Music career in Japan - possible?

[Ember]

[B Gallagher]

Ask Meat Loaf. :P (Sorry, couldn't help myself).

What sort of music do you do?

[Ember]

Oops, wrong forum.

Its all pretty contemporary - kind of blues genre blending I guess although that makes it sound hideous. Mostly guitar based, melodic, energetic kind of stuff. Sorry, I`m crap at answering the "what kind of music do you play" question, despite years of practice.

Oh, and its definitely NOTHING like meat loaf, hehe

[kamome]

You should PM the following two members of FG: Asskissinger and Gomichild. They both have their own bands in Japan, although I don't believe they have record deals.

[gomichild]

We're not ready to bend over for The Man just yet.

Even if your Japanese it's not easy to work in the industry here. There are so many bands - most of the guys I know even if they are signed to a minor label pretty much still do part time work to eat.

[Mulboyne]

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "making a living".
There are a number of foreign musicians who have done reasonably well for themselves in Japan as session players. I can't think of any foreign band or solo artist who has hit the big time by working in Japan alone - unless you include Korean and Taiwanese idols - but many can make enough to get by for a few years through relentless gigging and part-time work.
If you can't hack it financially as a performer, there are other areas to the music business. Foreign producers and engineers can get work here although most tend to get invited over on account of something they have done overseas. Music publishing, music broadcasting and music rights management have a number of foreigners involved although most have pretty good Japanese. Smash, who promote foreign bands and run Fuji Rock, have a number of foreign staffers - Johnny Fingers (ex-Boomtown Rats) has worked here for a number of years. I also seem to recall reading about a foreigner songwriter who has been involved with a number of J-pop hits over the years.

[kamome]

I also seem to recall reading about a foreigner songwriter who has been involved with a number of J-pop hits over the years.

That would be Joey Carbone. He's produced some major Japanese acts (although I couldn't name any of them).

[Captain Japan]

[Ember]

Thanks for the response guys! By make a living out of music I mean being able to do it full time and not have to do anything else in order to stop my body from deterioting into a boney malnourished husk. Although that could be good for the old angst.

I realise for example that where I`m living at the moment is pretty dry as far as musical opportunities go, but I was thinking of after a year or so moving to Tokyo and making a go of it there. Was it naive of me to think that underneath the swathes of dodgy J-Pop theres not a thriving alternative gig-going scene? gomichild, where do you guys play, and whats the local scene like?

I suppose the main problem that faces almost any muscian now anywhere is that there`s only really two extremes you can ever fall into in terms of success, and its only a very lucky few who manage to sustain themselves (nutrionally) by simply doing what they love.

I had thought about the old producer/engineer/working somewhere else in the business kind of route but I think I enjoy playing live and writing too much to do anything else really.

[gomichild]

I've been playing round Tokyo & Yokohama.

AK and I differ cause he won't pay to play gigs - but my band does. And then frantically try to sell tickets so we don't end up too poor.

Yes pay for gigs. Especially in the indie scene.

Actually GG handles most of our ticket selling - people just can't resist her when she tempts them...

[GomiGirl]

Actually GG handles most of our ticket selling - people just can't resist her when she tempts them...

yes I lure them in with promises of sexual favours. But after people see gomichild's band they are too spent so I don't need to put out after all.

Marshmallow Spike gigs are an orgasmic experience...

[AssKissinger]

hhh

[Ember]

Does Gomigirl provide services for all the local bands (for a reasonable price) or is she exclusive to Marshmallow Spike?

Hmmm, I appreciate the music business is difficult to break, particulary if you`re in a band. But if its what you want to do, what else can you do?

So whats the scene atmosphere actually *like* up in Tokyo? Having to pay for gigs doesn`t sound that unsual, but what I really want to know is whether people take an interest in locals bands or if its a case of the bands struggling to keep up with trends ect.

