Amid the rush of charity events and albums, a sobering reality intrudes: Japan’s already pressed entertainment industry faces a long slog getting back to normal.
SMAP can afford to donate millions, and musicians with day jobs are to be commended for quickly throwing together a slew of events, but most artists and entertainment professionals in Tokyo are poorly paid and can’t withstand a further drop in demand. The earthquake is creating a crisis for them as real as the better reported problems affecting Japan’s electronics and auto industries.
“With dates postponed it has had a domino effect right across the board,” explains Johnnie Fingers of Smash, promoter of the Fuji Rock Festival, “It has effected PA, lighting and backline rental companies, venues, hotels, transport companies.”
Smash’s office went unscathed, but a difficult decision was made to cancel many gigs. “Although life in Tokyo is fine and we are far away from the evacuation zone,” Fingers continues, “we feel it is not a time for celebration knowing so many are suffering in the Tohoku region, with so much rebuilding and healing to do.”
Nightlife was also hard hit as clubbers hurried home and panicked artists canceled tours. After closing for two weeks, legendary Nishi-azabu disco Eleven reopened in late March. “Some clubs in the area have already gone out of business and with many artist cancelations, we’re worried,” says Eleven’s Yuko Ichikawa. “The impact on nightlife is huge, but we’re still going ahead with monthly charity nights.”
After checking their venues for damage, superclubs Womb and Ageha also reopened with charity events that gathered millions of yen. Many overseas DJs have canceled tours, but, says Ageha’s Mimi Shimada, “audience are returning, and we feel we are providing a place to be together.”
Anyone who has attended a quake relief event in recent weeks can attest to the cathartic effect they have offered to traumatized Tokyoites. But some say the rush of giving has to be approached with a sense of caution.
Hostess Entertainment, the record company behind Radiohead and many other Western bands’ releases in Japan, made a deliberate decision not to put together a charity compilation.
“Far from being cold or heartless, this position has been reached very simply by acknowledging the realities of the music market in Japan, even before the recent catastrophe,” said founder Plub Lazonby. “A charity compilation album of Western music in Japan at this time will generate pennies for charity, pennies that will take time to be delivered. Thus whilst the sentiment may be good, the reality is that it will have negligible positive effect on the relief effort whilst also probably obstructing the path of getting original music back into circulation.”
Shuttered since 3/11, Tokyo’s theme parks and blockbuster shows are also taking a tentative approach to reopening. Tokyo Disneyland, which suffered some liquefaction, reopened on April 15 on reduced hours with thousands lining up seeking a sense of comfort at the park’s time-honored attractions.
The Blue Man Group’s Callum Grant was at home in Tokyo when the quake occurred and says when his “guitars started dancing,” he realized it was something different. “In the weeks that followed, it was hard to feel when it would be appropriate to reopen,” he says, “especially considering the energy shortages and the ongoing situation with Fukushima. There was a planned maintenance week in the beginning of April, so we decided it would be best to reopen on April 16th, with some possible live events around town and fundraising at the theater.”
The Cirque du Soleil’s Zed at Disneyland happened to be on break March 11, and as a “preventive measure,” on March 14 sent its performers as well as those from its Yoyogi show Kooza to Macau. “When a natural catastrophe like this earthquake occurs somewhere in the world, Cirque du Soleil, as a company, will look for the most appropriate way to help, taking into account what Cirque du Soleil can offer,” says chief public relations officer Chantal Côté. “But this help will be most likely defined and determined once the spotlight is less on the region, because we let the international organizations do their frontline work first. Our intervention comes after. We are in the process of defining the nature of what our help could be for Japan.”
Kooza reopened April 12 using 35% less electricity, with a tentative date of April 23 for relaunching Zed, whose high-tech building survived unscathed.
The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra wasn’t so lucky. Some 80% of its Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall’s interior was rendered unusable in the quake. The orchestra has canceled 20 concerts, is seeking donations, and has no date for reopening.
“The situation is such that we have no idea when the hall will be able to reopen,” said Junji Ohno, managing director of the Tokyo Symphony. “But on our 65th anniversary, we resolve to overcome the difficulties with support from our friends around the world. We believe that music moves people, encourages them, and heals wounded hearts. We will continue performing to see us through this disaster.”
Good turnouts for recent events like SonarSound show that people want to be together in times of crisis, but numerous practical issues stand in the way of a return to business as usual. “We’ve postponed the release of albums because aid supplies must be provided before distributing CDs,” said Toshie Hagiwara of record giant Avex. The company delayed more than 60 releases and called off 20 gigs.
“How to deal with the long-term lack of power supply is the question for the live concert business,” concluded the Blue Note’s Miho Harasawa. “It’s a big problem.”
