What the... I just stumbled upon this video today. It's the International Music Feed's video coverage of JRock Revolution, specifically focusing on visual kei and its growing popularity in the Western world.
http://imf.com/link_player.html?video_id=2283
If you've been out of the loop like I have, please do take a look. It's surprisingly well put-together. Definitely worth your 5 minutes.
Interviews!
The video features interviews with fans, YOSHIKI, and majority of the bands. miyavi was the only artist aside from YOSHIKI to speak in English. Even though I've just begun to learn to like miyavi's music, I still have tremendous respect for miyavi as a visual kei artist and a champion defender of the art form. Really, props to him. The discussion of visual kei doesn't give any new information to current fans. It's more targeted toward the casual person who might be curious about VK. However, I enjoyed seeing the bands and footages of the concert itself immensely.
Watching this leaves me with such a warm and fuzzy feeling. Even though some of the bands interviewed are actually leaning away from visual kei (*cough*Kagrra,*cough*), it's still comforting to know that the artists themselves are now fully aware of how much visual kei is appreciated in the West. I really hope the JRock Revolution event has had a positive impact on these bands' evolution and broadened their horizons.
Wait, you're still reading this? Go watch the video already!
Why is everyone panicking over JapanFiles (LJ)?
Granted, it is annoying when JapanFiles friends/joins J-Rock sharing Livejournals/Communities and reports posts that provide downloads to bands they have distribution rights over. However, before people go into massive rebellion mode and freak out about how JapanFiles is trying to keep people from hearing new music from indie bands and blah blah blah they're evil, actually look at JapanFiles and see what they're really doing.
First of all, JapanFiles currently only has distribution rights to around 250 indie bands, 95% of which many in the VK fandom probably haven't even heard of. The only band on their list that I more or less follow is Karma-Shenjing. So at this stage, JapanFiles isn't going to all of a sudden make your prized mp3 sharing community obsolete. If people are worrying about their E-egos taking hits, it probably isn't likely to happen.
Second, the argument that JapanFiles is making music less accessible is absolutely not valid. I went to their website and looked at their business model. JapanFiles provides 45-second sample for every track. You can always try before you buy. Plus, their pricing structure is competitive in today's E-music retailing environment at $0.99 per track for 192kbps, DRM-free mp3 files. The only online music retailing service that beats this that I'm aware of is Amazon at $0.89 for 256kbps, DRM-free mp3s. However, Amazon will have an entirely different music selection, especially since it just got launched. I seriously won't believe you if you cry that $0.99/track is too much for you to afford.
Finally, what is so bad about JapanFiles representing these indie artists? JapanFiles is providing another legitimate avenue for these artists to sell their music. Right now, the problem with the popular iTunes is its limited Japanese music selection overseas, low bitrate, and DRM at the $0.99 price level. JapanFiles overcomes all three limitations and is helping to expand the indie bands' distribution network. Not to mention, the bands will actually get royalty cuts from the distribution of the mp3's.
However, JapanFiles hasn't done everything right in my opinion. It's all well and good making Japanese indie music available internationally, but to actively target individual mp3 sharing communities/posts is PR suicide. JapanFiles is relatively new and unestablished (at least among the VK crowd). By going after the filesharers in such a manner so early in the game is alienating a large base of potential customers. JapanFiles's reputation is already in the negatives before it can even begin to gain positive press. The company behind the service can't afford to get into an antagonistic situation with filesharers since they're so central to the J-music fandom. Establish goodwill first, don't make enemies. What the company is doing right now is not good marketing.
Stop shooting yourself in the foot, JapanFiles.
Full disclosure: I'm not affiliated with JapanFiles nor do I actively share mp3 downloads.
Yanked word-for-word from JRockRevolution.com:
EXTASY Records is set to release the original motion picture soundtrack for Catacombs, the dark thriller from the producers of the SAW series about to make its theatrical debut in Japan.
Why is this soundtrack a landmark for jrock fans? Because YOSHIKI (X JAPAN), as executive producer, has delivered an album unprecedented in music history for its collaboration of Japanese and American rock bands on a multinational release. His own involvement itself was unprecedented, as he was heavily involved in hand-selecting the artists featured on the album.Most significantly, this soundtrack includes the first song by VIOLET UK to be released on an album. YOSHIKI wrote and produced "Blue Butterfly" as the End Title song for the film. And one of YOSHIKI's personal choices for the album was "Psyche" by hide's band zilch.
The album also includes artists such as gothic/industrial greats Peter Murphy (ex-Bauhaus) and Skinny Puppy, digital soundscaping wizard BT, and musical juggernaut Ministry. The soundtrack will be available in Japan at retail and online stores nationwide on October 2. But how can you be the first to own your own copy of VIOLET UK's album debut?
Look no further, because Jrock Revolution will be the first exclusive retailer of the Catacombs movie soundtrack outside of Japan.
Tonight, as in Thursday, September 20, we open the doors to a pre-sale of this groundbreaking soundtrack, right here at JRR. And the first five hundred pre-orders will ship with a special bonus gift included!
The pre-sale begins at 8:59 P.M. PST/ 11:59 P.M. EST. Check back here for more information about how you can place your pre-order!Continue for the full track listing and more about the Catacombs movie itself.