BTW, whenever someone says it's hard to say what kind of music they play it always sounds pretentious to me. Bob Dylan plays folk music. Coltrane, Jazz. Mozart, classical. Hendrix, rock. But what you're doing is beyond categorization. Must be really mind blowing!

Yeah, ok. Naturally these are archetypes of their genre and make perfect examples for your argument. Just because I don`t want to say outright that I play "rock" music doesn`t mean that I consider myself above music whose origins are easier to trace or categorise. I just don`t want to start throwing around buzzwords such as "retro-rock" or "nu-metal" because they often sound even more pretentious than saying nothing at all! You want a nice easy one? Ok, its rock. That`ll do.

[Mulboyne]

Just because I don`t want to say outright that I play "rock" music doesn`t mean that I consider myself above music whose origins are easier to trace or categorise. I just don`t want to start throwing around buzzwords such as "retro-rock" or "nu-metal" because they often sound even more pretentious than saying nothing at all! You want a nice easy one? Ok, its rock. That`ll do.

Actually, if you do come up to Tokyo then you might find it worthwhile pigeonholing yourself, odd though that may sound. Some areas/live houses in Tokyo have tended to attract similar types of bands so the audience may be more likely to appreciate your music if you find your genre.
As for "local bands", many people starting bands in Tokyo don't come from Tokyo so they have to rely on whatever network of friends they have in the city for early gigs. Out in Saitama, Chiba and cities like Kawasaki and Yokohama, you tend to find a bit more of a local following for bands from the area.
The audience for a bill of five or six unknown/unsigned bands will usually consist of mates of the bands (70%-90%), college students, a couple of regular locals and maybe a few music business A and R men or, more likely, web music journalists/photographers.

[Ember]

Mulboyne, thats very useful advice, thankyou. :P

[altar]

off topic sorry but I just visited the Cannery Row site on Soundclick and I find the song Collfin really fantastic. There.

[AssKissinger]

nn

[kotatsuneko]

"Composer of 1,000 J-pop songs Joey Carbone says the success of Lost In Translation may have finally paved the way for a J-pop hit in America."

whaddya mean "finally", Joey? forgotten "Sukiyaki" eh?

[jim katta]

Ember,
I agree with AK, nothing is 'impossible' but your chances are slim enough to almost say impossible.

Let's give some perspective. Take the most successful/popular japanese music artist around-Hamasaki Ayumi. She has the backing of the most power music business people in Japan who spend loads of money marketing her. But outside of Japan, very very few people know who she is. Basically, her success seems to be limited primarily to Japan. So take an indie-scene musician. Then make that musician non-japanese 'in' Japan, and you have an idea of the odds. Very slim. The saddest thing is how many gaijins I've met who are certain they have that 'special sound' that will break the mold and make it big in japan, defying decades of tradition and the most insider/payola-based/regulated music industry in the industrial world.

Now that's the big commercial scene.

If you are content to play small gigs and rock out at local spots as the gaijin novelty band, then you have a lot of opportunities to make some decent change (not big money, but something) and get some fans. But we're talking strictly novelty, not major label stuff. The happiest gaijin musicians I've met in Japan are the ones who accept their role as gaijin novelty and essentially exploit that to death.

If you have 'any' dreams of major label success and touring the world, I think you have to get out of Japan. ANOTHER OPTION THOUGH: If you are happy being a producer, song writer, behind the scenes guy, you can totally do well in the Japanese music scene if you've got talent. The key is having good management, or being able to speak good enough japanese that you can handle your own deals when the chips are down. My main advice to any gaijin wanting to make it big in the Japanese music scene is to concentrate on being a good behind the scenes guy/girl.

(*my comments are not genre specific. I'm applying them equally to rock, pop, jazz, r&b, indie music of all sorts,etc. )

[katakori]

well (if you are ready to bend over for the Man), i think you should consider sony music JAPAN's "international audition", especially targeted at gaijin who wish to become stars in japan. they are looking for musicians, bands etc.

it doesn't cost you anything, and whatever their goal is, you can be sure, they will listen to your tape because that is precisely what they do right now. plus, unlike some schemes around sometimes, you keep the copyright of your own content. deadline is may 31st.

