Fandom Talk

Every morning I wake up these past few days, my eyes feel so dry and uncomfortable that I get the urge to gouge them out. No, really.

You know, it seems the J-Rock fandom is made up of pretty much the same people at every online social medium. I go to a forum, skim through a bunch of posts and realize: hey, haven't I seen her somewhere before? I post in a community and one of people who reply catches my eye because the username looks really familiar. Then, I have visitors commenting on my Last.fm account and say, "Hey, I read your blog." (Or, "Update, bitch!") And yes, once again, one of them is bound to be another frequent face in the fandom.

It makes me wonder, how big is the active part of the fandom? Is it made up of the same core people? These people are seriously everywhere! You see them in the popular J-Rock forums. You run into them in the numerous download communities. And then, you once again recognize them at various communities of a more... special interest nature. *coughs*

If we all meet in real life and divulge the different names we go by online, I bet we will all go, "Hey, we pretty much know each other already!"

Edit: By "fandom", I don't mean fanbase. I'm not saying the J-Rock fanbase is small. Rather, the core group of active, dedicated fans online is small compared to the overall J-Rock fan population. Please see my comment in this post for further clarification.

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go
sometimes i think there's about 100 of us, but with different usernames depending on the place
KiSamehada
I've wondered the same thing so many times!
Badymaru
Haha, yes I've realized the same thing. I think Go's right, probably a little bit more than 100 of us.
Heroin(e)
haha i agree as well. i think there's only a core group of us, scattered among all the others
coinlockersbaby
I think barely anyone who reads my site even knows I am a Jrock fan. I intended to write equally about Jrock and Jpop when I started blogging, but somehow I just had a lot more to say about Jpop than Jrock. Maybe it's all the stupid tabloid scandals, which are like a non-entity in Jrock. Then Kpop came along and sucked away the rest of my attention, and I only devote any serious attention to the few Jrock bands I really love, now. Like, the ones who I seriously care about, not the ones I like what I've heard of but haven't actively sought out to any real extent. It sucks because Jrock was my first J-music love and I've abandoned it to an extent that really makes me sad. I want to get back into the fandom, but I feel like I don't fit in there. I have such a Jpop-y personality that I can fit in their easily - hell, I even want to be an idol - but when it comes to rock stuff, you wouldn't know I'm into it unless you actually saw me headbanging at a concert. I don't dress like a Jrocker, I don't really talk like one...I talk like a Valley girl (unintentionally). But Jrock really has a place in my heart, and I really want to devote more time and blog space to it. Sadly, my blog has become a strictly idol blog with the occasional mention of something by Miyavi or Diru, and that's about it.

Gah. Sorry for this personal rant.
Rad♂
Your skepticism is understandable. but if j-rock fandom is small, it's because many of the producers want to keep it that way. I always wondered why there were so many J-pop groups compared to the relatively compact size of the Japanese market; it's a wonder anyone survives economically over time. But if the large companies that control the Japanese music business -- UFA for Hello Project and Sony for Puffy Ami Yumi, for example -- properly promoted their products overseas (particularly in the U.S. and Latin America, and possibly even parts of Europe), they would be stunned at the foreign response. Many j-rock fans don't realize what they have, because they are bombed with dozens of excellent groups. In America, the rock scene sucks and most U.S. fans are looking for options. They're tired of the same old grunge crap and Britney-Agiluera nonsense. And rap? Damn, it's awful in the States, whereas J-pop groups have taken rap to a much higher art form. Hip-hop? Same deal. The J-pop version is far superior in every way. Heck, I'd settle for Region 1 concert DVDs if Sony of UFA would put them out in the U.S., and millikons of fans would like to see that, too.
Aural Candy

Eh? That's not quite what I meant. ^_^;;;

I actually meant that the *active* online fandom is relatively small compared to the overall population of J-Rock fans. By "core" group of people, I was talking about the ones who're always on top of new developments/releases, who often contribute to upload their newly purchased CD's, and those who put in a lot of effort scanning magazines and doing translations of interviews/videos. From my observations, these dedicated fans tend to be part of the same crowd made up of 100-or-so people. I'm sorry I wasn't clear in my post. I hope this clarification helps. ^_^;;;

I wouldn't condemn American music outright. I think a great part of it is that we're so accustomed, perhaps even fatigued of American popular music being played everywhere in the US that we yearn for something different. I hesitate in even declaring Japanese music superior to American music, because for me, it really comes down to one's musical taste. There is no correct answer when personal preference is involved, just like how one person's opinion isn't better than another's. It's entirely subjective.

And in terms of J-Pop music in America... yes, I do agree with you that if only the Japanese record companies are willing to spend the time, effort, and money to learn about and understand the American market, they can most definitely help popularize J-Pop in the US. However, the question of to what degree J-Pop will be received by an American audience is another matter. Does J-Pop have the potential to gain a larger following in the US? Of course. Can J-Pop become more mainstream in the US? I don't know and I have strong reservations regarding that. I hold similar opinion regarding the spread of J-Rock in the US. The J-Rock bands that have come to perform in the West are answering to their international fans' pleas, but I doubt they're actually aiming to become mainstream.

And believe me when I say, we J-Rock fans do realize and greatly appreciate the growing attention we've been receiving from the Japanese bands. I do sympathize with J-Pop fans for the comparably less attention they've gotten from the J-Pop artists and labels. The Japanese companies' reluctance to properly invest in such a venture is most regrettable. Alas.

coinlockersbaby

You know, I think I'm about to start a Jrock focused blog on the side of my more poppy music blog, because reading this made me realize how much I really want to be more active in the Jrock fandom. And I've always wanted to write about Jrock but the entries feel so out of place on my blog because my blog is so pop, and I think the poppiness of it would probably repel Jrock fans.

Sorry, I'm sure you don't care. I'm just thinking out loud to you because this entry put that thought into my head. XD

Aural Candy
Hey, if this post could create another compatriot J-Rock blogger, I'd be most happy. The more the merrier, I say.

Welcome and have fun with your new J-Rock blog.
Stellina

I've noticed the same thing actually. And it reminds me of this ONE TIME where i was browsing jrock_wank community over at livejournal. I don't remember how or why but at SOME point or another most of them realized "Oh hey, i know you from the batsu forums.. i LIKED you". At which point they friend each other and yadda yadda.

I've definitely encountered some of the same people multiple times at several different websites. So I have to agree with go.

muipO
Hey, I really enjoy reading your blog. =D Keep it up~

@ your entry: Recognizing the same people seems really natural when you're interested in jrock, which is such a specialized area of interest. Because jrock fans seem to join the same facebook/LJ/whatever communities or groups, we all find ourselves one way or the other.

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