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November 21, 2024
 

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Steve McClure

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Steve McClure
Steve McClure has lived in Tokyo since 1985. Formerly Billboard magazine’s Asia Bureau Chief, he now publishes the online music-industry newsletter McClureMusic.com.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 1, 2010
Amazon, Apple kick-start Japan's digital content-delivery business
Remember CCCD? Probably not, unless you collect outdated acronyms.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 14, 2010
Tech pushes Japan's music scene; industry won't budge
The music business reinvents itself every 20 years or so — basically every time a new format comes down the pike. But the industry has never faced the kind of fundamental challenge presented by the digital file-sharing revolution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Aug 31, 2003
Buffalo Daughter's deeper grooves
It's usually not a good idea to go into the recording studio without having some idea of what you're going to record. Most artists have a demo or a written score to work from; some even have full-fledged arrangements down on paper before they start recording.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jul 20, 2003
Yokoyama's ship finally comes in
Ken Yokoyama is crazy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jun 15, 2003
Sophomores who shine in a new light
Second albums are notoriously difficult, especially if an act's first album has been a success. But on "Modern Lights," Kobe-based pop/jazz duo Orange Pekoe have avoided the "sophomore-album syndrome" by broadening their stylistic template to create a work that demands to be listened to on its own terms,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
May 18, 2003
Kei Ogura has still got a lot to celebrate
Once known as the "singing bank manager," these days Kei Ogura could be called the "singing recovering cancer patient."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 20, 2003
There is no escape from the silliness
It's only April, but the silly season already seems to be upon us.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 30, 2003
Space Shower TV bangs a gong in style
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Space Shower TV, the Japanese homegrown equivalent of MTV. With its unpretentious presenters, high quotient of decidedly unslick, locally made music videos and low-key artist interviews, Space Shower has a strong "street" feel.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 16, 2003
Lowdown on rising stars
They sing low and they're aiming high.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 19, 2003
Independent music was the smart alternative in '02
2002 was not a vintage year, to put it mildly, for the Japanese music industry. Sales of CDs were down for the fourth straight year, and just one single -- female vocalist Ayumi Hamasaki's "H" (Avex) -- topped the million-sales mark during the year, compared with five in 2001.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 1, 2003
Too young to fall in love?
2002 was an eventful year, to say the least, for superstar singer/songwriter Utada Hikaru. In March, she signed a international recording deal (as an English-language artist -- she remains signed to Toshiba-EMI as a Japanese-language artist) with Island Def Jam.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 15, 2002
Ann Lewis in driver's seat with new single
What happens to idols after their popularity has waned?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 17, 2002
Getting syrupy about music
When I first heard the term "self-cover," I thought it referred to errant politicians or bureaucrats making excuses for themselves when caught with their pants down, metaphorically speaking or otherwise.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 30, 2002
Yaida takes off on flight of 'flancy'
Why monkey with a winning formula? That seems to be the logic behind singer/songwriter Hitomi Yaida's third album, "i/flancy," which reached No. 1 on the Oricon album chart for the week ending Oct. 28.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 23, 2002
Getting keyed in on musical talent
I don't like the phrase "child prodigy." It sounds vaguely condescending, and it brings to mind images of pushy parents forcing reluctant children to follow in the footsteps of Beethoven, Mozart and Michael Jackson.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 17, 2002
Japan image that resonates
Ichitaro Nakanoshima likes nothing better than to spend the late morning watching videos of old musicals like "Singin' in the Rain."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 9, 2002
The Captains chart retro course
Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. In the wrong hands, it can be an outlet for excessive sentimentality and out-and-out kitsch.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Oct 2, 2002
Glay strikes the right chord with Chinese leader Zemin
No word on whether Chinese President Jiang Zemin will embark on a new career as a rock star after the members of Japanese pop-rock band Glay presented him with an electric guitar at his official residence in Beijing on Sept. 10.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 29, 2002
Music of the J-people
Japanese pop music is crap. So say many of my friends, especially the non-Japanese ones. They reach that conclusion after noticing that the charts are full of chipmunk-voiced idols who are long on looks and short on talent -- and whose shelf lives are only slightly longer than sushi.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Sep 25, 2002
So you're a wannabe J-pop star?
Yellow Magic Orchestra burst upon the scene in the late '70s with a refreshing and original blend of pop music and electronic sounds that established a new pop template and influenced musicians all over the world. The band broke up in 1983 and, apart from 1993's one-off reunion album, "Technodon," its...
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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