(i posted more details here)

[jim katta]

wow! this is truly a unique event in that they are targeting gaijin not for a joke on some variety show, but for a real contract. I wonder what their market logic was for this move? fascinating. I'm really interested to see where this goes.

fyi, it appears they are looking for actors/models too, not just musicians.

[katakori]

it appears they are looking for actors/models too, not just musicians.

yeah, this is quite big! potentially...

they realised there are all those people OUTSIDE of japan that they can do stuff with and sell here (AND back to the US too). it makes sens after the Nakashima Mika song written by a gaijin, all those j-pop songs written by Joey Carbone, and the success of Crystal Kay (even though she wears a half-gaijinness coat).

and then you have TV talentos like Becky who are half gaijin and are quite successful. overall, I think it makes sense for a big label like Sony to make some exotic mixes and experimentations just for the fun of it.

they don't advertise much for this audition however, so it could be just a tax write off, or some experiment that they are not sure about and are scared it could backfire if it is too early...

[Ember]

Wow, back from the dead.

I appreciate everyones comments about the difficultly of achieving any kind of real success as a performer / writer in the music biz, particularly in Japan but rest assured I`m making a go of it anyway - I`m not really bothered about the risk, odds of something happening ect just whether its possible. anyway thanks for the advice.

Sony foreign musician thing - Its been fairly well advertised down here in Fukuoka, and for obvious reasons I`m going in for it. I just think as Japan becomes a progressively more international country the door for foriegn musicans and singers to slip in is just going to get wider and wider. This audition is not just for Sonys major label but for its smaller independent sprogs as well, and I would put its lack of advertisement down to the fact that it really only appeals to a tiny section of Japanese society in the big scheme of things. (and by that i mean gaijin looking to become musicians) as a thought, are there not many bands in Japan that consist of both Gaijin and Japanese?

Cheers, ember

[altar]

dunno, but I saw on MTV Korea a punk/pop band in Singapore that's n.1 with to whiteys in it (but the lead was singing in Chinese). Thailand and the Philippines also seem to have some succesful mixed bands.
I think that in Japan and Korea producers will only be interested in artists who can go talk their thing on tv shows, since tv's the only medium to promote an artist, plus it's so much easier to bribe tv executives to get your artist on there. The concept of music radios doesn't exist in Korea, I'm not sure about Japan but I suspect it's pretty similar.
You said you could speak Japanese so go for it baby!

[kin]

I actually hope to do the same kind of thing also, except just do a couple of gigs after somehow managing to make the venue manager let my band play. Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone familliar with the metal scene in Japan?

[IkemenTommy]

Do you realize that you don't need any singing talent to be big in Nihon? I won't mention any names in particular, but no one writes their own music anymore. You don't need any singing voice or harmony. You can still be big with shitty dance moves. At least Hamasaki Ayumi is one of the very few popular singers that improved her singing throughout the years and experience. Whether she is considered good or bad is another issue, but you can really compare the difference in the past and recent albums. However, there are some homo groups and bands that still just plain suck but continue to sell CDs.

[IkemenTommy]

I actually hope to do the same kind of thing also, except just do a couple of gigs after somehow managing to make the venue manager let my band play. Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone familliar with the metal scene in Japan?

If you consider B'z metal, or at least in the old days they were
They are still a good band though.
The metal scene here is similar to that of US.
They were popular at the height of Guns N Roses and Metallica, but pretty much underground now and lack radio play. Probably because there was very little musical innovation and every band tried to copy each other and produced no new sounds.

[Mulboyne]

anyone familliar with the metal scene in Japan?

Go to Godz in Shinjuku. It is the Japan's metal scene mecca.

[Mulboyne]

Metropolis ran a feature last week about foreigners who are involved with indie labels in Japan.

Spin Masters