On Hekiru’s CD sales and marketing
Did you know that 10,000 copies is about the breakeven point for CD sales?
Tabitachi no Uta sold 5,112 copies to rank in at No. 36 for its first week. This is more than a thousand copies less than Love Jet Coaster.
Which bodes really really badly. First of all, Hekiru’s value to Sony Records came from the fact that while she never had a big hit (Akai Hana was her best selling single at around 60,000 copies), no matter what you put out a core fan base would snap it up. Steady sales are just as important, or rather more important, than one-hit wonders.
When you fall below that 10,000 mark, though, that’s when it’s no longer worth it to the record company to back you. Perhaps you could be profitable through concerts (though not by much considering the small scale of Hekiru’s activities) but that does the record guys no good.
And if you get no music release, you get no more concerts. Finito. End of career.
Before we start spiraling down into depressing, however, let’s take a closer look at the situation.
Okay, you have the worsening CD sales, which reflect a greater fan base apathy than can be simply accounted for by the overall slump in non-indie music sales. Packaging the CD with a DVD of photo-shoot footage and some concert clips was, I think, a pretty good idea since Hekiru fans have traditionally been avid consumers of Hekiru’s visual side. In other words, we like her for her looks :P So it’s extra incentive to pick up the package.
But the fact that even that could not save Tabitachi no Uta is a sign either that the song really sucks, or that Hekiru fans actually no longer care about her music.
Personally I think the song isn’t very good, but that’s never stopped the fans before. It’s not that there are no more fans. We know they are out there, because last year over 3,000 of ‘em showed up to shake hands to Hekiru. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about what Hekiru fans want from Hekiru, but apparently, it’s not her music.
Although, I think we already knew that. What percentage of Hekiru fans actually cared for her music, and what percentage simply liked her for her looks? Perhaps that is a cynical view, but when you consider <6,000 for CD but >3,000 for a handshake event…
My original thoughts (in Japanese), as I was chatting with a friend about this.
よく分かっているというか・・・
まぁ、6000枚も売れないにもかかわらず、3000人も握手会だなんて、ね。
これは昔からの問題だろうが、昔お比べて、「歌まで買う！」というぐらいの熱意はもうない、ファンは。
それが問題ですね。
This (the fact that fans aren’t really in it for the music) has been a problem ever since the beginning, but the real problem now is that Hekiru fans these days don’t have enough “fire” to snap up each and every single release irregardless of whether or not they actually like the product. Hekiru’s somewhat unique fandom characteristic is a double-edged sword. Before, when she had inspired legions to the point where they would literally go to hell and back for her, anything she released was gold. Now, as she has shifted her emphasis from selling her “cult personality status” to selling her music and concerts, you see that the actual product lacks in appeal.
椎名へきるは椎名へきるの歌を売るのは無駄だ。
椎名へきるが椎名へきるそのものをアピールして、
ついでに商品を買ってもらう。
Can’t sell Shiina Hekiru’s music.
Gotta sell “Shiina Hekiru” itself. And then, get fans to buy the related merchandise (of which the music and concert performances would be a part).
とも言えますが、まぁ、全部のファンじゃないだろうね。
Well, of course that cynical view doesn’t apply to all fans.
だから、へきるにとって一番ファンから聴きたいのは、
「へきるさんにこういう歌を出してほしい」、
「へきるさんにこういうようなライブを見せてほしい」。
椎名へきるではなく、椎名へきるの作品に対して要望・希望・期待を示している言葉が彼女にとって一番のでは。
仕事をしている人として、まぁ、要するに「能力で生きてゆくアーティスト」として認められているという証拠ですから。
Still, it means that the thing Hekiru really wants most from her fans, is to hear that they do really care for her music - by telling her what sort of music they’d like her to release, what sort of concerts they’d like to see. The point is not what they want from Shiina Hekiru herself , but what they want of her creations (releases), the sort of expectations they have. This is what would really count for most to Hekiru, because it serves to show her that her fans respect her as an “artist” who produces real “content”.
