Bands I Have Seen Live//

Abingdon Boys School
Alice Nine
Angelo
Aoi
Aural Vampire
Ayabie
born
BOUNTY
BREAKERZ
D
DaizyStripper
DuelJewel
exist trace
the GazettE
Hangry & Angry
Hi:BRID
Inoran
Jack Rose
jealkb
Kaggra
lix
LM.C
lynch.
Merry
Moi Dix Mois
PENICILLIN
Plastic Tree
Rampant
Sadie
Satsuki
SEX MACHINEGUNS
SuG
SwallowtaiL
the Underneath
Toshihiko Takamizawa
uBuGoe
UnsraW
Vampire
Vidoll
X Japan

I'm a wee bit spoiled (^_^)

Why Downloading Music Is Okay//

     A couple weeks ago I witnessed someone on my twitter feed criticizing people for uploading one of LM.C’s new videos on Youtube.  She even insinuated that they were hurting the industry/hurting the fan base.  How?  I am not one of those of those people who becomes defensive out of ignorance, so rather I am just writing now to offer a counterpoint.

     The most obvious reason why she would say that is this assumption that the record companies and all parties involved will lose money since now there will be no reason to buy the Limited Edition.  Yes, for only $10-$20 more you two can own the exact same CD with a different case and a DVD that contains both the music video and the making-of video!  Some bands, like Plastic Tree, actually make these editions worthwhile by including live concert footage, but generally the case and the DVD are the only difference.  Unless they were obsessed with a specific song why then would a casual listener purchase it?  To fans, it is little more than a status symbol, and I should know, every Alice Nine CD and DVD I own is as elite as they can be. 

     This I suppose all falls under the classic and wearisome argument of file-sharing.  Some in the industry support it.  Others do not.  My viewpoint of file-sharing is this: You download mp3s to discover new music.  If you like it, you buy it.  I personally am much more likely to buy an album I have already heard because if I have not heard it previously, I feel that the purchase is too risky and decline it without ever giving it the chance.  I promise too that unlike a lot of people, my claim is true; my Japanese music collection is worth so much I have thought about using it as collateral for a loan.  If a company expects me to even consider buying a product, I demand they let me sample it first.  The pitiful thing is the actual artists don’t seem to mind at all.  When meeting a Japanese artist you find that they don’t care that you have not bought the latest single; they are too overjoyed that you know who they are.

     My biggest problem with the Youtube issue is that I am in America; how can someone argue a lack of profitability when they are not even attempting to market outside of Japan?  Knock, knock.  Who’s there?  Opportunity.  Much of the young fanbase was introduced to Japanese music through the internet which has expanded the scene here in America more than I ever thought possible.  Downloading music is sometimes the only we can get our hands on it.  These arguments against media share have some significance in Japan, but no clout here.  It is not as if they are unaware of blocking IPs from regions they do not like.  Youtube, 2chan, and many Japanese MMOs have essentially told me, “Silly foreigner, this content is for us”.  If they want to shield Japanese fans from the desire (peer pressure) to view content without paying, then just block Japanese IPs.

     I really feel that, given the circumstances, it is unfair for these record companies to feel as if anything else can be expected of us.  Japanese CDs are expensive enough as it is, but on top of it we have to pay the necessary expensive shipping costs.  Even over-privileged teenagers from middle-class families can only order so much with their disposable incomes.  The difference in price between a new American CD and a new Japanese CD is normally 200-300%.  This is really what everything boils down to: price control.  It is a way to keep CDs selling at the very same price in Japan.  It is my belief that Japanese companies recognize that if they were export their goods on a grand-scale, at a price greater than world market price,   they would face downward pressure.  As there is no way, at least with CDs that I know of, to prevent residents of Japan from listening to a CD distributed in a different country, they cannot prevent them from choosing to purchase the CDs which now reflect the world market’s price.  Although what I just wrote may seem like some conspiracy theory, it is a real world strategy.  That is why we have region codes for DVDs, to prevent a group in one region from watching a movie sold in another region at a different price.  If you cannot connect the dots, it means those CD/DVDs whose sales you are negatively impacting by watching a music video on Youtube, you can’t watch anyway without a DVD player capable of reading the Region 2 code. 

