Flying over the bubble era

Chapters 1561 and 1562. All copyrights.
At the end of July, Tomomi Kahara's new album was released as scheduled. However, unlike her previous high-profile promotions, this new album was released quietly.

From Tomomi Kahara to TRF, all the Komuro artists under GENZO have had their new albums released with little fanfare.

This is consistent with previous media reports that "Shinichi Iwahashi withdrew promotional activities for singers from the Komuro group as punishment."

The release of an album by a top-tier singer, done quietly, is, to some extent, noteworthy.

Even when the media started hyping up the story that "Iwahashi was dissatisfied with Komuro, and their collaboration was in trouble," a significant number of listeners were unaware that the two groups of singers had actually released new albums.

The lack of pre-release promotion resulted in the two key members of the Komuro group achieving their worst results since their debut.

For the first time, TRF did not reach the top of the charts in the week of its release. Although Tomomi Kahara maintained her consecutive number one record, her first-week sales were a full 170,000 fewer copies than her previous album.

The impressive first-week sales figures seem to confirm the reports in magazines and newspapers.

In any case, for these two groups of singers, the lack is neither in ability nor in being disliked by the audience; they are simply affected by the situation.

Thus, media reports on the friction between Shinichi Iwahashi and Tetsuya Komuro inadvertently became a form of propaganda, making the general public aware that the newly released albums of these two singers were becoming casualties of the struggle.

For the general public, whether there was a dispute between Shinichi Iwahashi and Tetsuya Komuro, or what grudges and affections existed between the GENZO and BURNING groups, are just gossip that can be seen and then forgotten, and cannot become topics of long-term attention.

Therefore, how to use gossip to arouse the audience's curiosity and how to achieve publicity goals while pleasing the public has become a course that practitioners need to carefully plan. As long as it is used properly, publicity can be restarted at any time without making a fuss.

……

In the small meeting room next to the president's office of GENZO, Shinichi Iwahashi, who had been reinstated as president, gathered with Mayumi Watanabe and Kenichiro Nozaki.

"Everyone says I withdrew the promotion for singers from the Komuro group... Isn't that a form of promotion?"

As soon as Shinichi Iwahashi said those words, the other two people present couldn't help but laugh.

Kenichiro Nozaki looked nostalgic, saying, "Shinichi-kun always surprised us."

Mixing the real message into seemingly unrelated news is something Shinichi Iwahashi demonstrated to everyone many years ago when promoting Chisato Moritaka.

Today, it's just a variation of the methods used in the past.

In this era, anything can attract public attention and gain popularity. Negative news might create a new star, while artists launched in a solemn, old-fashioned way are often ignored.

We have arrived at such an era.

As society becomes increasingly stagnant, audiences crave stimulation. The rise of media further fuels this need. Celebrities' star power is becoming increasingly fleeting, necessitating a constant stream of topics to keep audiences engaged.

Shinichi Iwahashi took his anger out on Tetsuya Komuro, and then took it out on singers in the Komuro group. Why can't this be used as a way to boost sales?

With news flooding the media, how could it not become part of a propaganda campaign? Newspapers and media outlets may seem to be breaking news, but where exactly are they trying to draw the audience's attention? Isn't this all premeditated?
At times like these, the information conveyed to the general public is, in fact, the most deceptive. Regardless of whose side the article superficially favors, it is merely an attempt to incite emotions and further convert those emotions into wealth.

That's where the cruelty and hypocrisy of the media lie.

But in another sense, the media is also the most frank in exposing its own despicable aspects to the public.

“Why would Shinichi punish Komuro-san?” Watanabe Mayumi’s tone sounded distant. Unlike Nozaki Kenichiro’s appreciation, it was a complex emotion. “You’re just showing Komuro-san what his true situation is.”

But Tetsuya Komuro may not have grasped this point, even though his confidence in meeting Shinichi Iwahashi that day stemmed from his belief that it was not a punishment.

However, he may not understand that Shinichi Iwahashi doesn't need to punish him by withdrawing the publicity.

“I don’t want to punish anyone, Mayumi-san.” Shinichi Iwahashi saw through her emotions and said, “I’m just following the laws of things.” To end some trends with obvious flaws and enter a new era.

He told Kenichiro Nozaki, "Back then, I invited Ken-on to participate in the establishment of the new label. Now, regarding Komuro-san, I will certainly give Ken-on an explanation."

The purpose of inviting these two people here is to explain this matter.

Nozaki Kenichiro had been waiting for this, and he immediately focused his expression. Watanabe Mayumi's gaze, however, only lingered briefly on Iwahashi Shinichi's face.

In this day and age, if one were to "explain," it would surely be a cruel one.

Now, Tetsuya Komuro has terminated his full cooperation with GENZO, and BURNING has taken on this hot potato. Shinichi Iwahashi, as president of GENZO, has also implemented the punishment on behalf of the company; the formalities have been completed.

Whether as an apology for this disturbance or as a guarantee for continued cooperation in the future, the condition that Shinichi Iwahashi negotiated with Tetsuya Komuro was the copyright of singers from the Komuro group.

"Komuro-san is at the height of his power, but he is also like a rootless duckweed. Even so, there is one thing that he must hold firmly in his hands."

"That's copyright..."

Shinichi Iwahashi revealed the results of his discussions with Tetsuya Komuro: "I advised Komuro-san to focus on managing his copyrights."

"And I will participate in his copyright management company."

As a guarantee for the future, Tetsuya Komuro agreed to transfer the copyrights of Komuro artists signed to GENZO for the past few years to Shinichi Iwahashi.

However, Shinichi Iwahashi did not take it under his control.

As a guarantee for future cooperation, his condition was that he would use this copyright as equity to participate in Tetsuya Komuro's copyright management.

Tetsuya Komuro is someone whose very existence wouldn't cause a stir in the industry, even if he were eliminated. Even so, to this day, he still manages to hold onto something firmly in his own hands.

That is all the evidence of the Komuro craze that he started.

"Kenichiro-san, Ken-On has a wealth of experience in copyright management," Shinichi Iwahashi said. "At that time, we will also ask Chairman Nozaki to give us more guidance and share his relevant experience."

By independently managing Tetsuya Komuro's copyrights and helping him maintain a firm grip on them, BURNING can poach him, collaborate with him, and launch more successful artists—it doesn't matter at all.

But Shinichi Iwahashi did this not just to undermine the enemy's defenses.

The current situation is far from being an "explanation"; it can only be considered a foreshadowing.

His gaze was fixed on all of Tetsuya Komuro's copyrights.

(End of this chapter)