ただし、「歌・ライブそのものだけで勝負」というのは甘いですね。
歌だけがよくて売れられるってこの世界にほとんどありません。
何かのコツがついているから、世間に気づいてもらっている。
椎名林檎はすごい才能を持っていますが、
ああいう歌詞、ああいうキャラクターではないと、
人の目を引っ張る力があるの？
Unfortunately, in the real world, you don’t get very many people who are able to make it on simply their creative power only. In addition to power, you need prowess, or basically a gimmick that makes the world notice you. There’s millions of people who are pretty frickin’ talented, so even if you’re damn good, it’s absolutely no guarantee of success. You need more, because you’re fighting for a “share of wallet”, and what you’re making is only slightly above that of a commodity. And we all know that commodities are seriously difficult to profit from unless you’re selling in bulk at low production cost. Obviously, this isn’t quite possible in the music industry.
To use an example, even Shena Ringo, who is recognized as an extremely talented women, would probably not have gotten terribly far without her provocative personality and lyrics.
椎名へきるが一時期日本の一部の目を引っ張った理由、分かりやすい歌の上に、「椎名へきる」のほかの良さがあったからです。まぁ、それはあなたも私もよく分かっていますけどね。「椎名へきるらしさ」という不思議な雰囲気・パワー。
So the reason why Shiina Hekiru was so successful at capturing a segment of the market, back in the old days, was because she had something we shall term “Shiina Hekiru-ness”, on top of songs which were catchy and easy listening. “Shiina Hekiru-ness”… something which is difficult to describe to someone who is not a fan, but which all Hekiru fans know and feel. A combination of charisma, energy, personality (both strange and cute), strength and weakness, innocence, dreams, and a level of closeness to her fans unusual for a famous celebrity.
「この子を応援したい！」と想いさせるへきるパワー、足す
すこし切なく、やさしいバラード ＝ 守りたい
強気を示す歌詞 ＝ ちっちゃい子がこういう歌を歌うのはかっこいい
ロックテイストの楽曲 ＝ この子の熱意を認める
“I want to help this girl achieve her dreams!” - that mysterious Hekiru power that pulls people along, PLUS
Soft, sad love ballads = “I want to take care of her”
Lyrics which speak of inner strength and determination = Your basic coolness factor, especially effective coming from such a small girl
Music with elements of rock = A girl who also has inner “fire”, intensity and power
とか、だからこそ、ファンも曲が聴きたいのです。
その曲が、自分にとって好きな椎名へきるの要素を思い出せるから。
That’s why fans liked her music. Her music reminded them of what they liked about her.
今は、好きなへきるの部分はなんでしょう。
そして、へきるの歌はそれにマッチしているのでしょう？
So, what do Hekiru fans like about Hekiru now? What facet of Hekiru do they love, what is it she does that appeals to them? Why would they stand in line for 3 hours to shake her hand?
The Hekiru of now is far different from the Hekiru of 8, even 6 years back. I’ve been a fan for over 7 years, and I will tell you right off the bat, there’s no more burning fire, no overwhelming charisma, no sheer force of personality, no dreams that sweep the entire audience up. She is… not ordinary, but not extraordinary either. She has no outstanding colour that comes through her words, though she continues to write lyrics that sound powerful enough. There’s no “essence” to back it up though.
Anyway, to get back to the question, what is it about Hekiru that fans find appealing now, and does her music match that “Hekiru-ness”?
歌だけでやっていくことは、本当に色々揃わないといけないところ。
世間が好きな音楽性 ＝ 社会のほしがっている商品
メディアに取り上げられる話題 ＝ マーケットに届く、商品の存在を知ってもらう
消費者が納得する値段で ＝ 簡単に、安くに手配できる
If Hekiru really wanted to get ahead just based on music (and not music talent, which is another beast again, reserved for only the best of the best), she had better get her marketing act together. You only sell what people want to buy, and at the price they would be willing to pay. And for that, you’ll need:-
- Music that’s up on the times = what the world (or a significant part of Japan, anyway) likes right now
- Something that’ll catch the media’s eye = reach to market, basically; can’t sell what people don’t know about
- At a good price = cheap and easy to consume, since all consumers are rather impatient nowadays
