PS COMPANY versus DANGER CRUE (GTFIH)

[Tetora 625]

Hey guys,

 

I have been thinking about the differences in how acts seem to grow or be hindered by record labels... I don`t know the whole story of course, but off my observations:

 

Artist Growth:

 

I really think Danger Crue is the GOAT label right now, all of their main active acts are growing, even newer acts like UNiTE and DIV have been skyrocketing to popularity, Kameleo and ALSDEAD are becoming more prominent fast, and Girugamesh has made a MONSTER comeback (I never was that into them, but INCOMPLETE and MONSTER have been on loop at full blast since they came out for me).

 

On the other hand, a lot of PSCompany`s bands are either going stagnant or downhill.

I don`t know the story behind Alice Nine, but I don`t like their new stuff at all, pretty much since 9 (didn`t like half of it). And KRA, despite gaining what I think is one of the best guitarists out there now (my personal favorite) Taizo, have not really grown, despite putting out a huge amount of great material, including their last album, which they were forced to record in ONE DAY (except the track with piano arrangement done by a session musician, which they got one extra day for.

 

I think Kra should be one of the premiere VK bands now, but they haven`t had a chance to grow. When Taizo left Zoro for KRA it was supposed to be a huge jump for him because KRA are on a slightly major deal, but they really aren`t given the support they should have.

 

Youtube Channels:

 

DangerCrue puts up pretty much every PV in great quality, has comments enabled, puts up all sorts of teasers and comments, and listens to the fans. (When DIV was uploaded out of sync people commented and Danger Crue fixed it).

 

PSCompany takes down most PV`s of bands, and uploads hardly anything. When they do, they upload multiple 30 sec. videos that could have been put together as one, just making  a hassle for fans. I guess they think it will hinder sales to give away PV`s that come with physical copies, but I disagree, esp. when you can`t even follow a band properly.

 

Company Image:

 

Danger Crue seems to be getting more and more loved. Their acts also have a sense of unity, and when you are a fan of one, you end up learning about the others.

 

PSCompany is hated by many, there are conspiracy theories and tales of artists not allowed to have relationships, etc... 
The way they are set up is really disjointed due to the size of them, and there isn`t really one place to hear them all.

 

All in all, there are artists I actually wish went to Danger Crue instead of PSCompany, such as BORN and KRA (on a major deal with DC managing, like MuCC).

 

What are your thoughts on these two labels, and other labels such as Resistar, BandAid, etc?

 

 

 

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

A list of bands signed to each label would be helpful. I honestly had not heard of Danger Crue before reading this.

 

I haven't really listened to anything from DC aside from like 2 tracks on some random Alsdead CD (who were probably signed to Ains at the time), so I can't attest to how much I like / dislike their groups. As for PC, their only good band was Due'le Quartz, which are one of my all-time faves. Everything else they've signed is awful.

[nekkichi 6042]

1:1

they both used to be really awesome, but I can't care less for the current bands of both PSC and DC for a few years already.

[ricchubunny 2013]

My favorite band is from DANGER CRUE, so...

 

Also PSC is kinda harsh to oversea fans...

I think DC is behavior is awesome (like translating stuff and uploading PV's on Youtube) and it will make their bands get more and more popularity (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

[fitear1590 2414]

Well, it's pretty simple for me.  UNiTE is one of my absolute favorite VK bands.  DIV is also a new favorite and Kameleo is pretty good.
I don't really follow the rest of the bands, but based solely on these 3 DC bands and the fact that I don't listen to or care about ANY of the PSC bands, I have to go with Danger Crue.

Plus, as Ricchu mentioned, DC a really active YouTube channel which I appreciate.  Kameleo's PVs are even translated into Korean, Chinese, English (and possibly other languages), so it's nice to see they have overseas fans' interests in mind!  I wish UNiTE's and DIV's videos were translated too,

[Replicant 133]

A list of bands signed to each label would be helpful. I honestly had not heard of Danger Crue before reading this.

 

I haven't really listened to anything from DC aside from like 2 tracks on some random Alsdead CD (who were probably signed to Ains at the time), so I can't attest to how much I like / dislike their groups. As for PC, their only good band was Due'le Quartz, which are one of my all-time faves. Everything else they've signed is awful.

PSC:

• The Gazette
• Alice Nine
• Kra
• ViVid
• D-out
• ScReW
• BORN
• Miyavi (label switch)
• bis (label switch)
• Due le quartz (disband)
• Hanamuke (disband)

Danger Crue:

• 44Magnum
• Acid android
• Alsdead
• Blaze
• Bug
• Creature Creature
• D.I.D.
• D'erlanger (label change)
• Dead End
• Der Zibet
• Die in Cries
• DIV
• Earthshaker
• Girugamesh
• Grand Slam
• Heaven's
• Kameleo
• Ken
• L'Arc-en-Ciel (label change)
• Lions Heads
• MUCC (on a seperate sublabel, label change)
• Naniwa Exp
• Optic Nerve
• Ra:IN
• Reaction
• Roach
• SID (label change)
• Solid
• Sons of All Pussys
• UNiTE
• Velvet Spider
• Zoro (label change)

For Danger Crue, there's a lot of artists, so I don't know who is still around, switched labels later or whatnot -- the label has been out a LOT longer than PSC (1981 vs 1999?), thus the more extensive list. I put the ones that were mentioned in the post I found, and I have no idea if this is even a full list of all bands signed to each label...

