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	<title>The Japan Times &#187; Steve McClure</title>
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	<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp</link>
	<description>News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</description>
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		<title>Tower Japan boss says biggest challenge facing record stores is attracting young customers</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/11/music/tower-japan-boss-says-biggest-challenge-facing-record-stores-is-attracting-young-customers/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tower-japan-boss-says-biggest-challenge-facing-record-stores-is-attracting-young-customers</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/11/music/tower-japan-boss-says-biggest-challenge-facing-record-stores-is-attracting-young-customers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2013 14:05:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[digital music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ikuo Minewaki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[record stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Records Japan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=453704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago I was preparing to do a guest slot on InterFM’s “The Selector” program, which features music mavens sharing their favorite tracks. While I had a few tunes from the not-so-recent past in mind, I needed some newer stuff to round out the playlist. I went to Tower Records Japan&#8217;s flagship store [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Japan&#8217;s festival industry is stuck in a fine kettle of fish</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/03/music/japans-festival-industry-is-stuck-in-a-fine-kettle-of-fish/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=japans-festival-industry-is-stuck-in-a-fine-kettle-of-fish</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/03/music/japans-festival-industry-is-stuck-in-a-fine-kettle-of-fish/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jul 2013 14:22:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fuji Rock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hostess Club Weekender]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ozzfest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[summer festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Summer Sonic]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Are summer festivals killing Japan&#8217;s live-music market? Weird question, right? Hundreds of thousands of people shell out gobs of yen every summer to see an amazing array of domestic and international acts rock out at festivals up and down the Japanese archipelago. (Organizers say last year&#8217;s Fuji Rock Festival drew 140,000 attendees, while Summer Sonic&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/03/music/japans-festival-industry-is-stuck-in-a-fine-kettle-of-fish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Been down so long, it looks like up</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/06/music/been-down-so-long-it-looks-like-up/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=been-down-so-long-it-looks-like-up</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/06/music/been-down-so-long-it-looks-like-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:00:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[digital music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[music industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music Matters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[record sales]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been to a lot of music-industry conferences over the years, and for the past decade I&#8217;ve listened to the same old song: How can the recording industry fight online piracy, which it blames for plunging music sales? So at this year&#8217;s Music Matters (MM) conference in Singapore on May 23 and 24, it was [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Universal-EMI is the dinosaur in the room</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/02/music/universal-emi-is-the-dinosaur-in-the-room/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=universal-emi-is-the-dinosaur-in-the-room</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/02/music/universal-emi-is-the-dinosaur-in-the-room/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2013 15:01:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=356725</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last September, the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved Universal Music Group&#8217;s buyout of EMI. Since then, the two record companies have been merging their operations worldwide. In Japan, the combined Universal-EMI entity will have a market share of between 15 percent and 20 percent. Is this a good thing? Or has [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Barakan wants InterFM to dial down the talk</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/04/music/barakan-wants-interfm-to-dial-down-the-talk/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=barakan-wants-interfm-to-dial-down-the-talk</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/04/04/music/barakan-wants-interfm-to-dial-down-the-talk/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:07:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[InterFM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peter Barakan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[radio]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=339949</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While station-surfing on my car radio several years back, I chanced upon a program about Led Zeppelin&#8217;s Jimmy Page. The disc jockey said Page&#8217;s solo in &#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221; was among his best. The familiar strains of the Zep classic soon filled the air, and I cranked up the volume in anticipation of Page&#8217;s magnificent [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recochoku brings Japan further into the stream</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/07/music/recochoku-brings-japan-further-into-the-stream/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=recochoku-brings-japan-further-into-the-stream</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/07/music/recochoku-brings-japan-further-into-the-stream/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:02:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deezer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rdio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spotify]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streaming]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Recochoku, a digital content aggregator owned by major Japanese labels, debuted a smartphone-based streaming service called RecoChoku Best on Tuesday. It's due to become available on PCs this summer.