iTMS Japan Within A Year?

[MrSmith]

If it ends up selling nothing but j-pop & anime music, God help us all ...

It isn't just me then... I've seen various posts from people who live in the US voicing their hope that they'll be able to download Japanese music from the US iTMS... i.e. voluntarily.

In the case of Japan to US/Europe, considering how J-Pop/Rock finds its way overseas as often as my begonia, you'd imagine the music bosses would jump at the opportunity to get an international audience. The other way round may be giving the delay, I suspect.

 

[5300cs]

If it were to represent ALL the music available in Japan right now, I'd be very open to it. I happen to be a fan of Japanese music (despite the sarcastic comment) but what I see in the mainstream these days is utter crap (in my opinion.) I'm talking about groups like Morning Musume in particular, and others that look just like them, as well as the 'Johnny's' type pretty-boy groups. If that were the only thing available and we were strong-armed choise-wise a la RIAA, then I personally would not like to see it come to be.

 

[MrSmith]

Yes. I'm not ignorant enough to write off a whole country's music. I don't listen to the radio much, so the music I do hear is on the 'barely-pubescent-Morning-Musume-clones' kind of shows on TV every night, and the backing music to adverts. Not just the looks, but, more importantly, the SOUND is all the same. I'm sure there are some good (neo-?)Goth bands out there, some good Pink Floyd stuff, REM, U2, etc. etc. (I hope Glay isn't their answer). But the fact is that here the Bros/Spice Girls/continuing-into-the-present industry is just HUGE, and there doesn't seem to be enough discerning taste to put a stop to it. That's the commercial fare, and that's the stuff that'll be pushed by the Japanese music industries.

Many of these kids are still in Junior High School, for crying out loud...

Still, Japan has Nakajima Miyuki, and there are few who have a voice like her.

 

[5300cs]

...Many of these kids are still in Junior High School, for crying out loud...

Ugh, don't remind me- I teach in junior high school. Luckily the children aren't allowed to bring in MD players (and cannot afford iPods) so I'm not subjected to any of it.

I was a big fan of j-pop from the 90s, like Mariko Takahashi or Yumi Matsutoya or Momoko Kikuchi, but mention any of those names these days, and you get ridiculed or trigger a trip down memory lane *sigh*

I've got my fingers crossed, but I don't think Apple will let us down.

 

[amake]

It will sell anything that Japanese companies have a right to distribute in Japan, so I imagine that covers a large amount of Western as well as Japanese music. But again, barring a miracle, those of us outside Japan will not be able to buy anything from the Japanese store.

 

[stephenli]

goodbye Amazon.co.jp CD-store
Hello iTMS