-Tetsu-

Ikebukuro, before MEIDARA's live! There was this little "shrine" that seemed like a good place to take few shots. Many stray cats were wandering around ❤️ 
 
 

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

I have UnsraWs logo on my back since 2012.
Wanted to integrate it into some more back tattoos but I'm way too lazy to think about anything.
Also want some more band tattoos but money says no since I'm spending way too much on travelling and merchandise, whoops.

Can relate to this.
I live in a very small village in the middle of nowhere, nothing related to my interests close to where I live.
I had a really good friend living here with me but she moved away to town and I don't have much contact to her since that day. Lost another friend when she met someone else she shared more interests with and now I don't know anyone close to me. My closest friend lives 5 hours away by train and we can't see each other often. We mostly meet only on concerts because it's really difficult to find a weekend we could meet up.
Meeting new people is very difficult for me since I'm introvert and shy as fuck and I only speak to others when they start talking first, no matter how hard I try. I'm even struggeling writing here, haha. At least I get along kinda well with my coworkers although it's very exhausting. People think I'm weird because I don't talk much and I'm always scared I'll annoy everyone when I talk about things I like... I also don't chat a lot with others, mostly only with that one friend I mentioned above.
I'm always so happy if I get a message by someone else, haha.

Can relate to this.
I live in a very small village in the middle of nowhere, nothing related to my interests close to where I live.
I had a really good friend living here with me but she moved away to town and I don't have much contact to her since that day. Lost another friend when she met someone else she shared more interests with and now I don't know anyone close to me. My closest friend lives 5 hours away by train and we can't see each other often. We mostly meet only on concerts because it's really difficult to find a weekend we could meet up.
Meeting new people is very difficult for me since I'm introvert and shy as fuck and I only speak to others when they start talking first, no matter how hard I try. I'm even struggeling writing here, haha. At least I get along kinda well with my coworkers although it's very exhausting. People think I'm weird because I don't talk much and I'm always scared I'll annoy everyone when I talk about things I like... I also don't chat a lot with others, mostly only with that one friend I mentioned above.
I'm always so happy if I get a message by someone else, haha.

finally got the only missing CDs and their new parka ♡
 

 

it me again.
didn't want to post a picture again but I've been playing around with my new make up and some editing programs and I like the result so much that I wanted to share it.
I like those colors so much
 

finally got the only missing CDs and their new parka ♡
 

 

SAME
I missed the oportunity way too many times already.

Same! I always mean to buy their parkas but I always push it back to buy other things and they always end up sold out when I re-check and I just can’t let that happen this time lol these are too nice to pass up lol 

Me too. I am so in love with everything they release.

The new parka is really nice, I’m currently waiting for mine to arrive lol

finally got the only missing CDs and their new parka ♡
 

 

hello again
 

hello again
 

hello again
 

I've always been wearing what I've wanted to and what I felt comfortable with. I don't care about being the only one looking different (I already do because I have turquoise hair and there aren't many people with unusal colors, at least at those lives I went to) and nobody cares about what you're wearing. Already seen girls being dressed as lolita, some in short skirts and blouses and even some that looked like they just came out of their bed still wearing their pyjamas.  Most of them do dress up tho just to get the attention of their favorite bandomen

I also could carry whatever I've wanted into the live houses, nobody checked the bags, no matter how many I was carrying with me. Got into the hall with a bag filled with drinks and food. They might ask you to put drinks and food away (without checking, if you say you don't have any you just can go on lol)  but I've never seen anyone to do so.

got myself some new lenses and tried some make up for carnival on Saturday. not really satisfied but I still kind of like the result.
 

This is a great thread topic for discussion. Like others have mentioned I feel pretty conflicted on the subject. When I got into Visual Kei, I was hardly savvy with internet-ing, so if I found something I liked on Youtube, I would save and order it from CDJapan or something. I didn't even know about western VK communities/download forums/file sharing/torrents whatever. But at the same time, since discovering all those things, I have been able to find so much amazing music that simply never would have been available to me. The majority of bands that never make it and had super limited run CD's are lost to the sands of time, but kept alive through some of this file sharing. On the other hand, it being seen as the norm is certainly concerning.
 