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/03/07/music/recochoku-brings-japan-further-into-the-stream/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Music industry takes baby steps toward digital content</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/09/music/music-industry-takes-baby-steps-toward-digital-content/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=music-industry-takes-baby-steps-toward-digital-content</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/08/09/music/music-industry-takes-baby-steps-toward-digital-content/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Will it be the &#8220;carrot and stick&#8221; or just &#8220;the stick&#8221; that revives flagging digital-music sales in Japan? As in other major music markets, digital sales here &#8212; via PCs or mobile phones &#8212; have helped offset the slide in sales of physical product such as CDs. In 2011, sales of physical product (excluding music [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Warner&#8217;s Ishizaka says &#8216;exterminate&#8217; illegal downloads</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/02/music/warners-ishizaka-says-exterminate-illegal-downloads/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=warners-ishizaka-says-exterminate-illegal-downloads</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/02/music/warners-ishizaka-says-exterminate-illegal-downloads/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Not many music-business executives compare themselves to Oda Nobunaga or Napoleon Bonaparte. But Keiichi Ishizaka is not your average Japanese exec. He cites those two historical figures as role models as he begins his campaign to build up Warner Music Japan (WMJ) into one of the country&#8217;s top three record companies. &#8220;I can be like [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2012/02/02/music/warners-ishizaka-says-exterminate-illegal-downloads/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Saori Yuki wants a kay&#333;kyoku wave</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/11/17/music/saori-yuki-wants-a-kaykyoku-wave/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=saori-yuki-wants-a-kaykyoku-wave</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/11/17/music/saori-yuki-wants-a-kaykyoku-wave/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:01:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Defining kay&#333;kyoku is like trying to nail down konnyaku. &#8220;Japanese standard songs&#8221; is veteran vocalist Saori Yuki&#8217;s first stab at describing a musical genre that&#8217;s easily recognizable but hard to construe. &#8220;Jazz-inspired Japanese pop songs for adults,&#8221; she then ventures. Warming to her subject, Yuki explains that the kay&#333;kyoku tradition dates back to the immediate [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/11/17/music/saori-yuki-wants-a-kaykyoku-wave/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Bronze Bonze</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/20/general/the-bronze-bonze/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-bronze-bonze</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/20/general/the-bronze-bonze/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/20/%life_category%/the-bronze-bonze/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yoshiyuki Yoneda had a problem. As chief priest of a temple in Kyoto, he ministered to the spiritual and ritual needs of his local community. But like many other clerics in Japan&#8217;s ancient capital, he also wanted to attract fee-paying tourists to his temple. As far as his strictly religious duties were concerned, Yoneda was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/03/20/general/the-bronze-bonze/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Go on, just say his name</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/02/18/music/go-on-just-say-his-name/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=go-on-just-say-his-name</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/02/18/music/go-on-just-say-his-name/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:01:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/02/18/%culture_category%/go-on-just-say-his-name/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Miyavi is a guy you can read like a book &#8212; literally. The vocalist/guitarist&#8217;s arms and torso are liberally decorated with tattoos that express his personal philosophy. His upper right arm, for example, bears the inscription &#8220;Tenjou tenka yuiga dokuson&#8221; (I am the one and only. In heaven and on Earth).&#8221; One on his left [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/02/18/music/go-on-just-say-his-name/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Local, foreign songwriters camp it up</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/01/28/music/local-foreign-songwriters-camp-it-up/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=local-foreign-songwriters-camp-it-up</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/01/28/music/local-foreign-songwriters-camp-it-up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:01:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/01/28/%culture_category%/local-foreign-songwriters-camp-it-up/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Early in the band&#8217;s career, Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham is reputed to have locked Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in a room and told them not to come out until they&#8217;d written their first song. The tune they composed in that inaugural writing session (&#8220;Tell Me&#8221;) wasn&#8217;t a hit, but it set the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2011/01/28/music/local-foreign-songwriters-camp-it-up/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Amazon, Apple kick-start Japan&#8217;s digital content-delivery business</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/12/01/digital/amazon-apple-kick-start-japans-digital-content-delivery-business/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=amazon-apple-kick-start-japans-digital-content-delivery-business</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/12/01/digital/amazon-apple-kick-start-japans-digital-content-delivery-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Remember CCCD? Probably not, unless you collect outdated acronyms. Between 2002 and 2004 many Japanese record companies released copy-controlled compact discs, aka CCCDs. Tracks from such CDs could not be burned onto PCs or copied onto portable devices such as mp3 players. But consumers didn&#8217;t like what they saw as a heavy-handed tactic by Japanese [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/12/01/digital/amazon-apple-kick-start-japans-digital-content-delivery-business/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Tech pushes Japan&#8217;s music scene; industry won&#8217;t budge</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/04/14/digital/tech-pushes-japans-music-scene-industry-wont-budge/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=tech-pushes-japans-music-scene-industry-wont-budge</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/04/14/digital/tech-pushes-japans-music-scene-industry-wont-budge/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[The