Some live houses will hold auditions and then "book" bands for certain nights. 3-5 bands may be booked for the night and each band may get a 15-45 minute set. There is no pay. The bands usually have to sell a set number of tickets (15-20 tickets at $15 to $35 each). If they don't sell their quota then they must pay the difference. For foreign bands, this quota may be waived and the band may play for a fee (or for free if the live house operator is nice or thinks that you will attract customers). Since foreign bands cannot fly to Japan just for a 5-minute audition, you should send a video of a previous live performance and your CD of course (or a Japanese web page with music clips, videos, photos, and Japanese bio may be enough). It is also a good idea to contact Japanese artists and record labels in your genre who may be able to put you on their show schedule. They won't pay for any of your expenses but you don't have to setup the gigs yourself or do any promotion.
If you can speak Japanese, have a good budget, and are keen at event production then you can book a live house (i.e. rent the space) yourself. In Tokyo, rental fees for a decent live house can range from $1,000 to $5,000 for a Friday, weekend, or holiday night. You get the venue from about 3PM to 11PM (soundcheck usually at 4PM). Shows typically last from 2 to 3 hours maximum and start anywhere between 6 to 9PM. The live house usually opens its doors 1 hour before start time. There are hefty charges if you go overtime. Tickets and merchandise can be sold to recoup costs.
Live house operators usually have no problem renting their venue to a foreign band/event producer/record label as long as they get paid the rental fees. They don't care about your other expenses like airfare, accommodation, etc.
If you are not receiving any "pay" for the show (and are not selling items) you do not need to get a special work visa—which can take a long time. If you have a valid passport and come from a country which has a visa requirement waiver agreement with Japan (USA, Canada and most European countries) then you can enter Japan on a temporary visitor's entry stamp which is normally valid between 90 days and 6 months depending on your nationality. If the Japanese immigration officer finds that you have a criminal record then you will not be permitted to enter Japan. Please check with your nearest Japanese consulate or embassy for details.
If you are lucky enough to be invited to play in Japan by an event organizer, then that is great. There are several music festivals held during the year in Japan. (Access the Members Resources area to get a list of music festivals/conferences in Japan that invite/book foreign artists.) If you have sent your music and presskit to the right people in Japan, you may be surprised with an invitation to play. Creating a Japanese web page/presskit is a good start at getting some attention in Japan. Click here to get a Japanese web page and add yourself to the TopMusic.jp Music Guide.
A live house has everything so the band only needs to show up with a guitar, bass and pair of drumsticks. This helps "indie" artists to travel light since many will use the train system to get to gigs. Guitars, basses, synths, pianos, etc. can sometimes be rented at the live house.
Metropolitan Tokyo-Yokohama has a population of 35 million so you may want to only play in this area depending on your budget. However, since Japan is about the size of California State and the train system vast, fast and reliable, it is possible to play gigs in many major urban areas throughout Japan. Osaka and Nagoya are the 2nd and 3rd largest cities respectively. The bullet train can take you to northern cities like Sendai and Niigata or southern cities like Fukuoka and Hiroshima in several hours. With a Japan rail pass, you can cover most of the country in a short period of time relatively inexpensively (assuming you don't have tons of gear and a huge entourage) and establish a good fan base in one tour. Some tours have the band playing 7 shows in 7 different cities—all in 8 days! If you're coming from America then you will start feeling sleepy late in the afternoon or early in the evening Japan time and wake up very early morning Japan time so you may want to give yourself a couple of days to get used to the time change (if your budget allows or else drink a lot of can coffee or energy drinks from the vending machines).
A live tour should be coordinated with other advertising and promotion to be most effective. In addition to posting your tour schedule in your Japanese web and mobile pages, there are several music websites in Japan where you can promote your live house tour. Most live houses will use flyers and posters to promote the shows that they organize themselves. If you are renting the live house for yourself then you will have to do this yourself or hire someone to do it. In most cases, if people know it is a foreign band, they will be more interested in checking you out. Needless to say, you should also have your music readily available for Japanese to purchase either from a traditional retail shop in Japan or a website that caters to Japanese customers and that accepts YEN in the popular payment methods in Japan. You can sell your CD's directly from your Japanese web page so all you have to do is let the audience know your website URL.
A good idea is to get a bunch of bands/artists together so you can all share the expenses (and experiences) of a live tour in Japan. Some record labels bring over 3 to 5 bands/artists for one tour (i.e. a showcase for the label).
