I originally wanted to make this post part of my pervious post about Jin's debut single. But this became so long on it's own I simply couldn't do that.
I want to now talk about the other important aspect of Jin's new Japanese single. The first thing I thought of after hearing about this news was, "Why is the new single being released in Japan, and not the US? Wasn't the whole point of leaving KAT-TUN to focus on the US?" And then it hit me. This was the plan all along, and it's so perfect I can't believe it took me this long to piece together.
There's no doubt in my mind the whole Jin debuting in the US was just an excuse for him to leave KAT-TUN. Yes, I think Jin wanted to have concerts in the US. And maybe he really does want to make it in the US. But I don't think that's likely. I think what he waned most of all was out of KAT-TUN. Any KAT-TUN fan saw that. Or anyone who happens upon a KAT-TUN show/interview of KAT-TUN when Jin was still a member will see that. He seemed cold, distant, and uninterested. How about during his solo interviews or interviews for Bandage? He seemed lively, happy, and he even joked around. It was apparent he wasn't happy in KAT-TUN. I mean come on, he didn't even try to hide it.
Here's what I think happened though. Jin tells Johnny he wants out of KAT-TUN, Johnny has a mini heart attack, then Johnny thinks of a win-win solution. He uses Jin's obvious love for the US as a perfect cover. Have him debut in the US, a market so brutal that it would surely chew him up and spit him out. Then have Johnny make an emphasis that he CANNOT return to KAT-TUN if he fails. And then when he returns to Japan defeated after the preplanned failure, and unable to rejoin KAT-TUN, you have him go solo. And of course no one will ever question that he doesn't want to rejoin. Then the whole blame for the fans beloved Jin staying out of KAT-TUN is now the US's fault. The US, who wasn't ready for or didn't want Jin.
Think that seems too farfetched or I'm over thinking things? Looking at it from a business perspective it's the smart thing to do. Instead of making an insane amount of money from 1 thing, JE will now make it from 2. KAT-TUN will still make a lot of money because of long time KAT-TUN fans sticking by the group, not to mention the fangirls of the other 5 members. Jin will of course make bookoo bucks. Him being the most popular member of KAT-TUN and having a legion of fangirls. It's the exact same reason NEWS is still together. JE makes money from 4/6 of the members outside of NEWS, so NEWS really doesn't even need to exist anymore. But they stay together just to squeeze even more money out of people. Sad, but true. It's also the reason why JE subgroups exist, and why Ryo was put in Kanjani8, and Chinen and Ryosuke became a part of NYC. Popular members in subgroups equals double support, which ultimately equals double the money. Sorry to say it but Idol companies don't care about you personally, they only care about your money. Just like all large companies. Idol music is a business, and a very lucrative one.
To anyone still skeptical about this not being planned from the begining, that brings me to my next point. If Jin is really debuting in the US, where are his preparations? Yes, Jin recently announced a new tour in the US in November. But don't confuse concerts with actual preparations. In the US an artist or band spends anywhere from 3 months, to 6 months, and sometimes an entire year recording an album alone. Western music markets aren't anything like Eastern ones. Especially Idol music markets. Idol groups in Japan usually take about 3 months to record or less. Case and point, Hey! Say! JUMP. They announced their debut album in May and it was released in July. Only 2 months to record. Artists in the US don't even announce or talk about their new albums unless it's halfway until their release dates.
So let's say Jin needs 6 months to record. Let's now talk about his other preparations such as song picking songs/writing. To be successful in the US Jin needs to start penning more songs and better songs. Also making all the music for such songs. Then he needs people to produce it and to promote it. Heck he doesn't even have a record contract in the US! Do people not even realize that? He's with JE and JStorm in JAPAN, there's no JE USA. Which means he needs to land a record deal. I'm sure Johnny flashing some money of course would have some influence. But not much. JE doesn't have any real music connections in the US. Jin's solo concerts in the US don't prove that they do. PLENTY of Japanese artists have small club tours, like Jin's, with zero American connections. Also, Jin needs to continue to practice dancing, singing, and English. So adding all of that, that adds let's say another 4-6 months. Which is roughly 10-12 months Jin needs to spend in the US doing nothing but working on his album.
