If you’re a fan of Japanese music and live outside of Japan, I would be so grateful if you take a moment to read this🙏
If you’ve ever wondered why more Japanese artists don’t reach out and do shows & tours overseas, the reason is pretty simple and the main one is the hurdle of selling tickets.
There is only a SMALL percentage of artists that can rely on the power of big labels/agents to promote their shows internationally.
Even in Japan, selling out shows is a lot more challenging than in past years, due to people just being satisfied with digital content. And considering it costs even more to bring a tour overseas, you can imagine how many artists are willing to LOSE money by doing so, if any.
It’s not just about the artist not being popular or sufficient enough, or that they don’t have the will to bring their content to fans around the world. In fact, there are so many fellow artists around me that I highly respect, telling me they wish they could do shows overseas, but know it’s not realistically possible, and as someone who yearns for the same thing, it really, really hurts inside.
More importantly, it hurts most that fans around the world will often never ever be able to see a show of their favorite Japanese artist.
I’m not trying to ask for pity, nor demand anything, unless this resonates with you.
But if it does, and you want to know what you can do to help us reach you with our music, it’s really very simple.
Please go follow artist’s socials.
Please go subscribe to their Youtube channels.
Please find them on Spotify.
Please interact with them by commenting and letting them know you’re there to support them.
Please share your passion with the people around you.
AND PLEASE, don’t miss the opportunity to buy a ticket and GO to their shows, when that miraculous opportunity comes, whether it’s a solo or event stage.
I am not exaggerating when I say it IS a miracle and it might never happen again.
I know writing all this isn’t gonna change much, but I just hope it reminds you that every listener, every fan, every second of support matters in keeping music alive, particularly in this generation.
Thanks for listening, if you made it this far🫶
Let’s keep Rocking On.
NANO
I'm sorry for being so quiet lately. last couple months have been really rough - yet this too shall pass.
for those I've met and hung with irl, best way to contact me is discord - my DMs are open to y'all!
this year's USIF will be amazing. tekko will be too. see y'all soon 🫶
@ulises_johnson_ musicians don't make money, and can't afford to hire other musicians.
one solution is swapping services with other broke musicians. this mutual aid strengthens community.
another is ai. this weakens community
the tools technocapitalists sell us are not our salvation.
(not to say performers without any other venue really have a choice - but you shouldn't take that disrespect quietly. make yourself heard.) respect performers, respect the space.
signed, an event runner and a lifelong musician
it is not difficult to remember that idols are performers and require a certain standard of support. if you don't know what that is, ask. they also provide their skills for free or at their own expense in many circumstances. (1/?)
a failure to provide those things is a demonstration of a lack of respect. the community has had to shoulder that from a lot of cons. with the growth the comm has seen, that has been tolerated less and less. it should *not* be tolerated, period. (5/?)
As someone who's been around the EN Vtuber space for almost 6 years now, I can tell you that a lot of people within this space want you to play by the "rules" & when you don't you get ostracized or just straight ignored.
This is why it feels so "high school." People don't like when people do stuff a different way. There is a lot of being shady behind the scenes, focusing on only interacting with others when numbers are high, etc. acting like if someone isn't fully "with you" then they must be "against you," when it's okay to just both exist in the space & not also vibe together. They will say they're mature & communicative, but behind the scenes they are petty & mean.
A lot of people in entertainment spaces are cliquey & hold a high sense of self importance, so if you can't help them, they probably don't even want to talk to you. This also means, even if you "get in with them" they could be quick to turn on you when they no longer see your value.
It's not worth it. People like this, aren't worth your time. Your time is precious & should be spent creating, not worrying about if someone who says they're your friend is actually talking about you behind your back.
Of course this is not everyone! There are many Vtubers & creatives I've met who are super kind & so chill, on both the big & smaller ends of the space, but they often keep to themselves. They usually stay in their own lanes.
This isn't to scare anyone interested in becoming a Vtuber or Streamer, it's just to be honest about what goes on. Not everyone is best friends or even on the best of terms & I see a lot of people assume that's the case. That everyone just loves everyone else... It's a complicated network of many creatives, with overlapping circles of, who all handle creating & growth very differently.
TLDR; My wisdom on this is:
✦ Do your own thing
✦ Play by your own rules
✦ Walk your own road
✦ Don't care about other people's opinions of you
✦ & focus more of your time as a creator on actively creating! Not trying to get friendly with everyone & anyone, cause not everyone is out there to make real friends. They are out there to get ahead.
In a creative career, your time should be creating! If it's mostly focused with stressing about what other people think well of you, or trying to get close to people that don't give you the time of day, stop.
You can't control other people, but you can shift your focus to what you actually wanna do & people that will help you feel motivated to do those things you love! You do you & don't let people pressure you to be anything but yourself! ✨
reminder: YOU CHOOSE to support an idol. YOU CHOOSE to spend money. What you’re investing in is their work as idols—not ownership of their lives. They’re person, not robots and they deserve privacy, space and rest. And just in case it wasn’t clear: idols don’t owe you anything.
Teachers: Please remove the disruptive student so others can learn.
Admin: Everyone needs seat time, so we sent him back after a restorative conversation.
Teachers: Johnny has only been here 5 days this semester. He’s going to fail with a 20.
Admin: Seat time doesn’t matter. Just give him a 70. We don’t want him to drop out.
Teachers: We have to stop passing students along. I have students on wildly different levels.
Admin: It’s okay, you can differentiate.
Teachers: It’s impossible to differentiate for 30 kids across 10 levels. Can you come show me how?
Admin: (After a 10-minute walk-through) Email: Try discovery-based learning and really focus on student discourse. Also your objective was not written on the board.
Admin: We have a lot of open positions on campus. Please be prepared to cover classes during your conference period if we can’t find long term subs. Also, make sure your lesson plans are uploaded, 504/Sped accommodations are documented, parent contact logs are updated, and grades are posted in a timely manner.
Schools: We don’t know why there is a teacher shortage.