Up-Front Thread

[Amped]

tiny tiny #87



Guest Morning Musume. '19 Ishida Ayumi

[Amped]

tiny tiny #88



Guest Kiyono Momohime (BEYOOOOONDS / Ame no Mori Kawa Umi)
Tiny Relaxation : Murota Mizuki loves video games

[JonCC]

tiny tiny #88
Guest Kiyono Momohime (BEYOOOOONDS / Ame no Mori Kawa Umi)

tweet

tweet

[Amped]

tiny tiny #89



Guest Juice=Juice Leader Kanazawa Tomoko
My tiny trend : Tsubaki Factory Yamagishi Riko loves watching stage plays and musicals. She watched "Annie" and bought goods

[JonCC]

Ogura Yui Live Tour Digest.

[Amped]

tiny tiny #90



Guest ANGERME Leader Takeuchi Akari
Tiny Relaxation : Tsubaki Factory Niinuma Kisora's loves to massage her face

[JonCC]

tiny tiny #90



Guest ANGERME Leader Takeuchi Akari

tweet

[da1suk1day0]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but considering it dealt mostly with their management practices, I chose this thread. Please feel free to move it!

Sayashi Riho's dancing for BABYMETAL became the catalyst to openly think about how UFP manages their idols, so Business Journal reiterated how respectable UFP is in treating their idols by giving them the freedom to quit when they want on their own terms.
They also mention the Kenshuusei System as integral to H!P's success and longevity.

tweet

Spoiler: show

Why Sayashi Riho left her management... H!P's Up-Front is a white company in the entertainment industry

When former Morning Musume member Sayashi Riho appeared at BABYMETAL's concerts as a support dancer, it shocked the idol industry. After all, it's not ordinary for a former ace for a famous idol group to support another well-known group that belongs to a different production company.

Someone involved in the industry proposed, "it's possible this came about from Sayashi and Nakamoto's (SU-METAL) connection, with them both taking lessons at Actors School Hiroshima when they were younger."

Sayashi ended her contract with UP-FRONT PROMOTION (UFP) at the end of November, and performed as a free agent for BABYMETAL.

The same industry member said, "although it appears as though Sayashi was just a supporter and not a full member of BABYMETAL and contracted with Amuse, Inc., on the UFP side it's as if Amuse took someone UFP had raised on their own. No matter how much of a free agent she may have been, it'd be normal for UFP to not allow her to do what she did. However, the fact that she did support them shows how deeply UFP feels about their artists."

UFP, which houses the idol management group "Hello! Project" with groups such as Morning Musume, ANGERME, and Juice=Juice, is often called a "white company" (one which has low turnover and values employee welfare).

An entertainment company insider said, "although the management may limit what the idols can do or their social media, because of that they're well-managed. Most importantly, they're given the 'freedom to quit.'"

There are many members who graduate after a substantially short active period, such as "17-year-old ace" Sayashi (graduating to train in dance abroad), "successful in variety shows" Suzuki Kanon (graduating in 2016 to become a nurse), and Ogata Haruna (graduating in 2018 to go to a
2-year college). Others include Country Girls/Juice=Juice member Yanagawa Nanami who retired from the entertainment industry at 17 to attend college, and ANGERME's Katsuta Rina announcing her September graduation to pursue a career in fashion. In H!P, although they may be expected to succeed as idols in the future, many graduate to pursue other paths.

The entertainment insider continues, "in particular, well-known members like Sayashi and Suzuki can be seen as 'valuable assets' from the company's point of view, which would also be highly important 'sources of income,' so it wouldn't be strange if they weren't allowed to graduate or retire. However, in UFP's case, they mostly respect each member's wishes. The idols in UFP must feel a sense of gratitude that the company puts their lives first over their entertainment career."

Hello Pro Kenshuusei: An ideal system

So, how is it that H!P has continued for over 20 years even though their ace members quit one after another? The secret is their "Hello Pro Kenshuusei." (Note: 'HPK' will refer to the Kenshuusei system, while 'KSS' will refer to the Kenshuusei members.)

"H!P's big drawing point is their high level in singing and dancing. Supporting that high level of performance is the HPK training system. Even if a popular member graduates, a KSS who gained experience in the HPK can be added as a new member, which can reasonably secure a group's performance level. By doing so, they're able to replace members while retaining as much of their charm as possible," explained the music industry insider.

H!P will hold outside auditions on occasion and choose members from there. But lately, the main route has been promoting a KSS from within to become a full-fledged member.

The music industry insider explained the increase in KSS promotions. "The amount of KSS promotions increased after 2011. That was when we were right in the middle of the 'idol boom,' so even within the various groups at the time, H!P (which was already known for their high level performances) was able to distinguish themselves using the HPK system as a result. In addition, this was around the time ?-ute was being recognized as "the idols other idols look up to," so the management side of H!P must have actually felt how H!P's popularity was connected to their increasing performance levels."

If you to look at a pro baseball team as an example, if the team became strong enough to go for a championship, naturally attendance would increase. H!P's emphasis on performance is the same concept: they're doing the same thing a pro sports team would do, in the idol world.

"If you were to put emphasis on a member's individuality/personality, you end up having to rely on that member no matter what, so you can't help but steal their freedom from them. However, by focusing on the performance as the group's foundation, you're not only able to respect each member's freedom but you're also able to continue the group. And for a KSS, if they continue working on their performance the chances of them becoming a full member increase (in addition to respecting the full members' freedom), so it becomes easier to reward hard work," says the music industry insider.

Not everyone can imitate them, but Hello! Project may be the ideal management who "doesn't exploit their idols."

[Celedam]

"If you were to put emphasis on a member's individuality/personality, you end up having to rely on that member no matter what, so you can't help but steal their freedom from them. However, by focusing on the performance as the group's foundation, you're not only able to respect each member's freedom but you're also able to continue the group."

Boom. Give them the freedom to be themselves, and the rest comes naturally.

[Amped]

tiny tiny #91



Guest BEYOOOOONDS Satoyoshi Utano

She shows off her stretch exercises and dance moves

tiny world travels : Morning Musume. Ishida Ayumi and Yamaki Risa are on location and make a visit to a restaurant in Miyagi called Takesen