music business reinvents itself every 20 years or so &#8212; 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. The Internet looks set to destroy a business model that&#8217;s been in place ever since Thomas Edison [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2010/04/14/digital/tech-pushes-japans-music-scene-industry-wont-budge/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Buffalo Daughter&#8217;s deeper grooves</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/08/31/music/buffalo-daughters-deeper-grooves/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=buffalo-daughters-deeper-grooves</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/08/31/music/buffalo-daughters-deeper-grooves/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Aug 2003 00:02:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s usually not a good idea to go into the recording studio without having some idea of what you&#8217;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. The members of avant-pop trio Buffalo Daughter have a [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Yokoyama&#8217;s ship finally comes in</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/07/20/music/yokoyamas-ship-finally-comes-in/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yokoyamas-ship-finally-comes-in</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/07/20/music/yokoyamas-ship-finally-comes-in/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Jul 2003 00:01:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Ken Yokoyama is crazy. Crazy like a fox, that is. In the past year or so Yokoyama and his nine-member Crazy Ken Band have become the band to watch on the Japanese music scene, due to their brilliantly original fusion of high-concept parody and stellar musicianship. You could compare the Crazy Ken Band to the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/07/20/music/yokoyamas-ship-finally-comes-in/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Sophomores who shine in a new light</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/06/15/music/sophomores-who-shine-in-a-new-light/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sophomores-who-shine-in-a-new-light</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/06/15/music/sophomores-who-shine-in-a-new-light/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jun 2003 00:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Second albums are notoriously difficult, especially if an act&#8217;s first album has been a success. But on &#8220;Modern Lights,&#8221; Kobe-based pop/jazz duo Orange Pekoe have avoided the &#8220;sophomore-album syndrome&#8221; by broadening their stylistic template to create a work that demands to be listened to on its own terms, not simply as a followup. &#8220;Modern Lights&#8221; [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Kei Ogura has still got a lot to celebrate</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/05/18/music/kei-ogura-has-still-got-a-lot-to-celebrate/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kei-ogura-has-still-got-a-lot-to-celebrate</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/05/18/music/kei-ogura-has-still-got-a-lot-to-celebrate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2003 00:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Once known as the &#8220;singing bank manager,&#8221; these days Kei Ogura could be called the &#8220;singing recovering cancer patient.&#8221; Best known for his 1975 hit single &#8220;Shikuramen No Kaori (Scent Of Cyclamen),&#8221; singer/songwriter Ogura spent 26 years working for Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank before he decided to devote himself full-time to his musical activities in 1993. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>There is no escape from the silliness</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/04/20/music/there-is-no-escape-from-the-silliness/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=there-is-no-escape-from-the-silliness</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/04/20/music/there-is-no-escape-from-the-silliness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Apr 2003 00:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s only April, but the silly season already seems to be upon us. The first sign was the recent announcement by Universal Music&#8217;s classical department that on June 11 it will release a single titled &#8220;Asagohan (Breakfast),&#8221; which is a rather unusual a capella version of the first movement of Beethoven&#8217;s Fifth Symphony. Unusual, because [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/04/20/music/there-is-no-escape-from-the-silliness/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Space Shower TV bangs a gong in style</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/03/30/music/space-shower-tv-bangs-a-gong-in-style/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=space-shower-tv-bangs-a-gong-in-style</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/03/30/music/space-shower-tv-bangs-a-gong-in-style/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Mar 2003 00:00:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;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 &#8220;street&#8221; feel. Despite its almost amateurish (in the best sense of the word) vibe, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/03/30/music/space-shower-tv-bangs-a-gong-in-style/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Lowdown on rising stars</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/02/16/music/lowdown-on-rising-stars/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=lowdown-on-rising-stars</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/02/16/music/lowdown-on-rising-stars/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2003 00:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[They sing low and they&#8217;re aiming high. Unlike the chipmunk-on-helium vocal style favored by most Japanese female pop singers, newcomers Asuca Hayashi and Ai have remarkably mature, almost husky voices. And in contrast to the squeaky-clean idol crew, they&#8217;re cultivating sophisticated public images that appeal to a wide spectrum of pop music fans. I heard [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/02/16/music/lowdown-on-rising-stars/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Independent music was the smart alternative in &#8217;02</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/19/music/independent-music-was-the-smart-alternative-in-02/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=independent-music-was-the-smart-alternative-in-02</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/19/music/independent-music-was-the-smart-alternative-in-02/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 Jan 2003 00:01:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8212; female vocalist Ayumi Hamasaki&#8217;s &#8220;H&#8221; (Avex) &#8212; topped the million-sales mark during the year, compared with five in 2001. While the mainstream J-Pop scene produced [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/19/music/independent-music-was-the-smart-alternative-in-02/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Too young to fall in love?