M
Martin
Guest
Good points all round here.
On one hand there are bands like Rammstein who gain a solid fanbase despite a language barrier, and of course opera is often performed in a language that's different from that of its audience. Then there are the likes of Shonen Knife, MONO, Boris and Melt-Banana who are a successful yet relatively minor part of the alternative/indie music scene on their own merits. The fact that they don't sing in English may be a minor hurdle, but it's not a big problem.
Perfume and Babymetal are interesting cases, and it's great to see them doing well (I can't wait to see Perfume in November too!). But then, there's the 'novelty' factor because as silly as Babymetal are, 'real' metal fans enjoy them and have grudgingly admitted that the songs are genuinely good! That explosion of popularity is quite recent though - I remember hearing them for the first time a year or two ago and it's still a headline-grabber because it's so strange. The "LOL Japan" reaction.
Many music industries can be very insular - as the Nolwenn Leroy thread recently showed, France has a vibrant and varied music scene that's little-known abroad for instance. And Japan is even worse! There's so much good stuff out there, but Japanese CD prices and the lack of international promotion have kept it a real niche thing. Reading the posts above, I genuinely believe that the 'short-sightedness' of the record companies are mainly responsible for that, so if they can't/won't make the effort, then the fans will have to.
An amusing and positive footnote to this: although I've experienced the same 'meh' reactions to sharing Kala and FJ with family and friends, it was my dad who commented on one of the live vids I shared on FB a while back. He's one of those 'set in their ways' sorts, so was the last person I expected to give me a "...that band you mentioned are pretty good!" response. No context, no prior knowledge: he just liked the fact that it was a fun rock-style tune with talented musicians and no autotune! Mission accomplished!
On one hand there are bands like Rammstein who gain a solid fanbase despite a language barrier, and of course opera is often performed in a language that's different from that of its audience. Then there are the likes of Shonen Knife, MONO, Boris and Melt-Banana who are a successful yet relatively minor part of the alternative/indie music scene on their own merits. The fact that they don't sing in English may be a minor hurdle, but it's not a big problem.
Perfume and Babymetal are interesting cases, and it's great to see them doing well (I can't wait to see Perfume in November too!). But then, there's the 'novelty' factor because as silly as Babymetal are, 'real' metal fans enjoy them and have grudgingly admitted that the songs are genuinely good! That explosion of popularity is quite recent though - I remember hearing them for the first time a year or two ago and it's still a headline-grabber because it's so strange. The "LOL Japan" reaction.
Many music industries can be very insular - as the Nolwenn Leroy thread recently showed, France has a vibrant and varied music scene that's little-known abroad for instance. And Japan is even worse! There's so much good stuff out there, but Japanese CD prices and the lack of international promotion have kept it a real niche thing. Reading the posts above, I genuinely believe that the 'short-sightedness' of the record companies are mainly responsible for that, so if they can't/won't make the effort, then the fans will have to.
An amusing and positive footnote to this: although I've experienced the same 'meh' reactions to sharing Kala and FJ with family and friends, it was my dad who commented on one of the live vids I shared on FB a while back. He's one of those 'set in their ways' sorts, so was the last person I expected to give me a "...that band you mentioned are pretty good!" response. No context, no prior knowledge: he just liked the fact that it was a fun rock-style tune with talented musicians and no autotune! Mission accomplished!
)
. However, my dad seems to have picked up on the fact I'm a massive fan of them and is getting interested. A good portion of my musical diversity comes from him as he's got very eclectic tastes, crossing between rock, drum n bass, reggae, jazz, soundtrack and pretty much everything inbetween. Pretty much the only facet of my tastes that hasn't originated through him is J-pop. He's also a fan of Rammstein and various other bands that don't sing in English, so that shouldn't be an issue.
.
) every week on their VOD internet site Noco, Nolife give free acces to some show, so i hope they will give a free access to the emission 'Chronique de Villepinte -2014 Dimanche' where they make a report of the kalafina show.
