Playing Gigs in Japan: Promoting Your Music at Japanese Live Houses

In Japan, most artists/bands rent rai-bu houses (live houses). These are venues set up especially for live musical performances. They also offer food and bar service. Some are designed like upscale clubs with world-class sound systems, lighting and stages while others are a little more sparse in terms of interior design and equipment (i.e. ressemble a dingy neighborhood pub).

There are hundreds in Tokyo alone and all across Japan in most major cities and even smaller towns. Venue capacities typically can range from 50 to 500 people. All drum kits, amps, effects, cables, PA, and other stage/lighting/recording equipment and engineers are (or can be) included in the rental fee.

Some live houses will hold auditions and then "book" bands for certain nights. 3-5 bands may be booked for the night. There is no pay. The bands usually have to sell a set number of tickets (15-20 tickets at $10 to $30 each). If they don't sell their quota then they must pay the difference. For foreign bands, this quota may be waived and the band may play for a fee (or for free if the live house operator is nice or thinks that you will attract customers). Since foreign bands cannot fly to Japan just for a 15 minute audition, you should send a video of a previous live performance and your CD of course.

Record labels and event producers can book a live house (i.e. rent the space). In Tokyo, rental fees for a decent live house can range from $1,000 to $5,000 for a Friday, weekend, or holiday night. You get the venue from about 3PM to 11PM (soundcheck usually at 4PM). Shows typically last from 2 to 3 hours maximum and start anywhere between 6 to 9PM. The live house usually opens its doors 1 hour before start time. There are hefty charges if you go overtime. Tickets and merchandise can be sold to recoup costs.

Live house operators usually have no problem renting their venue to a foreign band/event producer/record label as long as they get paid the rental fees. They don't care about your other expenses like airfare, accommodation, etc.

If you are not receiving any "pay" for the show (and are not selling items) you do not need to get a special work visa—which can take a long time. If you have a valid passport and come from a country which has a visa requirement waiver agreement with Japan (USA, Canada and most European countries) then you can enter Japan on a temporary visitor's entry stamp which is normally valid between 90 days and 6 months depending on your nationality. If the Japanese immigration officer finds that you have a criminal record then you will not be permitted to enter Japan. Please check with your nearest Japanese consulate or embassy for details.

Download the Japan Music Marketing Kit for contact info of companies that specialize in organizing tours/gigs in Japan for foreign artists/bands.

Click here to see some of the bands/artists now playing in Japan.

There are event and concert organizers/promoters in Japan, but they usually work with well-known bands and artists (and their big record companies). Unlike in other countries, where bands rely on the booking agent to setup shows (venue and pay), in Japan, bands must audition to get a "booking" or setup their own shows and pay for all costs first. Depending on how many people show up for the show, they may or may not break even. This is the cost of promotion.

If you are lucky enough to be invited to play in Japan by an event organizer, then that is great. But it is a rare case. There are several music festivals held during the year in Japan but most foreign acts invited to play are already well-known. However, if you have sent your music and presskit to the right people in Japan, you may be surprised with an invitation to play.

A live house has everything so the band only needs to show up with a guitar, bass and pair of drumsticks. This helps "indie" artists to travel light since many will use the train system to get to gigs. Guitars, basses, synths, pianos, etc. can sometimes be rented at the live house.

Since Japan is about the size of California State and the train system is vast, fast and reliable, it is possible to play gigs in many major urban areas throughout Japan. The two major cities are Tokyo and Osaka which together have a population of 21 million people. Nagoya is the 3rd largest city. The bullet train can take you to northern cities like Sendai and Niigata or southern cities like Fukuoka and Hiroshima in several hours. With a Japan rail pass, you can cover most of the country in a short period of time relatively inexpensively (assuming you don't have tons of gear and a huge entourage) and establish a good fan base in one tour. Some tours have the band playing 7 shows in 7 different cities-all in 8 days! If you're coming from America then you will start feeling sleepy late in the afternoon or early in the evening Japan time and wake up very early morning Japan time so you may want to give yourself a couple of days to get used to the time change (if your budget allows).

A live house tour should be coordinated with other advertising and promotion to be most effective. There are several indie music websites in Japan where you can promote your live house tour (see links below). Most live houses will use flyers and posters to promote the shows that they organize themselves. If you are renting the live house for yourself then you will have to do this yourself or pay someone (i.e. the live house) to do it. In most cases, if people know it is a foreign band, they will be more interested in checking you out. Needless to say, you should also have your music readily available for Japanese to purchase either from a traditional retail shop in Japan or a website that caters to Japanese customers and that accepts YEN in the popular payment methods in Japan.

A good idea is to get a bunch of your band/artist friends together so you can all share the expenses (and experiences) of a live house tour in Japan. Some record labels bring over 3 to 5 bands/artists for one tour (i.e. a showcase for the label).

Remember, the goal of live house tours in Japan is sales promotion—developing a fan base and generating publicity—not making an income (or drinking beer, meeting girls or sightseeing). It is a marketing cost that you or your record label pays in order to increase sales of your music products in Japan. Nevertheless, a tour of Japan is a fun and wonderful experience for most foreign artists/bands.

If you are contacting potential Japanese distributors/licensors for your music, it is a good idea to let them know that you are also committed to playing (and paying for) a live house tour in Japan as part of sales promotion. (Click here for a list of Live Houses in Japan)

Articles:

1. Japanese Market Opportunity for Foreign Indie Music - If you are in the business of selling music, do not forget Japan!
2. The Music Business in Japan - General info on the music "scene" in Japan
3. Playing Gigs in Japan - Promoting your music through live gigs at Japanese Live Houses
4. How Much Does It Cost? - The activities and related costs of selling and promoting your music in Japan
5. Useful Tips On Visiting and Doing Business in Japan - Info and advice for visiting and doing business in Japan

Japan Music Marketing Resources:

List of Live Houses in Japan - Book your own live tour /gigs in Japan!

Indie Music Websites (Japanese)
Below are online indie music communities/support networks where you can promote your music and live shows in Japan.

www.indiesmusic.com
www.nextmusic.net
www.muzie.co.jp
www.musictower.jp
www.audioleaf.com
www.visualrocks.com
www.music-trip.que.ne.jp
www.banzai-music.com
mnc.s19.xrea.com
www.music-i.jp

Downloads:

Japan Music Marketing Kit:
A do-it-yourself kit which includes ready-to-print mailing labels and cover letters intended for independent record labels, artists and bands who want to send their music to Japanese companies that distribute, import and license foreign music. More info...

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS NOW

FREE Japanese characters in Illustrator outlines and PDF:
Japanese characters (with English explanations) in various fonts you can use in the design of your t-shirts, posters, stickers, CD's, etc. They come in Illustrator outlines and PDF so you can modify them, cut and paste, etc. on non-Japanese computer systems. You can combine characters to make simple phrases. Characters for date (year, month, day) and city names are included too so you can make your own designs for Japan tour t-shirts or other print/online designs.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS NOW