The most important point I want to bring up about this whole topic is that this problem is not only concerning the Visual Kei industry. In the western music world, all artists are suffering from a trend over the last 15 years where people simply don't feel that they ought to pay for music.
 
People were eased into this idea through the retiring of physical formats, introduction of illegal downloading, and finally STREAMING. The final nail in the coffin for this issue, is, now, people can pay a small subscription fee that used to be the cost of a single record, most of which won't go to the recording artist, to listen to all of their music. And they have no sense that what they're doing might be unethical. Because they are paying for a legal service, after all. Ask most people below the age of 20 who their favorite artists are? Chances are they may have gone to their show, or seen them live, but the majority of the upcoming generation simply are not buying music (this refers to digital downloads, not even including waning physical formats).
 
 
I wish I knew a proper solution, but its a strange predicament for the entire industry. The previous generation went to record stores and saved for LP's or CD's. Their most devious exploitation might have been copying a friend's album to a blank cassette, so they could finally listen to an album they'd never be able hear to other wise. Simply speaking, there wasn't a choice. If you wanted to hear specific music, you had to buy the releases or go to concerts. Those were the only ways.
 
The current generation grew up listening to their music on YouTube and Spotify, for the most part. For someone to actually pay for an album, physical or digital, they have to be a diehard non-average music fan (ppl on this forum), not know how to use YouTube/Spotify, or they are exceptionally ethically considerate.
 
 
 
To give more of a solid response to the OP, I think promoting the purchasing of music is a good thing, but I don't know if cutting down on illegal downloading is the way to do that. Atleast in the case of the Western Visual Kei audience, there is argument to be made that much of the Western Visual Kei audience wouldn't even exist without file sharing. I may be an exception to the rule having no current bands I really care about, but I can't even financially support so many of my favorite Visual Kei (and Japanese) artists. ( ( Because I can't legally download or buy non-2nd hand cd's from due le quartz, aioria, or yarmulke, etc.) ) I know this is a sort of a wishy-washy answer, but I encourage further discussion of this topic and of buying music that rocks your world.

To begin, we must pleeease understand that the correlation of piracy = loss of a sale is FALSE. People pirating releases ARE NOT making musicians lose money, period. If people hadn't shared, I don't know, batsu game's latest release, I would NOT buy it. I would simply go on without listening to it, because I don't care enough for them to go out of my way to buy a physical copy of something that would cost me 3 USD if it was an itunes release (btw the single sucks). This is true to 95% of the vk listeners, and has been widely discussed in sample pools much larger than a niche japanese music scene, like videogames for example. People buy what they like, period. If you do not let them at least try, why the hell should they buy your music?
 
That being said, people vastly, VASTLY overestimates the importance of western fandom to the scene. We are not the main target, we are not their main income source, the music isn't made for us. We are a plus in the scene, and every single release a westerner fan buys, it's an EXTRA income for the band. They are not counting with our money, people gotta understand that most of the bands simply don't care if we are listening to them or not, as long as their onemans are filled with japanese girls doing dance steps at their songs. Very few bands have the desire for more international exposure, and if that's the case, they sure have to adapt to our ways, as we are not obliged to accept their 90's thinking in the age of streaming. IF japanese fans started pirating instead of buying, THEN we would have a problem.
 
Music is dogs eating dogs everywhere in the world, why would be different for japanese boys in make up? Bands that are actually good, or at least are able to gather interest in their music will flourish, no matter what. People fail to understand that the scene is small because of it's characteristics, because boys dressing like girls and shredding guitars is niche and most importantly, it's foundation is what holds it back. No ammount of western pirates will make or break a band, period.
 
fun fact, UNiTE. shared most of their discography on Spotify, I don't know if it is restricted in japan (which would be a smart thing to do). Yeah they are bigger than most vk acts around, but that does show they are not following the outdated tunneled vision most bands are, and see us as what we are. Extra income, if they get to book a concert here and there, fine! If not, fine aswell, their focus is where it should be, their growth in Japan, without closing their doors to us, the outsiders.