Number Girl

I'm very torn on this issue. On one hand, I think that artists should be able to get some sort of compensation for their hard work and that decent fans should give back to them in some way. However, when it come to Japanese artists, many of them make their music so inaccessible, it's ludicrous. Whether it's due to factors that are within the control of the artists or not, it's ridiculous that the only legal way international fans can sample their music and actually get exposure to the artist is through five second YouTube clips or by buying the full CD.

For getting in the romantic/sexy mood? Hell yes! But when I'm actually having sex I don't like music playing as, quite frankly, I get too distracted. However, last Halloween my SO and I wanted to experiment with different atmospheres and made a sex music playlist just to see what it did for us. Probably the best choice song I selected was by Washed Out "You and I."

D'aww, I had the same thoughts! It's been forever since I've touched their music, though. :'(

There is no universal shop for purchasing "J-Rock" T-shirts or merch, but I highly advise visiting websites of band/record labels you like as there's a high likelihood of them being legit (as in, not fan made) and the money going to directly support the band.

I also suggest that you go to another source to find shirts, if you can find any on there at all. Most legitimate VK merch is pretty obscure and/or exclusive to certain shops. You can probably find some fan made designs, but speaking from experience, they are usually low quality and none of the money goes to supporting the bands.

Boris @ Terminal West in Atlanta, GA Real Estate @ The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC Tame Impala @ The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN Bo Ningen @ Vinyl in Atlanta, GA

I bought all three of Boris' new albums "Asia," "Warpath," and "Urban Dance" because I'm a fucking Boris whore as usual.

Hair, sexually arousing basslines, vocals that sound like the feeling of your hands reaching out of a sunroof into a clear blue sky, hair, the scent perfume that reminds you of the girl with her hair dyed in the colors of the sunset, the bitterness I felt when I stepped into the rain when I left behind my umbrella, guitars that weep, moan, fall like rain drops, or battle each other to death, hair, the schadenfreude over the misfortune of the one who broke you heart and the following realization that no matter what, you're still just as alone as you were before, basslines like heavy mist that engulf the darkened highway carved into the Blue Ridge mountains, hair, ribs, tattoos, vocals that wake you up before anything else in the entire world, and though you're still tired, make you still want to watch the sun rise, the guitar that takes you to the apartment window with a cup of coffee and a skyline view you've always dreamed of having, hair, sunglasses, and a melodies that bring a smile to your face as you return to that place you once were and relive one of those bittersweet memories.

Yep, all the record labels threatening people and YouTube subsequently going on video purging/banning sprees might certainly have been the number one thing that's discouraged people from there for sure. For example, I remember when the Gackt fandom went into a panic because Gordie was literally removing any trace of existance of Gackt on YouTube, including clips of him appearing on Japanese television shows or things unrelated to his current solo project (like Malice Mizer) and fan/tribute videos simply tagged as "Gackt." People responded by continuously making new accounts and re-uploading the videos, but I could see after a while that doing that over and over again can be tiresome and wouldn't be surprised if people simply just gave up after a while. Also I concur with Zess - for a promotional video, they don't use it much as promotion and more as an extra money-milking component of the product/package they're trying to sell in the first place. It's even funnier when they try to pull it off with really shitty videos that literally add nothing of value (and, combined with the price, it probably even REMOVES value). You may be a bit mistaken when you mention that visual kei used to be "the heaviest music you get." In the "old days" there were upbeat, poppy VK bands as well as VK that played heavy metal and punk. Also, I'd say there's a fair number of heavy bands still out there. (Of course "heavy" can be subjective). I think it's more because the visual kei niche has deviated from being a "movement" to being more focused on attracting a certain number of fans. Greed may be a part of it, but I wouldn't put the blame on the artists themselves. Some of them DO care about music and are just trying to find a way to make money and survive like the rest of us. More likely, it's the higher-ups that are probably responsible for a lot of the bullshit that's biting everyone, including the bands themselves, in the ass.

I have only been to one Japanese rock concert and that was to see Boris in Atlanta about three weeks ago. It was really amazing!

It must have been just me then, lol.

