Flying over the bubble era

1315 Chapter 1316. A Challenge

Entering July, Akina Nakamori's concert in Nagoya has entered the countdown.Before the ten-day countdown to the official performance began, Akina Nakamori packed her luggage again and went to New York for a short business trip.

One is to go to Warner's recording studio to confirm the sound source of the new song being produced, and the other is to take some photos for the concert.

The [-]th anniversary is of great significance. Various activities around the anniversary, or various works to be released, are all lined up. From the beginning to the end of the year, fans' wallets will never be idle.

Stars like Nakamori Akina, who have been popular for many years, are mostly supported by social people with certain spending power. Their popularity has not diminished for many years. Every time a new work is released, there will be a wave of panic buying.The firm and the record company are working hard to hit even more impressive sales this year.

On this side, Nakamori Akina's [-]th anniversary is going on a business trip to New York.

On the other side, as soon as July entered, a piece of news that occupied half of the page appeared on the entertainment section of the newspaper: Seiko Matsuda was about to return to Japan, and all kinds of activities in Japan would be fully restarted.

Three years ago, Seiko Matsuda withdrew from SUNMUSIC, the firm she had worked with for ten years, and publicly announced that she would go to the United States for development.In the following three years, Seiko Matsuda hardly appeared on mainstream TV stations.On the contrary, tabloids and magazines from all walks of life, every once in a while, make an inventory of Matsuda Seiko's heroic past, or add fuel to her life abroad.

After Seiko Matsuda went to the United States, some critics or reporters mentioned in interviews or in magazines that Seiko Matsuda left everything in Japan and went to the United States. The truth behind it came from The pressure on the music association.

Seiko Matsuda, who betrayed the firm, was exiled by the industry in the name of starting a new business.

After such an article appeared in the newspaper, fans of Matsuda Seiko protested against it, but it was of no avail.In other words, no one will admit the "exile" mentioned in the magazine.The reason why the unspoken rules of the industry are called unspoken rules is because when they are put on the table, they do not exist.

It was Seiko Matsuda who wanted to pursue a new career in the United States, so he alienated the Japanese media. What does it have to do with the media?
……

The new contract between Nakamori Akina and Kenyin was finalized. Next, the old personal office will be closed, and the new personal office will start preparations.While Shinichi Yanqiao was busy, he also freed up his hands to pay attention to the handover of Nakamori Akina's contract.

The elder sister Asako was brought in to help, and with the two siblings working together, Nakamori Akina could travel with peace of mind.When she came back from this short trip, all the minutiae were almost settled, just waiting for her to give her seal and make a final decision.

My wife is on a business trip, and the Roppongi guide Shinichi Iwahashi, who is walking, has enriched his guide catalog, updated the closed stores, and added the current popular stores.

On this day, Shinichi Iwahashi went to Sony to attend the meeting of DREAMS COME TRUE's new album, and had a face-to-face meeting with Sakai Masatoshi.I haven't seen each other for a while, so I made an appointment to go out for a drink in the evening.

Producer Shinichi Iwahashi was the protagonist at the meeting before the recording of DREAMS COME TRUE's new album.When the next contract is renewed, the band's producer will be changed to "DREAMS COME TRUE", so when this album was being produced, Nakamura also participated in the pre-production meeting.

If Mihe-chan didn't come back because she was still traveling, she would also show up today.

A few days ago, Iwahashi Shinichi received a letter from Miwa-chan from his trip.In addition to showing off her enjoyment, she also revealed an additional piece of important information: she is scheduled to return to Japan on July [-]th.

Fortunately, there was a definite date, and I didn't linger, so I decided to extend the holiday for another month to let the new single jump.

In the past two years, Sakai Masatoshi has basically focused on being a producer of enka singers or ballad singers, and has also been invited to be a producer for idol bands. However, Sakai Masatoshi is not good at producing bands.

The so-called "idol band" is a form of team formation that has gradually become popular after the end of the idol era and the popularity of the band era. Girls who could debut as female idols were gathered together and formed after simple training. The band, with the help of professional musicians, debuted as a band.