</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/01/music/too-young-to-fall-in-love/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=too-young-to-fall-in-love</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/01/music/too-young-to-fall-in-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8212; she remains signed to Toshiba-EMI as a Japanese-language artist) with Island Def Jam. Utada told Billboard magazine that she hopes the time is ripe for an Asian artist [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2003/01/01/music/too-young-to-fall-in-love/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Ann Lewis in driver&#8217;s seat with new single</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/12/15/music/ann-lewis-in-drivers-seat-with-new-single/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=ann-lewis-in-drivers-seat-with-new-single</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/12/15/music/ann-lewis-in-drivers-seat-with-new-single/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Dec 2002 00:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[What happens to idols after their popularity has waned? Some manage to stay in the game by doing stuff like cheesy Christmas dinner shows (have you booked yours yet?). Some use their erstwhile fame as a springboard into politics. But most just sink into middle-class obscurity. If you&#8217;re Ann Lewis, you move to Los Angeles, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/12/15/music/ann-lewis-in-drivers-seat-with-new-single/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Getting syrupy about music</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/11/17/music/getting-syrupy-about-music/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=getting-syrupy-about-music</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/11/17/music/getting-syrupy-about-music/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Nov 2002 00:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[When I first heard the term &#8220;self-cover,&#8221; I thought it referred to errant politicians or bureaucrats making excuses for themselves when caught with their pants down, metaphorically speaking or otherwise. I later learned, however, that it refers to musicians doing new versions of their own songs. One example is male pop act Chage and Aska, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/11/17/music/getting-syrupy-about-music/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Yaida takes off on flight of &#8216;flancy&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/30/music/yaida-takes-off-on-flight-of-flancy/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yaida-takes-off-on-flight-of-flancy</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/30/music/yaida-takes-off-on-flight-of-flancy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2002 00:00:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Why monkey with a winning formula? That seems to be the logic behind singer/songwriter Hitomi Yaida&#8217;s third album, &#8220;i/flancy,&#8221; which reached No. 1 on the Oricon album chart for the week ending Oct. 28. Like her previous albums, &#8220;i/flancy&#8221; includes punchy rock numbers like the opening track, &#8220;Creamed Potatoes&#8221; and the brilliantly catchy &#8220;Andante,&#8221; delicate [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/30/music/yaida-takes-off-on-flight-of-flancy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Getting keyed in on musical talent</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/23/music/getting-keyed-in-on-musical-talent/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=getting-keyed-in-on-musical-talent</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/23/music/getting-keyed-in-on-musical-talent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Oct 2002 00:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=6298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t like the phrase &#8220;child prodigy.&#8221; 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. But that term is entirely appropriate in describing one of Japan&#8217;s most promising musicians, jazz pianist Takashi Matsunaga. Although he&#8217;s just [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/23/music/getting-keyed-in-on-musical-talent/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Japan image that resonates</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/17/music/japan-image-that-resonates/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=japan-image-that-resonates</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/17/music/japan-image-that-resonates/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2002 00:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=6356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ichitaro Nakanoshima likes nothing better than to spend the late morning watching videos of old musicals like &#8220;Singin&#8217; in the Rain.&#8221; Nakanoshima, though, is no slacker. Before settling down to watch Gene Kelly trip the light fantastic, he starts his day at 6 a.m. with a 7-km run. Then it may be his turn to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/17/music/japan-image-that-resonates/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Captains chart retro course</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/09/music/the-captains-chart-retro-course/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-captains-chart-retro-course</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/09/music/the-captains-chart-retro-course/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2002 00:01:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Nostalgia is a dangerous thing. In the wrong hands, it can be an outlet for excessive sentimentality and out-and-out kitsch. In the right hands, however, it can be a healthy look at the past, an appreciation of what has gone before that doesn&#8217;t dogmatically reject the present. The Captains, a rock band from Sendai dedicated [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/09/music/the-captains-chart-retro-course/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Glay strikes the right chord with Chinese leader Zemin</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/02/music/glay-strikes-the-right-chord-with-chinese-leader-zemin/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=glay-strikes-the-right-chord-with-chinese-leader-zemin</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/02/music/glay-strikes-the-right-chord-with-chinese-leader-zemin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2002 00:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve McClure</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[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. Glay were in the Chinese capital along with many other Japanese representatives to celebrate [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2002/10/02/music/glay-strikes-the-right-chord-with-chinese-leader-zemin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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