As the most authoritative award in Japanese commercial music, the Japan Record Awards can be said to be the finale of the Japanese music year.
This award is the most authoritative and has obvious persuasiveness. After all, the award is sponsored by the Japan Composers Association and the Japan Record Awards Committee, and co-organized by TBS.
Although the latter's TBS TV station is only responsible for hosting the award ceremony and the live broadcast, the name of the Japan Composers Association is intimidating enough.
Since 2004, the Japan Record Awards has held its awards ceremony every year at the New National Theatre in Honmachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
This year, 2006, is the third time the exhibition is held here.
Like other similar awards, the Grand Album Award, as the most important finale award of the entire award, has always been the object of all singers' efforts.
Because the Japan Record Awards has a strong commercial flavor, this award is a recognition of the singer's commercial influence and his singing career in the Japanese entertainment industry.
For example, Ayumi Hamasaki, who is familiar to everyone, won the Record Award for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003, which established her position in Japanese pop music.
In her previous life, Nanaya didn't know much about this award. She only knew that there was such an award in Japan because of the girl idol group.
After all, AKB48 and Nogizaka46 have won this award for two consecutive years, AKB in 2011 and 2012, and Nogizaka in 2018 and 2019.
These two groups are also the only two girl idol groups to win this award, which is a record.
After all, everyone knows the status of Japanese female idols in the circle. They are basically at the bottom of the contempt chain in the circle. It is a very meaningful thing for them to win this award.
However, in Nanaya's opinion, neither AKB nor Nogizaka has changed the fundamental status of girl idol groups in the Japanese entertainment industry.
The reason is that these girls have not been able to raise the upper limit of female idols.
The unsuccessful transformation of several graduates has put female idols after 2010 in a very embarrassing position.
These girls are very profitable, but they are not very sustainable.
Generally speaking, a company can benefit from cultivating a star for at least 15-20 years.
But for these idols, 5 years is generally the limit.
Although there are a few old cabbages who can last for 10 years, once they lose their idol aura, they will immediately become invisible in the entertainment industry.
However, Nanaya might be able to change this situation in his lifetime.
If nothing else, the girls from Trier are the best proof. Although everyone knows that Lily is an exception, it is not bad to have someone of Rin's level.
Not to mention that she is a well-known female artist in Japan, even in Europe and the United States, Rin is much more familiar than other Japanese artists.
Even in the eyes of Europeans and Americans, Rin is on the same level as the famous Japanese actor Ken Watanabe.
Although this is an illusion, there are really not many Japanese artists who are considered famous by Europeans and Americans, and Rin is more or less one of them.
That is to say, thanks to the rise of Trier, the revival of Japanese female idols in this life happened much earlier than what Nanaya remembered.
For example, the girl idol group formed by a certain fat guy in December of last year had a much more comfortable first year than Nanaya could remember.
Trier opened up the Japanese girl idol market, but as its focus shifted to the global market, Trier was not paying much attention to its operations in Japan.
With the help of big brother Dentsu's resources and Washimine's financial ability, it is no exaggeration to say that Trier can make money without doing anything in Japan.
Under such circumstances, Trier's operators naturally focused on the European and American markets.
If it were Nanaya, he would probably make the same choice. After all, the size of the European and American markets is different from that of the Japanese market.
In addition, several important members of Trier, including Rin and Lily, have been in the United States for most of this year, so it is very inconvenient for them to return to Japan to do the show.
Therefore, although Trier still has regular activities such as concerts in Japan, the frequency is naturally not as high as in previous years.
But the trend of female idols has already been started by Trier, and the market that has already become big cannot disappear just because Trier stops doing it.
Other girl idol groups filled this vacant market almost immediately.
Even if Trier still holds the fattest piece of meat in the market, the meat and bones that Trier discards due to the shift in work focus are enough to feed the rest of the people.
The one who took up the largest market share was a fat guy.
Relying on the advantage of having a large number of members, the AKB group, which should have had a hard time and still operated at a loss in the first year, actually lived a relatively comfortable life.
Although this combination is still not profitable, at least it is not as bad as the loss in the previous life.
AKB even won the Best New Artist Award at this year's Japan Record Awards.
However, in Nanaya's opinion, AKB's approach of "there is always one that suits you" does have great advantages, but the person who contributed the most to this rookie award should be Akimoto Yasushi's public relations.
This fat guy has been in the entertainment industry for decades and has a lot of resources at his disposal.
After all, the newcomer award is not as eye-catching as the grand prize. As long as you reach the passing line, it is not a problem to get it with a little effort.
