The H!P Musings/Rants Thread

[Zunu]

I think that because H!P CDs have limited sales, they probably don't make a lot of money after you account for promotion costs like music videos and posters. So they can really only afford a few a year. They basically just have to release enough music to keep people coming to their concerts, which is probably where they make the bulk of their money, and to keep them relevant enough to do the occasional advertising cross-promotion. That's been my theory for a while, that UF is really good at keeping a tight lid on costs, so they can keep their business profitable without the massive budget outlay that a conglomerate like Sony Music can spend on its artists.

[Shoujo Q]

Like, a decade ago they went from doing multiple releases a year to concentrating on doing multiple a-side singles. Kinda like the 48 method but instead of mixing up the songs and highlight one song on different versions. So essentially you’re getting like. 2-3 singles now per release. It’s a way to save money for promotion and get slightly higher quality music videos. They began to focus more of the girls as product mentality so you have a ton more fan service being thrown at you too. Be it photobooks, photo sets, goods etc. Just go to e-lineup and see what you can buy with your favorite members face on it, it’s crazy!

Hello!Project is not solely about the music now and when you have so many groups to try and promote compared to the early days, they can only put so much music out and try and keep it half way decent. You have a lot more people stirring the pot now. Not just Tsunku.

Covid I’m sure has put a damper on things. They really slowed down in the last few years. But hopefully they will get back on track soon. I honestly think UF is juggling too many groups and that really begins to show in a multi group system that works under one company. One group is favored over the other. They do well, but everyone else suffers. More specifically the fans. Extra specifically the international fans since we can’t go to concerts or meet and greets etc.

But that’s just my opinion.

[Amped]

It takes at least 3 months for the songwriters to come up and write the song(s) and sound edit them. It takes another few 2~3 months for the members to get jacket photoshoots done, memorize 2 or 3 songs, and the dances. Imagine doing that multiple times a year if they had to release things in a condense schedule.

for 2 singles a year

Songwriting :
Jan.
Feb.
March.

Photoshoots, memorize the songs, and the dances :
April
May
June (Release)

Songwriting :
July.
Aug.
Sept.

Photoshoots, memorize the songs, and the dances :
Oct.
Nov.
Dec. (Release)

~~~~~

for multiple singles a year if condensed

Songwriting :
Jan.
Feb.

Photoshoots, memorize the songs, and the dances :
March
April (Release)

Songwriting :
May
June

Photoshoots, memorize the songs, and the dances :
July
August (Release)

Songwriting :
Sept.
Oct.

Photoshoots, memorize the songs, and the dances :
November
December (Release)

Some people complain that idols getting overworked. The songwriters do too. The choreographers do too.

[boinsie]

Another element could be concern that if they inundate the market with multiple releases a year, they won't be able to hit high sales numbers and continue their streak. The actual money made from single sales might not be very much, but the clout of such-and-such number of gold records in a row is.

[KakureW]

There's also the element of the idol market being simply too saturated, and the general population losing interest in idol groups. This is purely anecdotal, but when I first came to Japan over 10 years ago it seemed like the advertisement space was inundated with AKB posters and marketing. It was frankly too much. You couldn't ride a train without laying your eyes on their posters at the stations or in the trains. Now even AKB groups don't seem to be doing that great (just my impression from how much advertising I see day to day versus before). I can't even recall the last time I saw their posters in a train.

I also have a theory that many men tend to move on from idols once their oshi graduates, or once they get married, etc. I think this is partly responsible for the increase of women in the fanbase, because a lot of the kimo-wota part of the fanbase has slowly disappeared. However, I think it also has an affect on revenue, since the kimo-wota are responsible for a substantial portion of merchandise sales. But this is just a theory, and I don't have any data to support it.

[ClaytonP]

Berryz Koubou's Renai Moyou came up on shuffle today, and it's one of those songs I always forget exists until I listen to it again. I actually like it, but for some reason it's never stuck out to me.

Except upon listening to it this time, I realised it sounds vaguely similar to ANGERME's Zenzen Okiagarenai SUNDAY. Now, I know it probably seems like I'm nuts saying that (I am, but not for that reason!), but like... something about the rhythm during the verses sounds similar. Like you could put the vocals of one song over the instrumental of the other and it would almost work. Almost. The chorus doesn't match though lol.

Anyway, regardless, Renai Moyou is good, and I should try to remember that.

Renai Moyou is is one of my favorite Berryz songs, despite being rather obscure; I especially like when they sing "I love you, I miss you." Yes it does sound vaguely similar to the ANGERME song

[DJChisato1]

Hear me out ok.
Beyo gets an overseas concert, Tsubaki just announced 2 days overseas. That got me thinking. J=J Has a weird 20 consecutive days hole in their Autumn tour schedule.

World tour?

[aerosuffly]

I am really enjoying going down the memory lane with the batch upload of old music videos on UF YouTube channels. I hope we get a lot of theses shuffle songs at the 25th anniversary concert.

Though can we please just have Aa's First KISS 2023 version? How awesome it would be if they just reshot the exact music videos with same settings and costumes, or at least give us a First Take please.

[DJChisato1]

Trying my luck with the ticket lottery for the 25th anniversary concert. Wish me luck.

[Amped]

SHIBUYA TSUTAYA store to undergo complete renovation, all floors to be remodeled at the end of October. The re-opening is scheduled for Spring 2024.

SHIBUYA TSUTAYA opened in December 1999, just before the millennium, as the flagship store of Tsutaya, which handles movies, music, books, comics, games, and other entertainment content. Located at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the store has been a landmark in Shibuya until now. In this renewal, under the concept of "Create the world with what you love," the store will use entertainment products from around the world and offer contents and events that all people can be absorbed in 365 days a year. A café and lounge with 500 seats will also be opened.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d720f ... e491709d5c

~~~~~

Next year, ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2024 will be held twice, in Soga (Chiba) in August and in Hitachinaka (Ibaraki) in September.

ROCK IN JAPAN , which originally started in Hitachinaka in 2000, will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. To commemorate the 25th anniversary, ROCK IN JAPAN will be held in Hitachinaka in 2024, in addition to Soga.

ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2024
Five days in the first and second week of August 2024
Chiba City Soga Sports Park (Chiba)

ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2024 in HITACHINAKA
September 14th, 15, 21, 22, 23, 2024
Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki, Japan

https://rijfes.jp/2023/news/1907/