Remember, the main goal of doing live shows in Japan (your first tour anyway) is music promotion—developing a fan base and generating publicity—not making an income. It is a marketing cost that you or your record label pays in order to increase sales of your music products in Japan. Nevertheless, a tour of Japan is a fun and wonderful experience for most foreign artists.
If you are contacting potential Japanese distributors/licensors for your music, it is a good idea to let them know that you are also committed to playing (and perhaps paying for) a live tour in Japan as part of sales promotion.
The best form of promotion is performing live shows in Japan.
Live shows/tours are the best way to establish a loyal fan base in Japan and to promote your music. It also helps in getting publicity in other media and motivates your distributor to push your product at stores.
If you can setup gigs yourself you can save money but unless you can speak/read/write Japanese, this may be difficult. You can either contact Japanese record labels or artists in your genre to help you or use one of the companies that specializes in planning/managing live tours for foreign artists and record labels. The costs of touring in Japan will vary depending on the number of members and amount of tour support services required. In addition to everyone's transportation, accommodation, food, and other personal costs, the tour planning/management company must also be paid for its services.
If you are wondering about how much doing a Japan tour costs simply go to your local travel agency and ask them how much a standard tourist package would be for Japan (staying 7 days and visiting Tokyo and Osaka) for the number of people in your band—then add some extra to come up with a conservative budget for your tour! If you have that budget ready and at least 4 months leadtime (and valid passports with no criminal records) then contact the companies that specialize in the planning and management of live tours and concerts for foreign artists and labels in Japan.
Article 4:
How Much Does It Cost?
The music business in Japan, like other parts of the world, is a very difficult business in which to be profitable. CD's are becoming harder to sell. However, online digital and mobile downloads are on the rise, allowing indies to get into the Japanese music market relatively easily and inexpensively. Although it is now easier to deliver music to consumers, the costs of marketing and promotion have not decreased. While larger record companies with bigger budgets may rely more on traditional marketing (videos/TV, print advertising, in-store promotion, radio promotion, tie-ups, cross-marketing), smaller independents must rely on touring and online methods to get the most out of their tiny budgets.
It is still a risky business as less than 10% of all releases are profitable and less than 1% ever sell more than 10,000 units. (This is a general statistic, but even if you think it does not apply to you, it does reflect how hard the music business is—something you probably already know!) The good thing for indies is that there are new resources to help sell and promote music in Japan using a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach. With lower overall costs for indies it means that a modest revenue may be enough to be profitable.
Regardless of approach, if you are in the business of making and selling music—be it CD's, vinyl records, downloads, or licensing—Japan should not be overlooked since it is the 2nd largest music-buying market in the world next to the USA and represents a large source of potential revenue.
The cost of (or investment in) sales promotion in Japan is probably cheaper than in the USA where there are many fragmented markets. You have to do separate promotion per region or city (i.e. west coast, east coast, major cities, etc.) whereas in Japan, everything is centered around 1 area, Metro Tokyo. Remember that Japan is only as large as the state of California. The major media are based in Tokyo and reach across the whole country. Also, there are many specialized publications in Japan so it is easier to reach your target audience. If you create a "buzz" in Tokyo it will spread across the country fairly quickly since many eyes and ears are focused here where trends and tastes are set for the rest of the country (and sometimes the world).
Unlike in the West, in Japan you do not have to pay thousands of dollars for "radio promotion". There are only 3 major FM radio network companies in Japan: JFN, JFL and Mega Net (and a few independents). Each prefecture (i.e. state) in Japan has at least one FM station under the big 3 and maybe a few independents. FM in Japan is from 76 to 90 MHz, resulting in a very limited number of possible stations (Japan's geography is very mountainous). There are now plenty of internet and broadband radio (and video) stations, as well as podcasting. In Japan, the number of internet and mobile users far outnumbers the number of listeners of FM/AM radio. In Japan, FM/AM radio does not play as big a role in the promotion of artists as it does in the West.
Getting a Japanese website and basic promotion will cost less than $100 using TopMusic.jp. If you are really serious about the Japanese market and generating significant revenues you will have to reach thousands to several million Japanese music consumers using internet and print advertising. A budget of at least a couple thousand dollars will be required. There is no magic number, but if you can spend several thousands on recording music and manufacturing CD's then you should be prepared to put at least the same into promotion. Sales is directly related to your marketing expenditure. So the more you can spend on advertising and promotion, the more sales you will likely have.
If you focus on a business model with sales from digital content rather than CD's, then you will have a larger budget for promotion. It is easier to be profitable when you don't have significant CD manufacturing and distribution costs. Great for indies!