As for why he didn't get AKB in his previous life, it was because the results in the first year of 48 were not ideal. Without the hard power to meet the standards, Fatty Akimoto had no place to use his energy.
"You're really showing off."
Standing backstage at the New National Theatre, Nanaya looked at Akimoto Yasushi who was standing not far from him with a smug look on his face and shook his head.
As an idol producer, such a gorgeous comeback after years of silence must have made this fat guy, who has been holding back for a long time, very excited.
Nanaya doesn't need to be too jealous. After all, he is now at a much higher level than this guy.
No matter how powerful Fatty Akimoto is, he can only play in the Japanese entertainment circle. He, Nanaya Kiryu, is world-class.
However, Nanaya is still somewhat curious about this ace producer who created the revival of female idols in his previous life. After all, Akimoto Yasushi's abilities are still outstanding.
But this curiosity is just pure curiosity, just like people who have never seen a giant panda always hope to see one with their own eyes.
If you want to talk about bowing down and worshipping something, Akimoto Yasushi's seven-night worship is almost the best.
However, Nanaya's unscrupulous look at the other party immediately attracted Akimoto Yasushi's attention.
Originally, Akimoto Yasushi wondered who was looking at him like that, but after recognizing Nanaya, he immediately walked up to the other person with a smile on his face.
"Director Kiryu, my name is Yasushi Akimoto."
Fatty Akimoto greeted Nanaya enthusiastically.
"Well, hello, Mr. Akimoto."
Nanaya smiled, nodded, and shook hands with the other party.
Then Nanaya stopped talking.
"Forehead..."
Akimoto Yasushi was a little embarrassed. He originally thought that Nanaya was looking at him because he had something to ask him, but he didn't expect that the other party would just stop talking.
But Akimoto Yasushi was very unwilling to just say goodbye and leave.
You know, he has long wanted to get in touch with Nanaya, but unfortunately he never had the chance before. Now that he finally met Nanaya, he just said hello and left. Yasushi must be very unwilling.
As for why Yasushi wants to connect with Nanaya, the reason is naturally because he is attracted by the resources in Nanaya's hands.
This is just like Dentsu's previous hope to seek cooperation with Washimine. Akimoto has always had two wishes in his life.
One is to recover from the failure of Kitten Club and rebuild a successful idol group.
Although the AKB he has now cannot be said to be successful, it at least gives him hope.
As for Yasushi's other wish, it is to promote his female idol system to the whole world.
To put it bluntly, Yasushi already has the ambition to spread the 48 family flag all over the world.
This is also the characteristic of Japanese business. Everyone who reaches the top of the Japanese industry hopes to be able to go beyond Japan and move towards the global market, especially the European and American markets.
Japan has always had a morbid obsession with having its companies enter the European and American markets.
Akimoto Yasushi is no exception. As a well-known idol producer, he has reached the top of the industry.
It has always been his dream to promote his idol production all over the world, especially in Europe and the United States.
Especially in this life, with Trier already being a successful example, Akimoto Yasushi is certainly more envious of the big pie in the European and American markets.
In the eyes of Akimoto Yasushi, a veteran idol manager, Trier is simply an unqualified idol group.
Yes, Fatty Akimoto admitted that the girl from Trier was extremely pretty, so pretty that she didn't even look like an idol.
In terms of appearance alone, although Trier has fewer people, they are really better than AKB under his command.
Although many girls in AKB are also very beautiful, they are still far inferior to those girls in Trier who are bringing disaster to the country and the people.
As for Trier's three foot-washing maids, Akimoto Yasushi completely ignored them. He had plenty of girls of that level in AKB.
Of course, what Akimoto Yasushi was really unhappy about was not the members of the girl group, but the management of Trier.
In Yasushi's eyes, Trier's operation is really a waste of resources at hand, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is a squandering of resources.
Look at what they did in 2006.
Not only did it leave a large blank market in the Japanese domestic market to AKB.
Even in the international market, if it weren't for the support of UBW, the annual box office champion, the popularity of characters like Tohsaka Rin would definitely be reduced to the level of passers-by, except for the monster Lily Wetting.
Domestically, he has Dentsu as his father to protect him, internationally, he has Washimine as his mother to pave the way, and he also has his brother director Nanaya as his lead actor in his own movie.
As a result, Trier has still not been able to become the world's number one idol group. Yasushi Akimoto feels that such an operation has no value at all.
In short, in Akimoto Yasushi's eyes, Nanaya and Washimine are typhoons, and Trier is the pig standing in the wind.
As for Trier's operation, it is probably a brick hanging on a pig's hoof.
It does nothing except hinder the pig from taking off.