 

As for label vs label, I don't totally pay attention to that type of stuff. But the list of artists currently or that were on the two labels mentioned should help out a bit if making a decision. =)

[coffee000 14]

I don't care for both labels. Each of them probably only has one or two artists I like. Tastes differ. I am sure the managing policies for different bands differ too. You don't like something but that doesn't mean it's not good in some other fans' eyes. It still attracts fans and that's what matters to the company.

 

I am not surprised that PSC acts like some idol agency or something and doesn't allow bands to reveal their relationships. It's reasonable for Japanese music/entertainment industries. Not allowing bands to have relationships? I don't think so. Bands from other labels also don't tend to reveal their relationships. Not being relevant or their partners not being public figures is a very good excuse.

 

I am actually curious about the Kra story. Where did you get that information? If it wasn't from the band, I doubt whether it's reliable. Even if the band was indeed forced to record that in one day, isn't it strange that they are allowed to broadcast this kind of negative stuff about their company?

[Tetora 625]

As for the recording of the album Kra said it themselves in an interview for '69':

We had to record all the other songs in one day due to the schedule but there was a day when we could take this one song all day.

As for the PSC policy of no relationships many have said that this is their policy for acts they sign with exceptions for larger artists like Miyavi. I am not sure if this is fact, but it is what's said about them and has never been disputed, so I take it as a strong possibility.

But mainly what I was trying to express it how they manage and grow the artists.

They have some artists who have grown to large extents, but that seems to be of the artists own doing, and when they do reach certain levels it seems like they are made to pump out material.

Kra has also mentioned that when they signed they had much less control over which songs they released, and how the PV's were made. Though that seems to have changed and Keiyuu is more in control of their PV's as well as other bands being more in control and that seems to have improved things.

To me this topic was more about just looking at the actual and perceived differences in the labels and discussing.

I see Danger Crue as really helping artists succeed and going major if appropriate, where-as PSC seems to run their label as having bands that are products to be designed and controlled, and it doesn't always seem to benefit them.

Just my thoughts and hypotheses as an outsider! Let me know yours!

[Tokage 5930]

If I had to pick solely based on those lists of artists posted by Re:pli:cant up there, DC wins for me personally by a major landslide. They have a much more appealing lineup of artists, which are (mostly) solid in terms of musical output as well. Like, I can sort of vaguely see how bands like Screw or D=out could appeal to people, but I personally feel like they don't deserve to be on a semi-major label at all.

The fact that DC actually embraces their foreign fanbase instead of trying to push them away, as PSC seems to be so desperate to do, also helps to establish DC as the superior label in my eyes..

[keyinjpop 89]

My favorites are/were from Danger Cure. I do appreciate the fact that they acknowledge the international fanbase.

[ricchubunny 2013]

I don't care for both labels. They each probably only has one or two artists I like. Tastes differ. I am sure the managing policies for different bands differ too. You don't like something but that doesn't mean it's not good in some other fans' eyes. It still attracts fans and that's what matters to the company.

 

I am not surprised that PSC acts like some idol agency or something and doesn't allow bands to reveal their relationships. It's reasonable for Japanese music/entertainment industries. Not allowing bands to have relationships? I don't think so. Bands from other labels also don't tend to reveal their relationships. Not being relevant or their partners not being public figures is a very good excuse.

 

 

 

VK band members cant reveal their relationships AT ALL, its not just on PSC

[Champ213 1858]

I'm not going to judge by the bands on each label because in the end that's just about personal tastes and isn't really reflecting on how well-managed a label is. (If I would go by that, it would be Danger Crue by a large mile though.)

 

 

However, when I look at Danger Crue's list, I see a lot of bands that have been around for a long time. Granted, as been said before, DC has been around a lot longer than PSC, but I guess it's a good sign if bands are willing to stick with a label for such a long time? I assume it means they're doing something right. Also, DC seems to have more variety in their bands, but then again, they just seem have more bands in general.

 

 

Maybe the labels are a bit too different to be compared? Would it be more to the point to compare PSC to, say, Under Code (before they ceased activties)? I'm not sure, but how did Under Code handle things like Youtube?

[coffee000 14]

VK band members cant reveal their relationships AT ALL, its not just on PSC

 

That's true. It's sort of like an unwritten law within vk. But there are exceptions. When a very famous rock star is married, especially to another famous person, it will tend to become public. People have rumors that PSC has something written (not sure whether it's true). I can't guarantee that other labels won't have something similar written though. I think it's unfair to blame PSC for that, because in the end, it really doesn't matter whether it's written or not.

 

I get the impression that band members will tend to use not being relevant or their partners not being public figures as excuses to not make their relationships known. They won't ever say because they are vk so it's not allowed (even if this is the real reason).

[Nyasagi 259]

PSC is the shittiest vk label, of course most labels would be better than them (except some small ones that don't even sell the CDs of their bands in shops that ship abroad, like Dear Dolce used to sell CDs only in their webshop, Japan only, boo). The only Danger Crue band I listen to (but only sometimes), is D.I.D. I used to be interested in ALSDEAD, but they became boring for me. There's nothing exciting about the label, just a label with some bands I don't listen to. -le shrug-

 

About relationships: I doubt band members would like to reveal them themselves in most cases. Why would they need so much drama? Japanese fans are different than us, the musicians would lose popularity and sales if they made such things public. Why lose popularity, money, and deal with angry females, if you can avoid it?