A few years ago, Johnny's idol band, Men Dou Hu, met with ridicule when they debuted, and was regarded as a representative of a performing band with flamboyant skills. After two years of debut, it ended safely amidst a tragic drop in sales and internal discord within the team.

However, a few years have passed, and idol bands with little strength have become a genre in the current band era.This is exactly the embodiment that the popularity of the band era has also come to the point of prosperity and decline.

Of course, the fundamental difference between a band and an idol is that a band with the ability to compose, write and sing by itself has its own place no matter what is popular in the record industry at the moment, and has the opportunity to bring a popular album at any time.Therefore, as long as the public needs "good songs", even if the era of bands is over, real bands will always have their careers.

However, this kind of idol band, which is barely able to show off its fists and embroidered legs, is composed of girls as long as it can be a little splashy.Almost none of the more or less well-known bands are all-male.

Therefore, to a certain extent, the audience is more tolerant of female idol bands without strength.Or it should be said that when ordinary audiences like female idol bands, what they like is not a "band".

The form of idols has become an old fashion that everyone knows has come to an end. However, after a long idol era, the experience of making idols by the people in black behind the scenes, and the subtle influence of the audience's years of attention to idols, It is doomed that the characteristics of idols and the way of promotion of idols will reappear in various forms of old wine in new bottles.

Iwahashi Shinichi and Sakai Masatoshi's long-lost drinking party, when talking about the current fashion, it is inevitable to say some obvious facts.In this industry, whenever we want to launch newcomers, we have to consider these experiences.

After all, even the enka singers and folk singers that Sakai Masatoshi is currently focusing on producing are idolizing at full speed.

Speaking of the idol era that has ended, and the record industry that has inherited the experience left by the idol era and is trying to make everything idolized, Sakai Masatoshi remembered it and mentioned Matsuda Seiko to Iwahashi Shinichi.

"Does Mr. Yanqiao know? The Holy Son is coming back."

Yanqiao Shen nodded, "Before, I saw related news in the newspaper."

Both Shinichi Iwahashi and Masatoshi Sakai are well aware of why Seiko Matsuda left Japan for development in the United States.

Sakai Masatoshi calculated, "It will be three years soon."

It is about the time when Matsuda Seiko disappeared from mainstream TV stations.Breaking up with the firm, without a strong backer, not only that, but the original firm is quite powerful, and the Music Association intends to use her to gain prestige. Add up these things, even if you have been in the industry for ten years, the husband Kanda Masaki is not a small role of Matsuda Seiko, and he has to go through these three years steadily.

According to the industry's non-compete agreement, artists who leave the agency cannot participate in terrestrial programs within three years.

This precedent started with Watanabe Productions.In the heyday of Shin Watanabe, those who got together with Shin Watanabe would say otherwise, otherwise, they would have to accept the strict restriction of not being able to participate in terrestrial TV programs for five years.At that time, Watanabe Productions was the only one, and the TV stations wanted to curry favor with Watanabe Jin. Between the choices, it was obvious what choice they would make.

Even when Watanabe Productions was regarded as a threat by the TV station and began to intentionally cultivate new offices to weaken the power of Watanabe Productions, this rule initiated by Watanabe Shin still continued as a hidden rule in the entertainment industry. .

After weaving a Watanabe siege network and breaking the dominance of one family, various forces in the industry inherited the rules formulated by Watanabe Shin, and maintained a delicate tacit understanding and balance among each other. TV stations, newspapers, magazines, affairs Societies and record companies, from top to bottom, wiped out the artists in order.

The Music Association wants to gain prestige through Matsuda Seiko, and it is not enough to drive her out of the Japanese entertainment industry. In the past three years, Matsuda Seiko has had a bad career in the United States and all kinds of gossip surrounding her. Every once in a while, it will be published in tabloids and magazines.

For the general public, people who are out of sight will soon lose interest in her and will not pay special attention to her. However, when they read news about her, they still remember who this person is in their hearts.