If you are an indie artist with 1 CD and no record label supporting you then naturally the costs are higher per product/artist whereas a record label selling and promoting several products/artists at one time will have a lower cost per product/artist. Signing up for joint print advertising will allow indie artists the chance to share advertising space with other artists to help reduce individual costs (i.e. a $2,000 ad space shared by 2 indie artists is $1,000 each and you still get good exposure in the popular Japanese magazine which would otherwise be out of your budget).
Useful Tips On Visiting and Doing Business in Japan
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/article5.htm
Distribution in Japan
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/japan_distribution.htm
Music Promotion in Japan (Sales Promotion, Marketing)
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/salespromotion.htm
'A Japanese website is essential when seeking publicity'
Other Japan Music Marketing Resources
http://japanmusicmarketing.com/japan_resources.htm
Well enough info for now, OVERKILL! Next post will be more entertaining :D
woensdag 20 oktober 2010
Beautiful video impression of Japan
Japan - Heartbeats of Time from Trey Ratcliff on Vimeo.
After seeing this video I really want to go to Japan even more :)
Week 42
I'm going to tell you what my week looks like, first an overall view and then I'll tell you about this week.
Monday: I try to start my week with yoga from Tollak, but I missed some classes because I went home (Roosendaal, Noord-Brabant) for the weekend and had to come back on Monday to travel for free. After that I have my piano class from Tollak and there I focus on songwriting.
Tuesday: I have no actual classes planned on this day but I use it to study and at 17:00u I have dinner at school and at 17:30u my singing classes start. I've put myself on Marktplaats.nl as a singing/music teacher and I was surprised when I got a lot of requests. I have four female students and their ages differ between 12 and 18 years old. I teach from 17:30u until 21:00u and even though I get more requests four students is enough for now.
Wednesday: From 09:00u to 12:00u I start the day with IHop (international house of production) and here we discuss a lot of different things related to our projects. It is an international class because of the two Latvian students. We also have to talk English because of that, which is good for us but sometimes hard. After that class I teach singing to Olivier en Jan Martien also for my project to learn how to teach, so Mirjam will assess me about it.
Thursday: I have singing class from Mirjam and piano class from Hans on this day, only the time might differ because we make an appointment every week. After that I will go to work at 22:00u in café Scooters as a bartender mostly until 05:00u.
Friday: Is the day to catch up some sleep and sometimes go home to my mother and father and return on Monday for school.
This week was very busy week because we had a three day class about giving workshops, but it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. If we did a good job we can receive a certificate for giving workshops so I hope to get one of course. I also recorded at studio@miel and we kind of finished the the first song, the rough sketch.
Monday: I try to start my week with yoga from Tollak, but I missed some classes because I went home (Roosendaal, Noord-Brabant) for the weekend and had to come back on Monday to travel for free. After that I have my piano class from Tollak and there I focus on songwriting.
Tuesday: I have no actual classes planned on this day but I use it to study and at 17:00u I have dinner at school and at 17:30u my singing classes start. I've put myself on Marktplaats.nl as a singing/music teacher and I was surprised when I got a lot of requests. I have four female students and their ages differ between 12 and 18 years old. I teach from 17:30u until 21:00u and even though I get more requests four students is enough for now.
Wednesday: From 09:00u to 12:00u I start the day with IHop (international house of production) and here we discuss a lot of different things related to our projects. It is an international class because of the two Latvian students. We also have to talk English because of that, which is good for us but sometimes hard. After that class I teach singing to Olivier en Jan Martien also for my project to learn how to teach, so Mirjam will assess me about it.
Thursday: I have singing class from Mirjam and piano class from Hans on this day, only the time might differ because we make an appointment every week. After that I will go to work at 22:00u in café Scooters as a bartender mostly until 05:00u.
Friday: Is the day to catch up some sleep and sometimes go home to my mother and father and return on Monday for school.
This week was very busy week because we had a three day class about giving workshops, but it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. If we did a good job we can receive a certificate for giving workshops so I hope to get one of course. I also recorded at studio@miel and we kind of finished the the first song, the rough sketch.
vrijdag 15 oktober 2010
Music Video's I'm proud of
Well I do have a few video's I have on Youtube which sound very good and I want to share them with you guys. First there is Speechless from Lady Gaga which I covered for an audition called "the voice of Holland".
Next is a cover of Winter sleep by Oliva, she is a half American half Japanese singer. My sister and I sang this song when our grandpa passed away.