     It is undeniable, in my mind at least, that a foreigner uploading a Japanese music video on Youtube, for other foreigners to watch, is of absolutely no real consequence to the Japanese music industry.  In fact, I actually wonder if they are not wasting more money by sending a cease-and-desist notice within hours of a video’s upload, than they would be by following my suggestion to block Japanese IP addresses.  I often wonder if Japan’s value of homogeny plays a role in this.  Either way, my demand to the Japanese music industry is this: give us distribution or give us our Youtube videos.    

Alice Nine - Heart of Gold Pv//

Because I don't normally have internet access until noon, I rarely get to watch their live show on Nico Nico Douga, but I just found out that they debuted their new video on this month's episode.  I personally love it.  It's at least 100x better than Blue Flame.  Shou's outfit, however, looks like something a 60 year-old woman would purchase from my shop.

Conspiracy behind Taiji's death//

Last night my boyfriend referred me to an interesting blog post by Daisuke from THE SOUND BEE, concerning the recent death of Taiji.  It is quite curious and could possibly make anyone consider the circumstances a little more.  While I will not express my opinions, I can completely understand why Daisuke and his team are searching for more answers.

Here's a link to the original blog post followed by my translation.

I keep thinking there’s no way, no way it’s suicide.

It might be true that he acted violently, but the issue is that he acted violently on the plane, not to mention restricting him from foreign soil. There's no question about that.

But, setting that aside.

When my staff participated in X Japan’s lives with Taiji, they were acting as management.

And so the question is who is his management now.

This has become the current issue.

I was told by my staff that Taiji was in Saipan, but the next day

Conflicting information had emerged

When it was reported he was in serious condition.
How’s that?

My staff got mail from him saying he was alright.

That’s correct, mail from his own terminal .

So my staff told me he’s alive and well, not to worry.

Now my staff is now moving to reveal the truth.

What’s weird is the current subject of a female manager.

Because he has various staff, anyone could have mailed as him.

Who could it be?

Taiji's blog was deleted from his computer.

Who could it be?

It appears as if the full picture is something that can’t be seen.

Why were they bringing his estranged relatives, but stopping his current fiancé? 

Why is it so hard to extradite him if his remains are cremated? 

What’s wrong with having an autopsy? 

Besides it seems like he killed himself in police custody on that island.

I guess because the world’s so small that if you have authority it can be under your control

My management is going to collect information and stir to return his remains to the family

Because we can’t do a funeral like this 

Because something seems wrong what I want to say is 

Everyone raise your voices more and more and drag this female manager into the media 

I want mass communication to be mobilized to explain current affairs or to bring this investigation to an end

My staff said they can’t trust the news reports so easily.

Here it seems like his female manager is still breathing.

Anyhow, I know it’s a difficult thing because there’s the problem of being isolated from that country, but if it wasn’t suicide...

I…Taiji was a little messed up, but I [or he] hate the thought of suicide.

Fan Wisdom//

It has been irritating me more and more lately, the attitudes or actions of the newer generation of Jrock fans.  I hate to promote myself as an elitist, but even I, who tamed my raging teenage hormones to the thought of some androgynous visual-kei singer on a regular basis, can see little connection between myself and younger fans.  For years now nothing more has annoyed me than someone half my age writing, "I miss Hide".  Really?  That's amazing to have such devotion in the womb.  I find that often these younger fans forget their place.  I really do not mean to say they belong in some lower social status, rather attempt to manipulate reason and reality.  The fact that I do not believe a girl from Wisconsin listened to Malice Mizer, when she was only three years-old, may just be a fault of my close-mindedness.  Whether I am to blame or not, it bothers me.

I was dragged to my first anime convention ever this year, to act as a personal translator so a friend could communicate with one of the guest Japanese bands.  My friend was not a fan, but sincerely enjoyed one of the member's previous bands.  This I respect.  When I went to the Q&A, I listened to dozens of teenagers exclaim their undying love for their favorite band.  This I do not respect.  The reason why is because I would bet my entire cd collection that no one in that room knew of the band, lest heard one of their songs until it was announced they would be performing (save for staff, of course).  The truth is, my friends, our convention is so small we get the Japanese equivalent of the local band to perform, despite what Tainted Reality tells you.  You should have probably realized it when you could only find a 100 hits off Google.  If not, then at the very least when they performed, right?  I forgot.  You only like them because they are Japanese.  I remember back in December leaving the GazettE's live at Tokyo Dome to be hounded by a legion of those local bands.  To even my surprise, a member from the band Luzmelt personally handed me a promotional flier and thanked me for being one of the few to accept it.  They performed at my hometown's convention less than a year before.  A friend of mine, a former staff member of the convention, informed me that they were paid $7000 for their time in the city.   Unfortunately for them, that $7000 also paid their airfare and hotel rooms.