And what is Jin doing to prepare for such a US debut? He's continuing to tour the US. But more importantly he's now going to tour Japan, and release a single in Japan. Which means he needs to be in Japan to record the single, do the tour, and also promote the single on TV. Which makes nearly the first 6 months of 2011 a loss for anything to do with the US. Not really a smart move.
Now there's also the argument that Jin could be recording now, or he could record in Japan, or even on the rode. Which is an absolute possibility. American band Cobra Starship wrote their 2nd album, Viva La Cobra, entirely during their tour. From backstage footage from Patrick Stump he said he was working on mixing the album while on tour. Which means Cobra Starship recorded songs, or at least music, during their joint tour. Which means yes, it can be done. But Jin is recording an album in English, for the American market. The most brutal unforgiving market on the planet. Where his songs and English need to be top notch. And he REALLY needs to take 6 months- a year to work on the album, if he wants any kind of success in the US. I know Cobra Starship would never record a Japanese album on tour. XD
So there you have it. Now can you see why I'm so skeptical? Jin either doesn't truly realize just how hard it is to break into the US market, or he's just not trying to. He could also just be arrogant and thinks he's Akanishi Jin, who wouldn't love him. And honestly it could be any of those 3.
2 comments:
To be frank, I was skeptical that Jin would ever be highly successful in the US. That market is brutal. You might be one of the most popular idols in Japan but in the US you may be nothing more than a nobody to anybody who wasn't a fangirl.
You make some excellent points. It hasn't been announced that Jin has been signed into a US label. I'd say that's already a bad sign. JE doesn't look like it's going to set up a new label in the US just for Jin either - it's plain ridiculous.
By the looks of it though, he may make some half-hearted (and probably failed) attempts at the music business in the US, then quietly withdraw back to Japan. It's the safest possible route. Thanks to the hoards of fangirls, he will be highly successful in Japan, and the possibility of a US career can simple serve as excellent publicity.
Either way, my view is that Johnny can send him to the US, hold some solo concerts, let him release an album that won't gather much interest. Jin will see that it's hopeless (and unless he's a complete dumbass), agree to return to Japan as a solo artist. In the end, Johnny gets to rack up the profits. And I say that's all it boils down to. As long as Jin remains with JE, money comes flowing in. He just needs to dish out a little to keep Jin happy.
I guess my way of putting it is pretty brutal and I pretty much ranted away this comment. Either way, brilliant post. =]
I was never skeptical about him being highly successful in the US, it's pretty obvious he won't be. Have you heard his English music? Especially Yellow Gold, it's laughable. The only song of his I could ever see becoming popular in the US is Wonder.
I was pretty surprised he never mentioned any label he's signed to. And Jin fans seems to completely be oblivious to this fact. I mean even an indie label would be some sort of advancement in the market. It would at least show he's trying. It would be stupid to start a whole new label. To you know how much money that would cost? Wayyyy too much.
That's exactly what he'll do. I thought Jin really might have had a shot in the US, since he listens to so much American music and gets influences from it. But he doesn't even seem to be trying. And it doesn't make sense. Unless this was the plan all along.
That seems pretty much like the play by play of what's going to happen to Jin's career in the next year or year and a half. It would probably take 2 or maybe 3 CDs before he gained any kind of fanbase in the US. But Johnny is so about making money, he'd probably pull him out after the first album fails. Much like all the Kpop artists who have tried to debut in the US. Johnny probably salivated at the prospect of conquering the US. But then again he's never tried before, why now? He doesn't even let JE artist perform in the US.
Nah it's not brutal at all, it's honest. :] And I don't mind the rant comment, my whole post was a rant. Lol. I'm glad you liked the post. <3
Post a Comment