Next song is a selfwritten song and it has a very emotional subject for me. I had two friends who started to ignore me out of the blue and after 6 years I can write about it.
Next is a cover of Winter sleep by Oliva, she is a half American half Japanese singer. My sister and I sang this song when our grandpa passed away.
Next song is a selfwritten song and it has a very emotional subject for me. I had two friends who started to ignore me out of the blue and after 6 years I can write about it.
donderdag 14 oktober 2010
Japanese pop-culture obsession
I just love everything about the Japanese pop-culture and many people think it's a phase but I don't think so. It started when I was sixteen, I watched Spirited Away and fell in love with Anime.
After this movie I started buying other movies and series and it became an obsession to see new classic anime movies or series. I want to share a few series with you I really liked but if you want to know all the anime I have seen you can go to: MyAnimeList. My nickname is himeno16 and I got it from the first anime serie I have seen called Pretear and I really loved it. The serie is about Himeno who is 16 years old and our characters were a lot alike so thats why I chose this nickname.
After that I started to watch Japanese movies and "real life" drama series, my life changed after I saw the movie Casshern. The movie itself is a masterpiece but I also fell in love with the music.
I downloaded the original soundtrack and was really surprised that I really liked some of the music that was made inspired by the movie. I fell in love with a song from Chihiro Onitsuka called Borderline,
and after that I got curious do the Japanese have Pop/Urban music as well? They do and how, I fell in love with Japanese pop/urban and it felt like this was the music that was right for me. Somehow I also fell in love with the language and I get very happy when I hear something in Japanese. I've been telling this story to many people but it is very confronting to write it down like this, it really does sound funny. So after that I discovered Namie Amuro, a very famous pop/urban Japanese singer and performer.
I have more artists I really like, I will put a few more video's from them here since there are a lot of artists I like. This is Crystal Kay with It's a crime.
Here is Jade Valerie and she is from America but really famous in Korea and Japan. She lives in Frankurt and has a German producer where she works with. I really like her music for many years and she is my example when it comes to making music and performing.
This is Jade Valerie working with Emiri Miyamoto a Japnese violin Player, their album Saint Vox sounds really good.
This is Anna Tsuchiya a half American and Half Japanese and that is very special in Japan, I really like her songs and her acting.
But its not like I don't listen to western music anymore but I have more Japanese music on my Ipod then western music. Some other artists I really like are, Lady Gaga, The Veronicas, Britney Spears, Hadise (Turkish/Belgian singer) and Eminem. I realize it's not much, I thought it would be a little more artists.
After this movie I started buying other movies and series and it became an obsession to see new classic anime movies or series. I want to share a few series with you I really liked but if you want to know all the anime I have seen you can go to: MyAnimeList. My nickname is himeno16 and I got it from the first anime serie I have seen called Pretear and I really loved it. The serie is about Himeno who is 16 years old and our characters were a lot alike so thats why I chose this nickname.
After that I started to watch Japanese movies and "real life" drama series, my life changed after I saw the movie Casshern. The movie itself is a masterpiece but I also fell in love with the music.
I downloaded the original soundtrack and was really surprised that I really liked some of the music that was made inspired by the movie. I fell in love with a song from Chihiro Onitsuka called Borderline,
and after that I got curious do the Japanese have Pop/Urban music as well? They do and how, I fell in love with Japanese pop/urban and it felt like this was the music that was right for me. Somehow I also fell in love with the language and I get very happy when I hear something in Japanese. I've been telling this story to many people but it is very confronting to write it down like this, it really does sound funny. So after that I discovered Namie Amuro, a very famous pop/urban Japanese singer and performer.
I have more artists I really like, I will put a few more video's from them here since there are a lot of artists I like. This is Crystal Kay with It's a crime.
Here is Jade Valerie and she is from America but really famous in Korea and Japan. She lives in Frankurt and has a German producer where she works with. I really like her music for many years and she is my example when it comes to making music and performing.
This is Jade Valerie working with Emiri Miyamoto a Japnese violin Player, their album Saint Vox sounds really good.
This is Anna Tsuchiya a half American and Half Japanese and that is very special in Japan, I really like her songs and her acting.