My advice is this :
--Be honest to yourself and those around you.  By claiming to be something you are not, you are hiding yourself from what you could be.  Most people are going to see through your lies anyway.  My biggest pet peeve is when people claim to be a fan of an artist, but they only know a handful of songs all used in anime. 
--Share what you know and try to learn (continued from above).  People today have such a greater opportunity to learn about Japanese music than I did years ago.  By claiming to be the biggest fan of a band you hardly know anything about, you are killing your own learning opportunity.  If you have only recently been introduced to a band, ask to know more about them.
--Do not like anything for any reason other than it gives you pleasure.  Do not listen to a song because it is popular.  Do not listen to a song because a friend does.  Do not listen to a song simply because it belongs in a genre or its members are Japanese.  Listen because it means something to you.
--Remember that these artists are just as human as your or I, despite the fact most of them look like holograms.  Being so opposed to a band that you must bash them every opportunity you get is a waste of time.  If not for the fact they would be considered public figures, this could be considered harassment.  Likewise, declaring an artist your god and spending most of your time worshiping them might be a sign that your life's priorities might need a little more thought.

Intro Theme//

I wonder how many times I have failed this task, maintaining a blog? Undoubtedly, there are fragments of my self scattered across the internet, probably locked in some archive written with an algorithm so intrusive it could only be conceived in some dystopian novel, or in other words, Google's Cache. I have written opinions, summarized plots, and shared drops of my knowledge. All of these have never been worthwhile enough to me to continue my endeavors, and so I cannot guarantee how much time I will dedicate to this task nor if it will be worth your time to read. I am honestly not a lazy person. Rather, I am quite the opposite and will prioritize tasks in the order of greatest importance in the moment. I think it is with this, most people develop Bucket Lists, filled with the hopes and dreams they pushed aside.

I have carried a dream since I was a little girl, once which, despite holding onto so long, I never conceived as possible. It all started with a show called "Hey!Hey!Hey!". I remember the first time I ever watched it, on my grandmother's television while still an elementary student. I was enraptured and curious; something sparked. Soon I was watching it weekly and distinguishing artists though not words. X Japan, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Utada Hikaru, Hamasaki Ayumi, hitomi,...all became part of my vocabulary. When my family finally got our first computer, I, like every other kid, began illegally downloading every song I could find, which in that era, was quite the limited selection. This definitely painted me as the outsider, even amongst what few friends I had. It would be several years until I could convert anyone into an occasional listener.

At that time is when I bought my first Japanese dictionary, determined to uncover the meanings of the words which so greatly moved me. I would listen. I would study. I bought my first CD, Utada Hikaru's Distance album during my freshman year and although I was not the most diligent student, became a translator at 16. To help study and to express myself, as is so important at that age, I began to write my own lyrics. This was my childhood and everything would continue just the same even after I turned 18. Still, I never thought the dream was possible. That is, until it came true.


I, like many other dreamers, became excited when a mega-festival was announced, one dedicated to my guiltiest pleasure - visual-kei. "Ah, how nice it would be," I thought. "Ah, how nice it would be," I thought as I submitted an entry to musicjapanplus.jp for a chance to win a pass to the festival and the opportunity to report on their behalf. Although I submitted an entry for some J-rock good as a weekly ritual, I had never won anything. I was so accustomed to losing, in fact, that the thought of not receiving this too did not phase me. Unfortunately, that mindset did not prepare me for the moment when I had won.

To my greatest disbelief, every dream I had hidden away, to protect it from the reality I thought would shatter it, came true. I went to Japan. I saw my favorite artists perform. I fell in love with a Japanese rocker. I went back to Japan to discover that those feelings of love were mutual. Now, here I am riding out the rest of my dream like a chord, and trying to convince this new generation of dreamers that anything is possible.