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp)
source: Japantoday
just posting this because people need to expect low sales in Japan. music, movies, everything.
SMAP can afford to donate millions, and musicians with day jobs are to be commended for quickly throwing together a slew of events, but most artists and entertainment professionals in Tokyo are poorly paid and can’t withstand a further drop in demand. The earthquake is creating a crisis for them as real as the better reported problems affecting Japan’s electronics and auto industries.
“With dates postponed it has had a domino effect right across the board,” explains Johnnie Fingers of Smash, promoter of the Fuji Rock Festival, “It has effected PA, lighting and backline rental companies, venues, hotels, transport companies.”
Smash’s office went unscathed, but a difficult decision was made to cancel many gigs. “Although life in Tokyo is fine and we are far away from the evacuation zone,” Fingers continues, “we feel it is not a time for celebration knowing so many are suffering in the Tohoku region, with so much rebuilding and healing to do.”
Nightlife was also hard hit as clubbers hurried home and panicked artists canceled tours. After closing for two weeks, legendary Nishi-azabu disco Eleven reopened in late March. “Some clubs in the area have already gone out of business and with many artist cancelations, we’re worried,” says Eleven’s Yuko Ichikawa. “The impact on nightlife is huge, but we’re still going ahead with monthly charity nights.”
After checking their venues for damage, superclubs Womb and Ageha also reopened with charity events that gathered millions of yen. Many overseas DJs have canceled tours, but, says Ageha’s Mimi Shimada, “audience are returning, and we feel we are providing a place to be together.”
Anyone who has attended a quake relief event in recent weeks can attest to the cathartic effect they have offered to traumatized Tokyoites. But some say the rush of giving has to be approached with a sense of caution.
Hostess Entertainment, the record company behind Radiohead and many other Western bands’ releases in Japan, made a deliberate decision not to put together a charity compilation.
“Far from being cold or heartless, this position has been reached very simply by acknowledging the realities of the music market in Japan, even before the recent catastrophe,” said founder Plub Lazonby. “A charity compilation album of Western music in Japan at this time will generate pennies for charity, pennies that will take time to be delivered. Thus whilst the sentiment may be good, the reality is that it will have negligible positive effect on the relief effort whilst also probably obstructing the path of getting original music back into circulation.”
Shuttered since 3/11, Tokyo’s theme parks and blockbuster shows are also taking a tentative approach to reopening. Tokyo Disneyland, which suffered some liquefaction, reopened on April 15 on reduced hours with thousands lining up seeking a sense of comfort at the park’s time-honored attractions.
The Blue Man Group’s Callum Grant was at home in Tokyo when the quake occurred and says when his “guitars started dancing,” he realized it was something different. “In the weeks that followed, it was hard to feel when it would be appropriate to reopen,” he says, “especially considering the energy shortages and the ongoing situation with Fukushima. There was a planned maintenance week in the beginning of April, so we decided it would be best to reopen on April 16th, with some possible live events around town and fundraising at the theater.”
The Cirque du Soleil’s Zed at Disneyland happened to be on break March 11, and as a “preventive measure,” on March 14 sent its performers as well as those from its Yoyogi show Kooza to Macau. “When a natural catastrophe like this earthquake occurs somewhere in the world, Cirque du Soleil, as a company, will look for the most appropriate way to help, taking into account what Cirque du Soleil can offer,” says chief public relations officer Chantal Côté. “But this help will be most likely defined and determined once the spotlight is less on the region, because we let the international organizations do their frontline work first. Our intervention comes after. We are in the process of defining the nature of what our help could be for Japan.”
Kooza reopened April 12 using 35% less electricity, with a tentative date of April 23 for relaunching Zed, whose high-tech building survived unscathed.
The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra wasn’t so lucky. Some 80% of its Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall’s interior was rendered unusable in the quake. The orchestra has canceled 20 concerts, is seeking donations, and has no date for reopening.
“The situation is such that we have no idea when the hall will be able to reopen,” said Junji Ohno, managing director of the Tokyo Symphony. “But on our 65th anniversary, we resolve to overcome the difficulties with support from our friends around the world. We believe that music moves people, encourages them, and heals wounded hearts. We will continue performing to see us through this disaster.”
Good turnouts for recent events like SonarSound show that people want to be together in times of crisis, but numerous practical issues stand in the way of a return to business as usual. “We’ve postponed the release of albums because aid supplies must be provided before distributing CDs,” said Toshie Hagiwara of record giant Avex. The company delayed more than 60 releases and called off 20 gigs.
“How to deal with the long-term lack of power supply is the question for the live concert business,” concluded the Blue Note’s Miho Harasawa. “It’s a big problem.”
This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp)
source: Japantoday
just posting this because people need to expect low sales in Japan. music, movies, everything.
