Tokyo's independent live music scene has always been somewhat dysfunctional.

Complaints from performers about the prevalence of the ubiquitous pay-to-play ticket quota system — in which bands need to guarantee a minimum number of customers — have gone way past outrage and into the realm of grumbling cliche.

Complaints from audiences about the steep prices they need to pay in order to watch a drab parade of ill-motivated musicians in what is little more than a jumped-up rehearsal have generally given way to the silence of empty halls as audiences vote with their feet and stay home.