Make Believe Mailer Vol. 67: Criss-Cross
Before the K-pop world stared down a significant scandal that burst open today, the most interesting development in the South Korean music industry over the last week involved...once again...AKB48. First, Produce 48 participant Takashi Juri announced that she had signed a deal with Korea's Woollim Entertainment with plans to debut in a new group after she graduates from her J-pop outfit. A few days later, Takeuchi Mayu followed in her footsteps and inked up with Mystic Entertainment.
For K-pop, these two performers jumping over from Japan reflect a trend that has been underway and only growing. More Japanese members are popping up in groups, and the benefits can be enormous (see: TWICE just towering over the charts in Japan). There's been plenty of resistance to this on grounds that are well-worn by now, but it maybe feels at least a little less fiery than it was in the past (pour one out for Honey Popcorn, impeded by nationalism and good ol' fashioned sexism). The whole "what IS K-pop" debate is going to rage for a bit more, but now you have projects like Z-Boys and Z-Girls (which...seem to be part of some larger cryptocurrency play????) and members of a group netizens love to hate coming over to give it a go.
But this increase has plenty of impact on the Japanese music industry too, and presents a new image of where Japan's business is at in 2019. And it's a shift away from the country being a safe harbor to really being a Galapagos of sorts.
In the very micro AKB sense, nothing about Takashi and Takeuchi's jump over to Korea comes as a big surprise. AKB48 and the associated sister acts in the 48 universe (though, chiefly, I'd separate the likes of Nogizaka46 and Keyakizaka46 here, more on them later down) still move plenty of units, but the overall brand has sunk pretty down low in the greater mainstream eye. And that's before factoring in this year's NGT48 scandal and popular leader Rino Sashihara's upcoming graduation from the idol world. If you have a chance to get out, like the former Produce 48 participants do, now is a great time to take it.
But the real change comes in the reputation of J-pop as a solid place to be for one's economic hopes in the music industry. This has always been the line brought out when talking about the country's reluctance to embrace streaming or YouTube or most Internet-related stuff. You point to Japan's status as the number two music market globally, and you emphasize how Japanese acts don't have to go abroad because they can rake it in at home. Ten years ago, Takashi and Takeuchi probably just pivot into a solo career, and worst case they carry on via the fumes of AKB supporters loyal to them.
Yet in 2019...the potential presented by the rest of the world is starting to be something artists with the chance to go abroad can't ignore. Takashi and Takeuchi...along with the Japanese members of I*ZONE and the other Japanese performers in various groups scattered about...recognize K-pop offers more of a bridge to the rest of the world than AKB48 or anything they could do right now in J-pop, an industry currently seeing a lot of fracturing regarding whether to go all in on digital or stick to what has worked. Not quite as marquee but still pretty significant is recent news that Nariaki Obukuro (Utada collaborator, high-level J-pop act) moved to London in an effort to connect with more digital distributors focused on the international market via streaming (see a news item below for more on that).
And you know who realizes more than anyone else? AKB48, who have established sister groups all across Asia over this decade in an effort to bolster the brand (and pull off what is arguably the best soft power campaign out of Japan yet). While they stick to familiar strategies while going abroad, small adjustments and the very push across the continent signals a big change.
I don't think Takashi and Takeuchi's jump over to K-pop alone means a lot, but I do think it's the first hint that J-pop as a whole can't rely on old ideas of how profitable a place it is. All kinds of new avenues are opening up...and the old ones are starting to show their age.
News And Views
And we're back after a week off, spurred by lots of deadlines, writing and otherwise. Really trying to not let this become the new normal, so thanks for your patience. But I think maybe I lucked out because...not a whole lot has happened over the last 14 days? Well, Sakanaction announced they'll release their first album in six years next month, which is big news. But also...I will believe it when I actually see the physical CD in stores.
Music Ally reports that streaming revenues have jumped ahead of digital download sales in Japan over the course of 2018. The actual report from the Recording Industry Association Of Japan backs all this up -- and reveals interesting info like there are some people out there still buying ringtones -- which makes for a legit trend to keep an eye on. The only water I'd toss on this is...well, we are talking digital downloads in 2018, which have been in decline for a while now (like...most corners of the Japanese music market). That and some of this info really begs for more context. But that is a notcieable change.
