July 14, 2020
EDOMAE: Bringing Japanese Indie to the Global Stage
Industry veteran curates live streaming indie music event
Founded by Yuji Sakatani, former manager of Japanese math rock band tricot, KOKOO Records presents a live stream performance on July 19 to showcase three up-and-coming Japanese bands: The Cabins, Ms.Machine and Sisters In The Velvet. Sakatani, who manages the popular rock trio Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs, started EDOMAE to highlight the bands on a global platform.
There’s much to be said about Japan’s love of CDs. The country’s music industry has heavily relied on CD sales for a long time, and there are still about 70 Tower Records shops across the country. “The Japanese music market is still positioned as the second largest market in the world but an IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) report revealed that Japan is the only country that didn’t see its market growing amongst the top 10 countries in 2019,” says Sakatani. “While Japan was obsessed with CDs, it is now behind other countries in terms of streaming services.”
CDs sold well enough in the world’s second largest market, even as other countries moved onto streaming platforms. While artists like Korean girl group BLACKPINK have achieved success overseas, the Japanese music business still largely targets domestic fans. In launching EDOMAE, Sakatani hopes to bridge this gap by giving Japanese artists a platform to showcase their music on an international platform.
“There are some Japanese artists I know who intend to go abroad and I wanted to offer them a place where those young artists can perform for a wider audience,” Sakatani says. “Our current mission is to gain a lot of light listeners who would listen to albums once a day instead of building an intimate relationship with a few hardcore fans who play albums five times a day.”
“I’ve been working in this industry for decades and it’s always fascinating to see young people creating a whole new culture. It’s almost a mission for [Japanese rock band] Southern All Stars to write hit songs everyone in this country loves, but nothing limits younger, newer artists. Twenty years ago, a lot of artists started creating music inspired by The Beatles or Led Zeppelin and now, younger artists listen to 90s alternative music like Nirvana and Radiohead when they’re kids. I’m definitely a fan of seeing how young talents blend these sounds and put their own twists into new music.”
KOKOO RECORDS presents EDOMAE Live Stream
Sunday, July 19
Start: 1:30pm (JST)
Featuring: The Cabins, Ms.Machine, Sisters In The Velvet
Watch the live stream on Youtube.
Donation: https://clubgoodman.stores.jp/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Edomae-102126514877975/