I can't say much about production values, nor do I tend to judge albums on that factor alone, but . . . Boris' Noise album. I wouldn't call it a "horror" necessarily (I do have a bias towards them, being one of my favorite bands of all time 'n all), but something feels very *uncomfortable* about listening to it. I mean, I enjoy the songs themselves but I couldn't help but feel like something is just off about the way it's put together. I feel like there's an emphasis on the vocals that isn't necessary considering Takeshi is not a stand-out singer. Not sure if that has anything to do with production, but let's just say hearing them performed live was a lot more pleasurable than on the recording.

I don't know, man. It always rubs me a little wrong when bands guilt or threaten fans in order to get them to stop participating in piracy. DELETING FUCKING EVERYTHING from YouTube, declaring "war" on pirates, or calling your fans demeaning names (a la Kiwamu) is just going to make people lose respect for you and it certainly won't help you widen your fanbase. Sure, I have no problem if an artist wants to encourage fans to buy their music/merch/show tickets, but the attitude you have about it is important to consider too. Fact is, no one responds well to people who come across as whiny assholes, even if their music is the blessed gift of God to humanity. I'm not saying that musicians shouldn't feel angry at fans if their careers are clearly suffering, but there are appropriate ways to get people to sympathize with you and see things your way as opposed to alienating and punishing them. Especially since there's no possible way of knowing the reasons behind why every fan does what they do. Personally, I'm neutral about piracy as I'm not exactly well versed on copyright laws, issues, or ethics in that area. I don't think people should always pirate when they really do care about the artists and they have the means to donate a small sum to BandCamp or buy a CD, but I would be kidding myself if I tried to say that piracy was a force of evil that is killing the music industry and is always more harmful than helpful. I wouldn't have bought the massive pile of Japanese discs or have half as much of the digital downloads on my laptop if it weren't for people breaking the rules and uploading YouTube videos, torrents, etc. Just my two cents in response to the OP, I haven't had the chance to really read through the whole topic just yet.

As the title inquires, if you didn`t have Japanese music (VK, Indie, Pop, Idol, Electronic, or whatever you like / love) what would you be listening to, and how would your life be different? I honestly don't know. I'd probably be still listening to mainstream music or I may have moved on to the English-language 80's/90's, indie, and alternative music genres/artists I currently enjoy along with my Japanese-language music. I'm not even entirely sure that I'd even have the same passion for music that I have now at all. It's been such a mind-opening, wonderful, exciting journey becoming a part of the fandom and being exposed to so many artists and learning so much about what music has to offer, my music taste hasn't been the only thing that has been affected by the music, but it has also affected parts of my worldview as well. How much does Japanese music add to your life? Japanese music itself doesn't really do anything magical. I'd prefer to give credit to individual artists for their contributions to my life. The artists I've grown to love have made living much easier, more tolerable, and more meaningful. They give me something to look forward to and to smile about. It's given me inspiration for my writings and poetry and other ways I express myself. They give color to the world when it seems like there isn't any. I could go on and on about all the good shit until I had a little novella in the works. In addition, there's also the simple shit it gives me - like a community to be involved in, a way to relate to people, a fun excuse to chat up with strangers on the internet and fill a blog full of pretty pictures, rants, and flowery reviews. Would there be any benefits to not having it, like a heavier wallet or bigger bank account? Or is it just plain worth it? I might have procrastinated less in both high school and college and, yes, both my parents and myself would have heavier wallets, but knowing me, I'm sure if I didn't put the money towards music, it would probably go towards another hobby or interest. I think 98% of the time, it's been worth it, although there are a few purchases I face-palm about to this day, considering all the stress I put into obtaining them when I could have just downloaded it online and been just as satisfied in the end. Do you have irreplaceable friends you found through Japanese music? I'd say so. Although for the most part they are internet friends, they are irreplaceable nonetheless. I hope to stay apart of those people's lives for a very long time. Has it opened up your life more? Gave you an interest in Japanese culture? How would your interests change if you didn`t have this music? Absolutely! Being opened up to Japanese music has opened my mind to music from other parts of the world and allowed me to explore genres I wouldn't otherwise be aware of or interested in. I no longer have many reservations about trying new artists and new styles and obviously, language is no longer a barrier that keeps me from enjoying any music. As I said before, not only has it changed my musical interests, but it has also changed the way I view the world and how I view people. I've become a more tolerant, thoughtful person and I'd say I've even become a more confident person as well. Overall, I'd say Japanese music and individual artists have been a VERY positive influence on my life.