Is the Jpop Us Gaijin Exposed to Really what's being listened to?

I had heard somewhere alot of the Stuff that's made it over here by way of P2P and what not isn't entirely reflective of what's really popular in Japan.

How true is the above statement?

 

Nobody knows. Nobody in Japan listens to that shit.... well, I don't anyway. The only thing I know is that Kumi Koda is endorsing about 8 products simultaneously. Never heard her sing.

 

Does it matter? I mean, if you like what you're getting, that's all that matters. Unless you *only* want to hear what's popular amongst people in a different country for... some reason. Or is it that you don't like what you're getting, and you feel that there must be something better?

I guess an easy test would be compare your downloads to Japanese top 10 charts.

There's always going to be the japtard that's so obsessed with a country they've never been to that they'll tell you that all the animes you've seen are "mainstream garbage" and all the jpop you listen to is "commercial bullshit noone in japan likes". And all the ramen you eat isn't "the good kind", and "real" japanophiles do W or eat X or drink Y or wear Z. They're experts don't you know.

 

Actually I was just cerious.

 

Well like I said, the easiest way to check this would probably be comparing your music library to japanese music charts. I didn't mean to come off as abrasive as I did. And for the record, I wasn't saying that you were of the type who I described in that last bit. It was more about the types of people who spread rumors like that. Perhaps I've just dealt with too many personally and I sound a bit jaded.

I don't follow the JPop P2P scene enough (read: at all) to know if what's there is what's hot in the land of the rising sun - but I don't see a reason why music that isn't popular is being shared, while the music that is popular remains unshared.

 

Stuff like Hyde, Gackt, Home Made Kizou, Mouning Musume, L'arc (who must be popular with the staying power they have), Ayumi, Shiina Ringo and so on.

 

I guess I'm one of the odd ones. I listen to Jpop here in the US, and when I went to Japan last month, I heard a lot of familiar tunes on the radio. M-flo, Diggy-Mo, Emyli, Koda Kumi.

None of my friends know of them, though.

 

M-flo was in DDR, Diggy Mo and Soul'd Out are featured in enough things as well.

 

It's going to depend on various factors such as what you lisen to, who you ask as a sample in Japan, where you get your music.

A lot of the "pop" stuff gets out of Japan very easily so if you ask Mr Average Japanese Pop fan you'll get an answer you know.

If you like death metal on a banjo the odds are you won't find any Ja[anese stuff. That's not to say it's not around.

My own experience, in HMV and the likes in Japan I knew of most of the top 10 artists and recognised most CM's tunes sinply because what's big there gets out easily.

In a rock club I knew none of the bands despite some of them being bigger than some of the "print by numbers" idols types doing CM's.

Summing up, the more popular music is there the easier it is to get outside but the quality is probably not on the high side.

:020:

 

I have never met one Japanese person that admits to listening to J-Pop. I always found that a bit strange, but reassuring.

 

I really Dig Shiina Ringo

I only know about her because of I-no

 

Heh, those are really terrible names.

Might want to do som Last FM browsing? I remember being able to list charts by country.

 

Is it safe to assume that in Japan, as it is here, "Suzie the 13 year old" is the one who has all of the power when it comes to music executives?

I read some book by Frank Zappa years ago, where he basically said that all of the music executives in America bend over backwards trying to please the 13 year old teenage girl market (i.e. "Suzie" above) and that's why we tend to get such artificial baloney in the mainstream charts - the Christina Agularias, Pinks, Boy bands, etc.

Just wondering if that's a phenomenon specific to the American musical experience, or are Japanese record companies also guilty of exploiting the lowest common demominator as they do here.

 

I think that's the worldwide take on everything. Look at the biggest anime franchises? I don't keep up w/ anime at all, but it seems there's always a Pokemon or One Piece movie out, whereas something along the line of Ghost in the Shell comes around about once a year.

I think the girl factor in Japan is way higher than the US though (that could just be me). Japanese are very fickle, and label whores. However, they follow in groups way better than white people (look at all the lines around town). Get a few hundred teenie boppers on board, next thing, you have a national phenomenon.

 

That's actually really interesting. Reminds me of Kobayashi's "Rebellion".

 

coughmorningmusumecough

Speaking of which I hear one of it's members got knocked up Morning musume members get passed around more than a bong at a Cypress Hill concert.

The difference between Maufactured Jpop and US Pop?

Most Jpop is actually pretty good, Puffy Ami Yumi is manufactured and they're actually pretty decent.

 

I beg to differ :nod: Yesterday their song Asia was playing on the radio and all I could think was, "What god awful shit singers they are". While the tune isn't bad their voices cut right through me.

There is some good J-Pop and yes Japanese DO listen to it when we are talking about singers older than their early 20's. Japanese that most westerners know say the DON'T listen to J-Pop because they are the Japanese equivalent to the so called wapanese. However, if you ask someone that has no interest in the west what music they like, they are bound to say some J-pop group.

In the last few years I've moved further away from J-pop to the point that I haven't got a clue who's in or out anymore. Stuff I listen to but must admit that it's all MP3s are the following (Most of it older stuff)

Zard (now dead)
Aikawa Nanase
Hamasaki Ayumi (Early stuff from 1998 to 2000)
Sold Out
M-flo
Move
Ohguro Maki
Dreams Come True (older stuff only)
TRF (yeah, sad I know but their older stuff was my first J-pop)

there are other artists I like but not to the extent that I'd buy an album from them. Stuff such as Orange Range or anything from the Jannys label (sp?) is pure manufactured shite but of course it's riding high in the charts.

Yakumo

 

I like orange range too. and just about everyone you listed above I listen to.
I like alot of the stuff in Ouendan as well.


If I had to pick some favorites I'd say, M-flo, Hyde, Gackt, Crystal Kay, Ayumi, and my absolute fave Shiina Ringo.

 

I always relate it to Steve Harvey's bit in The Original Kings of Comedy where he said Black people don't need a reason to run... they just need to see other black people running. "If I got off this stage and ran out the back door... at least 10 of you would follow me". Japanese are the same w/ lining up. See a line, and jump in. If you look at the gamengai entry for 2007-08-03 you'll see a very small picture of Krispy Kreme on a Tuesday for crying out loud.

Here's a pic I stole. The line generally keeps going around the back... yes, for donuts.

There's just so much wrong w/ this sentence fragment, or whatever you want to call it. Most music in general is bad. Most Pop is awful, and J-Pop is probably worse. It goes against what music should be: unique, creative, and if you're lucky, a window into a person's mind. None of the above is possible w/ the lyric "Say you, love dreamer!" in it.