But its not like I don't listen to western music anymore but I have more Japanese music on my Ipod then western music. Some other artists I really like are, Lady Gaga, The Veronicas, Britney Spears, Hadise (Turkish/Belgian singer) and Eminem. I realize it's not much, I thought it would be a little more artists.
dinsdag 5 oktober 2010
Who am I? That's a secret I'll never tell
But ofcourse I will tell you who I am, this is a phrase from Gossip Girl you hear in the beginning of every episode. I never thought I would watch Gossip Girl, since I'm not really a girly girl type, but I guess there is more to this series than rich boys and girls. But enough about that, because from this tv show you wont get to know me really.
I wrote my first song when I was 12 years old, I wrote it together with my younger sister who was 10 years old at that time. The song was called People need Somebody and I sang it at a singing contest called the Voice in 2004, to bad I did not go through the next round not even in the next years when I tried again.
I guess this is where it all started, I mean I did sing before I wrote my first song, but when I did I was so happy I knew I wanted to write even more. But it's not like I did not sing before I wrote my first song, my sister and I made music video at the Megafestatie in Utrecht in 2002. We had to pay for the music video and it was 10 euro, what was expensive at the time for two young girls. My sister got so mad at me when she heard I uploaded the video to youtube, but later she could laugh about it.
Well its not perfect but its nice to see how much I've learned in the last years, and how much I have changed.
Since then I've been writing songs and whenever I got an opportunity to work with someone who could make music and record I made a new song.
And when I wanted to enter the Academy for Popculture I had to record a few songs to get into the school. I needed three songs so I worked with three different people to get the three songs done in time.
I wrote this song when I broke up with a boyfriend, he was very upset when we broke up so thats why I wrote this song. I made the song together with Willem Deen.
I wrote this song when my first love broke up with me, I was very upset for a long time. I made this song with Bjorn Couwenberg.
I wrote this song for my current boyfriend, lyrics speak for themselves. I made this song together with Monique Bakvis and Pieter.
So I send this three songs to the Academy for Popculture and after that they invited me for an audition and I got accepted. And so I moved from Roosendaal (Noord-Brabant) tot Leeuwarden (Friesland) together with Dimtiri, my current boyfriend. Before I went to the Academy for Popculture I sang in a rock cover band called Sound Pollution, I was sad about leaving but it was to chase my dream to become a singer/songwriter. We made two demos and here is one of them.
I had a lot of doubts about chasing my dream to get into music, but I'm glad I did because making music is the thing I like the most. My artist name is Lovely Leonie, but since I think that is too long I made it Lleonie. lovely_leonie is my first email address and I still use it, it feels good to be the first lovely leonie, nowadays there are lots of lovely_leonie88 etc.
I wrote my first song when I was 12 years old, I wrote it together with my younger sister who was 10 years old at that time. The song was called People need Somebody and I sang it at a singing contest called the Voice in 2004, to bad I did not go through the next round not even in the next years when I tried again.
I guess this is where it all started, I mean I did sing before I wrote my first song, but when I did I was so happy I knew I wanted to write even more. But it's not like I did not sing before I wrote my first song, my sister and I made music video at the Megafestatie in Utrecht in 2002. We had to pay for the music video and it was 10 euro, what was expensive at the time for two young girls. My sister got so mad at me when she heard I uploaded the video to youtube, but later she could laugh about it.
Well its not perfect but its nice to see how much I've learned in the last years, and how much I have changed.
Since then I've been writing songs and whenever I got an opportunity to work with someone who could make music and record I made a new song.
And when I wanted to enter the Academy for Popculture I had to record a few songs to get into the school. I needed three songs so I worked with three different people to get the three songs done in time.
I wrote this song when I broke up with a boyfriend, he was very upset when we broke up so thats why I wrote this song. I made the song together with Willem Deen.
I wrote this song when my first love broke up with me, I was very upset for a long time. I made this song with Bjorn Couwenberg.
I wrote this song for my current boyfriend, lyrics speak for themselves. I made this song together with Monique Bakvis and Pieter.
So I send this three songs to the Academy for Popculture and after that they invited me for an audition and I got accepted. And so I moved from Roosendaal (Noord-Brabant) tot Leeuwarden (Friesland) together with Dimtiri, my current boyfriend. Before I went to the Academy for Popculture I sang in a rock cover band called Sound Pollution, I was sad about leaving but it was to chase my dream to become a singer/songwriter. We made two demos and here is one of them.
I had a lot of doubts about chasing my dream to get into music, but I'm glad I did because making music is the thing I like the most. My artist name is Lovely Leonie, but since I think that is too long I made it Lleonie. lovely_leonie is my first email address and I still use it, it feels good to be the first lovely leonie, nowadays there are lots of lovely_leonie88 etc.
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