Mariya Takeuchi will be contributing a Japanese language cover of "Baby Mine" for the upcoming Tim Burton-fied Dumbo movie. Enjoy this photo of her cradling the titular elephant in stuffed form.
Fresh off the Kankyo Ongaku compilation they put out this February, Light In The Attic is now prepping an overview of Japanese city pop this May. This one looks pretty damn solid for all sorts of reasons -- Hiroshi Satoh 100 percent needs more love from all corners of older Japanese music appreciation -- and the track that wins my seal of approval is "L.A. Night," a jazz-boogie strut that also includes a detail guaranteed to make me love the song -- references to sports teams that no longer exist or play in different cities.
Boring hypebeast working as an influencer who just posts memes on Instagram: Yeah, like, Japanese hip-hop is so exciting you know, have you heard of Kohh, such a big deal.
Reality, cruelly: The hottest rap song in Japan on YouTube so far this year is from a group of YouTuber DJs, and it is super garbage.I will admit to not watching it all yet because setting aside a solid 24 minutes isn't easy right now, but this YouTube video on the history of Nujabes looks pretty good.
And now for NGT48 update corner, where we check in on what remains the year's worst J-pop-related scandal. Two members of parent company AKS -- the former manager of NGT48's theater and AKB48's theater manager -- were canned after they tweeted out a photo of the two enjoying drinks and having a jolly ol' time despite...you know, all that. Meanwhile, on a similar wave, viewers of a Nippon TV variety show felt uncomfortable by the appearance of NGT48 member Yuka Ogino, who went on and had a jolly ol' time despite...you know, all that.
That feel when you are caught in the gears of a nightmarish corner of the entertainment industry
My current favorite Japanese music writing comes from Beipana, and their latest piece on streaming distribution globally and Nariaki Obukuro's decision to move to London, in part to actually connect with these kind of companies both for himself and his new label. There is a lot to unpack with this one -- and I, funny enough, met with one of the people interviewed in this piece recently and ended up talking about a lot of the same topics -- but for now flex your Japanese reading skills (or jump over to Google Translate for some help) to get the gist of what I will write about sometime in the future.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Febraury 25, 2019 To March 3, 2019
Keyakizaka46 dominate all platforms this week with "Kuroi Hitsuji," a song perfectly summing up why they've managed such strong success and crossed over to the mainstream in a way not too many girl idol groups can point to right now. The title translates to "Black Sheep" -- literally written out in the video -- and the lyrics focus on the struggle of fitting in when you feel different from everyone else, and the eventual acceptance of being who you are. Keyakizaka46's whole thing since debuting has been presenting issues and emotions actual teenagers might grapple with rather than the more fantasy ones bubblier idols (featuring the same main writer). "Kuroi Hitsuji" really underlines, and it helps that this is the best bit of pop they've put out to date too, breaking out some very unlikely sing-speaking during the verses (including a stretch where J-pop comes closest to embracing whisper rap) and a great sense of drama running throughout. Coupled with 2019's first really great J-pop music video, this is the year's first A-class triumph probably worthy of even more digging into.
Perfume's GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Get a copy at Bloomsbury or Amazon. Or at Kinokuniya bookstores in the US.
Look At Me! (aka why I've been busy)
Reviewed the new album from Tokyo-based Korean electronic artist Machina for Pitchfork. Make sure to listen to her early work as Apple Girl to really get your lid blown when you hear her contemporary modular synthesizer churn.
Looked at the state of celebrity hot spots in Japan for The Japan Times. Get your ticket to the teamLab museum well in advance, otherwise the influencers will beat you to it!
Interviewed YouTuber Dogen about his approach to videos and social media.
In last week's Pulse, I looked at the online history of people reacting to bullying, especially in the wake of a case in Niigata recently. Keyakizaka46's chart-topping single features plenty of lyrical references to and choreography riffing on bullying, which also helped get it a lot of attention in the last few weeks.
This week in Pulse...podcasts. Specifically, looking at how this industry hasn't flourished yet in Japan despite plenty existing (spoiler: radio swallowed up the idea fast). But Spotify Japan's recent original podcasts are gaining attention, and show that the model could very well take off in the near future.
Blog Highlights: The Vegetablets, Magical Ponika, ind_fris
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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