The continuous negative news in the past three years has sent Seiko Matsuda to the list of "Most Hated Artists" and is among the best.

At this moment, Seiko Matsuda, who has been away from the Japanese entertainment industry for three years and is notorious among the public, is returning to Japan.What awaits this "eternal idol" is the reality that the era of idols has come to an end.

"Speaking of which, Nanye has been going well in the past two years." Sakai Masatoshi mentioned Yoko Minano on purpose.

Backed by TV Asahi, the new office is not unknown. In the past few years, Yoko Minano has been quite successful among the artists who debuted as female idols in the same period.

"Nanye's potential is greater than imagined." Yanqiao Shinichi replied.

Minano Yoko was able to get rid of her original office because of the help of others.However, after restarting, she can have a good development because she has the ability.

Iwahashi Shinichi's attitude that even if the incident is over, he doesn't take credit for it, Sakai Masatoshi admires him somewhat in his heart.

"Anyway," Sakai Masatoshi brought the topic back to Matsuda Seiko, "Matsuda's return to Japan is no different from starting over. Even, it is a worse situation than making a new debut."

She is not a blank slate of newcomers, but an out-of-date idol who has been besieged by the music association for three years, and now has a dismal image in the hearts of the public.

Iwahashi Shinichi doesn't think so, "If it's a rookie debuting as an idol at this time...is there a worse time than now?"

Seiko Matsuda, who returned to Japan, had to fight back and stand up again.

But if it is a rookie who debuts at this time, there is not even a chance of real failure.

Seiko Matsuda, who returned to Japan, will set up her own personal office, and she will manage her own brokerage contract in the future.As for the record deal, now Toshiba EMI and Victory Records both intend to contact her.

Seiko Matsuda is still a big-name idol no matter how old he is and how much he is besieged.What she does is still under the attention of the industry.At this moment, she turns her attention to her industry, waiting to see what response she will get from her next first step.

If she didn't set off any heat, then the industry, which was completely sure that she was no longer to be feared, would completely ignore her.

And her original firm's attitude towards her return to Japan, and whether the relationship between the Music Association and her can be eased, will determine the media's attitude towards her after she returns.

As for Sony, Seiko Matsuda is about to return to Japan, so naturally, he began to carefully prepare a gift package for her.

There is no doubting the professionalism of the record company when it comes to picking the right moment to release a compilation album.

After all, Seiko Matsuda has been in the industry for ten years and has some connections.And as a top idol, she is absolutely top-notch in professionalism, and there should be quite a few musicians who are willing to cooperate with her.Even if there is still no way to appear frequently on TV for a period of time, as long as you survive the most difficult period at the beginning, you will usher in a turning point.

What's more, the top idol back then, and her fans in her heyday, have now become social people, perhaps practitioners in the industry.For this idol who has followed in the past, maybe there is also a willingness to help her.

After all, when you see an idol who is at a disadvantage, you will have an idea of ​​wanting to help her, which is a human instinct.

Yanqiao Shenyi thought, the biggest problem for Matsuda Seiko is how to continue to be this "eternal idol". Whether she wants to transform or continue to set records as an idol, she has to start all over again. for this new era.

Not only Seiko Matsuda wants to re-explore, but even SUNMUSIC, the office where Seiko Matsuda used to work, is now at a juncture that needs to be explored.

Okada Yukiko's successor after her retirement, Noriko Sakai, who is positioned as "the last orthodox pure idol", has now reached a bottleneck period of popularity.

In the heyday of the idol era, SUNMUSIC has launched several popular idols, and is recognized by the industry as a master who is good at promoting idols.But the firm, which has flourished because of the idol era, has to make changes when it enters a new era.

Shinichi Iwahashi recalled a little, and he could still think of the rash girl he saw backstage at Yukiko Okada's retirement concert.

The former top idol now has to face this era again.

At this moment, the orthodox idol who is placed with high hopes, now, if she wants to further her career, she must go through a path that her predecessors—Neither Matsuda Seiko nor Okada Yukiko have explored for her. new road.

(End of this chapter)