Asian Kung-Fu Generation's freaky business-model
Salon's Andrew Leonard pieces together the story of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, a mega-band whose success owes much to anime and video-game soundtracks, YouTube bootlegs, fan-subbed cartoons, and assorted global teenage weirdness that points to a future that might be more futuristic than any of us contemplated:
Link (Thanks, Andrew!)Then again, kids these days are exposed to Asian Kung-Fu Generation in ways that go beyond your typical CD or digital download. According to Wikipedia, Asian Kung-Fu Generation songs are featured in Nintendo and Konami musical games, as movie themes, and grace the credit sequences for half a dozen anime shows, including "the second opening" for "Naruto" and "the fourth opening" for "Fullmetal Alchemist."
Let us pause now to consider the awesome brilliance of the title "Fullmetal Alchemist."
Second opening? Fourth opening? In Japan, I learned, anime television shows not only feature different songs playing over both the opening and closing credits, but swap in new songs as many as four times per season.
Once upon a time, a rock band played local clubs, got a record deal, released a single, made an album. Today's up-and-comers license their tunes to video games, movies, cartoons and, of course, commercials.
(Photo credit: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, a Creative Commons ShareAlike photo from Hibino's Flickr stream)
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Ajikan has been my favorite band for about 5 years now, and through shameless promotion, I've managed to get multiple friends (not only age 24 and up, but not even particular fans of Japanese culture or anime to begin with) into their music. They have a very upbeat, driven rock style that I really recommend to anybody who hasn't tried too hard to get into non-English music - maybe try watching the videos to Loop & Loop or Kimi no Machi made (To the Town Where You Live) - the songs are easy to enjoy, and the band has a good sense of humor about their videos and performances. I'm really pleased that Salon is introducing them to new listeners, and I'd recommend the albums Sol-fa or Kunkei Five M if you're looking for a place to start.
Wanted to say that this is nothing new in the Japanese music world. And I think it still holds true that for success in the American music world TV tie-ins like anime will not cut it.
The key to Japanese music market success for at least thirty years has been TV theme tie-ins. To get your song on a commercial, in a drama or an opening or ending credit really meant you had made it. Even today the selling power of a band gets determined largely by how they can tie themselves into TV.
Consider the term "selling out" in the American music context, remix and enjoy.