Catacombs Original Motion Picture Soundtrack1. “Blue Butterfly” - Violet UK
2. “Lie” - Black Light Burns
3. “Smartbomb” - BT
4. “Magnifishit” - Skinny Puppy
5. “Badass(Rogue Element Mix)” - The Crystal Method
6. “Unholy Confessions” - Avenged Sevenfold
7. “Twist Your Fate” - Peter Murphy
8. “Please Myself” - Shawnee Smith
9. “Psyche” - zilch
10. “Bleeding Mascara” - Atreyu
11. “Vela, Together We Await The Storm” - The Human Abstract
12. “Die In A Crash” - Ministry
So, Violet UK has surfaced again. I'm still waiting for the day that YOSHIKI finally, FINALLY release a full VUK album. Not one track, not demos, not snippets, but a full-blown, REAL album.
Think this will ever happen in the next... oh, 3 years?
...
...
That's what I thought too.
Edit: You can hear bits of the soundtrack (and the VUK song) by watching the Catacombs movie trailer on JRockRevolution.com.
News courtsey of phantasmagoria of LJ.
Former employees of the major advertising company Asatsu DK, INC and the executive of a music label were arrested in connection with fraud totaling 320,000,000 yen. In 2001, Kaku Kouichi* (39), a former employee of ADK, Tomioka Yuu [DYNAMITE TOMMY] (43), the president of the music label FREE-WILL, and Murasaki Ittoku (35) of the same firm placed an order for costumes, concert costs, music video costs, and other overhead costs for the popular band Dir en grey, and are suspected of fradulently taking 324,000,000 yen from Asatsu DK, INC. The majority of the money was given to Tomioka by Kaku*. In regards to the investigation, Kaku* confessed to the charges while Tomioka denies them.
Phantasmagoria will probably update that entry when more news come up. Keep an eye on it if you care to.
Well, talk about shitty luck. First KISAKI earlier in the year, now DYNAMITE TOMMY. I hope this doesn't affect Free-Will, the label itself. Because if Free-Will goes down, an entire slew of today's top J-Rock bands will be dragged into the mess.
Free-Will Record Label
Free-Will - Rentrer en Soi, Bis
Firewall Div. – Baroque, Dir en grey
Ism – Kannivalism
Lizard – Kagerou
PS Company – alice nine., the GazettE, miyavi, Kagrra,, KraS'Cube – Eile de Mu, Puppet Mammy, Ruvie
- Indie PSC – Screw, SuG
This ain't gonna be pretty.
Edit: Hmmm, if I were a private equity firm or maybe even an established record company, I'd probably take advantage of this and buy Free-Will from DYNAMITE TOMMY. Hmm... hmm! Though, I don't even know if it makes strategic sense to purchase Free-Will since I don't have a team of research analysts at my beck and call. :D
According to the latest Kagrra, homepage update, the band is transferring from Columbia to King Records. The first release under the new record label will be titled "Core", an album coming out on January 9, 2008.
As usual, the album will be in two editions. One CD+DVD edition (3,780 yen tax-in), and one CD edition (3,150 yen tax-in).
I'm sort of apprehensive about this announcement. On one hand, yes, it's about time since the release of the last album. On the other, I wasn't too thrilled by shizuku, now I'm afraid to know what new direction Kagrra,'s planning to take. And, Kagrra,'s getting too pastel-greyscale, can we have some colors back, please?
And that's all she wrote!
This just freshly came up on my LJ friends page. According to hotarubi of the community dir_en_grey, below is the set list of Deg's fanclub-only show at CLUB CITTA (part of the band's fall tour this year).
SE
01.REPETITION OF HATRED
02.凌辱の雨 (Ryoujyoku)
03.LIE BURIED WITH A VENGEANCE
04. ugly
05.ROTTING ROOT
06. Deity
07.DISABLED COMPLEXES
08.THE FINAL
--
09.蝕紅 (Shokubeni)
10.DOZING GREEN
11.CONCEIVED SORROW
12.dead tree
13.GRIEF
14.Merciless Cult
15.THE DEEPER VILENESSEN1.理由 (RIYUU)
EN2.鼓動 (KODOU)
EN3.AGITATED SCREAMS OF MAGGOTS
EN4.朔 -saku-
EN5.羅刹国 (RASETSUKOKU)
Wow, 4 songs from MACABRE and six Ugly. This is the first time in quite a long time that Deg has played so many songs from their older period!
Price: 105 yen (tax-in)
More information: http://www.espguitars.co.jp/accessories/pick/gazette_tour2007.html
Methinks that SuG will be the next hit and is destined for success. Seriously, the band's got the package for visual kei stardom.
This PV features the band in both heavy duty visual kei getup and acceptable-for-Japanese-standards street clothes.
Of course, there's the final and VERY! important formula for success #4 = musical talent. Alterna. is upbeat, catchy, and dude, Takeru can sing! All big pluses.
And look, the PV isn't typical visual kei indie low-budget crap! PS Company actually bothered to invest in this fledging band's debut music videos. This makes a huge difference.
My LJ friends list got flooded with a series of posts regarding this in a row. Band member blog entry translations can be found at the LJ community 176BIZ_diaries.
176BIZ is a band under the same overall label as SID, MUCC, girugamesh, etc.. (Danger Crue). Tara, the bassist, was actually one of the two founders of the band. I'm not sure how much he contributed to the songwriting, but I suspect he might have been a main force behind the sound.
Really, it's a shame. 176BIZ is a very young band that has tons of potential. Even though I've complained before that it follows too much in the footsteps of alice nine and SID, given the relative new formation of the group, they still have lots of time to come into their own.
Hopefully, Tara's departure is only temporary and he'll return once he sorts out his family/home situation. In the meantime, I hope the rest of the band keeps on going and continue to evolve.
