We’ve often looked to Japan to predict what’s going to happen, and what we’re seeing now in the music space is somewhat alarming: The country of the recently deceased Ryuichi Sakamoto is not at the forefront of the destruction of physical formats, but everything is out of the way. because it keeps the old record stores so alive and not only as vinyl cult havens, but also the damned CD as a major consumer item.
I’ve heard for years that Japan is the ultimate paradise for record buyers, and these days, after scanning the street map of Tokyo (and shuffling those in Kyoto and Osaka) on my debut in the country, I can vouch for it. surprise The pomp of a castle like Tower Records, The chain, which brought the curtain down in 2006 in its country of origin, the United States, and looks so cool here, is almost as if there were no publications.
“Megastores” located in city centers that are not only visited by melancholic “boomers” (those who sigh before the exhibition at Tower Records these days). Photos of Deep Purple concert in Budokan in 1972 by Tadayuki Naitohshowing ‘Living in Japan’ titled ‘Made in Japan’ in the rest of the world) but also young j-pop and k-pop fans. There, in this idol material with brilliant designs and multiple prints, there is an explanation of a phenomenon confirmed by huge numbers: the physical format represented in Japan in 2021, 70% of the market compared to 13% in Spain.
There is also a commitment to the record and sales. circuit of shops, in TokyoStrengthens in Shibuya. stores like Disk Union, where I found copies flower Travel Tape, legendary Japanese psychedelic hard rock band, that rare and bargain store called Recofan, and another chain considered nearly extinct, HMV, a defiant LP in one of their buckets Françoise Hardy ‘Gin and tonic’ (1980) with its irresistible stripe of incomprehensible writing.
Japanese records, that exotic object of desire. What’s wrong with this country that welcomes unique editions from international artists from Gary Moore to Blur? I got our last one at Kyoto Tower this Saturday. Cathy Claret “Así soy yo” is an album only released in Japan, where she has an active fan base. And Rosalia? Although there was no publicity fanfare, it was there with the letter r. Despite hailing Japanese culture in its music, lyrics and aesthetics, the sound of ‘Sakura’ is not sweeping this corner of the planet. Now.