PSYCHEDELIC VIOLENCE OF WORDS :
THe PiNK SpIdER
With GLAY's MAKUHARI MESSE EXPO '99 SURVIVAL VIDEO and their 20th new single, MERMAID, due to be released later this month, GLAY has been involved in a promotional blitzkreig - with Takuro orchestrating the publication of the MERMAID webzine and the MAKUHARI video release details. Fans have just released official news that there would be a poster accompanying the first press release of the new single and a limited edition memorial photobook would accompany the video and the DVD for initial orders. This wave of promotions has, of course, set THe PiNK SpIdER's mind into overdrive as usual.
Being the top rock band in Japan, it is only natural that GLAY becomes one of the most profitable investments in the Japanese music industry. Indeed, it would be strange for Unlimited Records/mustard not to cash in on their popularity and profit from them. being a business enterprise. However, one question comes to THe PiNK SpIdER's mind :
HAS THE COMMERCIALISATION OF GLAY GONE OVERBOARD TO THE POINTT OF
EXPLOITING THE FANS' LOVE FOR THEM?
When GLAY first started out (think their first major debut : SPEED POP), there was just the lone CD and together with the functional lyrics book. The lyrics book contained the perfunctory pictures of the members and no freebies came with the purchase of the CD. Moreover, the pictures were meant to introduce GLAY, the upcoming band, not to act as a coffee table spread delight for the fans. What mattered then was the music. Nowadays. with the immense popularity that GLAY has gained, posters and freebies accompany the first press release of the CD/single.This trend started from the pure soul album onwards, with "collector cards" of the members being included in the first press. For the uninitiated, first press releases are limited and once they are sold out, the manufacturer would produce more to meet the demand but these second presses would not be accompanied by any posters or other freebies.
No doubt, this is a smart move by the record company to bring in the sales and from a fan's perspective, it is an added incentive to get the album/single as soon as it is released (since loyal fans would be getting it sooner or later, they might as well get it sooner). However, THe PiNK SpIdER feels that the record company has lost sight of the reason why GLAY became the no. 1 rock band in Japan - THEIR BRAND OF MUSIC - with all the freebies flooding the fans.
Discerning fans worth their salt buy GLAY's albums/singles because they like GLAY's songs, not because they like the freebies that come with it. Of course, fans being fans, if we could get posters or freebies of our favourite bands from the first press release, we would definitely try our best to get them sooner rather than later. BUT even if HEAVY GAUGE didn't come with a free poster of an indivivdual GLAY member or that the credit card sized calendar didn't accompany the first press release of HAPPINESS, THe PiNK SpIdER is pretty sure that fans would still buy GLAY's albums/singles simply coz of their love for GLAY and their songs. Also, this aspect of commercialisation of GLAY creates disappointment because fans may have tried their best to get first press release of the album/single but owing to factors beyond their control, they weren't able to obtain it. They still pay the same amount - so why shouldn't they get the same treatment?
HAPPINESS single
The glow-in-the-dark HEAVY GAUGE album.
Teru
Hisashi
Jiro
Takuro
Did you get one of the free posters above when you purchased HEAVY GAUGE?
This wave of commercialisation doesn't end with the freebies. In fact, this is just the beginning. The packaging of the CD itself has become an art in itself. This is the most evident with the HEAVY GAUGE album that came with a glow-in-the-dark cover. Admittedly, THe PiNK SpIdER had loads of cheap fun with the unique glow-in-the-dark cover, having seen this concept for the very first time BUT a sobering question quells the delirious mind : WHY THE NEED FOR THIS GLOW-IN-THE-DARK COVER? It is definitely not to reassure the paranoid fan that the album is still there when he/she wakes up in the middle of the night. Rather, this is all part of the commercialisation of GLAY.
The slick attractive packaging of the HEAVY GAUGE album is perhaps to induce non-fans to buy it and give GLAY a chance. Seen from this perspective, it becomes more acceptable because there are people out there who try the music of bands unknown to them by the attractive packaging of the album itself and hopefully, they can convert to being fans of GLAY upon hearing such great songs.
However, another thing nags at THe PiNK SpIdER's mind : The release of the same song in different albums and singles - specifically the song, Koko De Wa Nai, Doko Ka E and the single HAPPINESS. Koko De Wa Nai, Doko Ka E can be found in the HEAVY GAUGE album as well as in two other singles - Koko De Wa Nai, Doko Ka E and HAPPINESS (as a coupling song) . Although Takuro personally likes this song very much, THe PiNK SpIder sees no need to include this song in so many places. Personally, THe PiNK SpIdER feels that the HAPPINESS single is redundant simply because there is no difference between the album version of the title song HAPPINESS and the winter mix in the single. Besides, the other two coupling songs are "live" versions from the Makuhari EXPO '99 and fans can get to hear these songs when they buy the Makuhari video coming out later this month. Thus, the release of this single only seeks to cash in on the fans' loyalty and devotion to GLAY. WHY SHOULD THEY PAY TWICE (or even three times) FOR THE SAME THING?
Koko De Wa Nai, Doko Ka E single
It seems as if this has gone overboard BUT THe PiNK SpIdER is relieved once again that GLAY has regained their senses and come up with totally new songs for their new single MERMAID. It just goes to show that GLAY can come up with new songs anytime they want to and hopefully, the episode of the HAPPINESS single would never be repeated again.
Midnight Sun Reprise : 1800 Yen
Midnight Sun : 3398 Yen
Another aspect of the commercialisation of GLAY is the numerous pictorial books of them. It is true that the 4 members of GLAY have attractive looks BUT being a ROCK BAND, shouldn't they concentrate on producing albums rather than picture books? Citing an example, Midnight Sun and Midnight Sun Reprise are really not any different (according to Aciel), with the cheaper Reprise being an even better deal! (Fancy that!) The only reason that THe PiNK SpIdER could come up with ; COMMERCIALISATION (or the "LOVE SLAVE" syndrome). Commercialisation seeks to exploit this aspect of fans' loyalty for their favourite bands. No doubt, being handsome/attractive men as they are, GLAY's pictorial books are good to have since most pictures are really classic BUT when is the stopping point? Reprise came out later than Midnight Sun and at a cheaper price too and fans who have bought Midnight Sun earlier would feel compelled to buy Reprise since it contains more and is a better deal but isn't GLAY then being commercialised in this way? The only advice THe PiNK SpIdER can give to fans? Fans should get the pictorial books of GLAY only when they are sure that they like GLAY mainly for their music. Afterall, GLAY didn't start out as poster boys, they started out as a visual rock band.
However, though admitting and disliking that GLAY has become commercialised, it has to be noted that GLAY is a rock band, not a business enterprise, so whatever strategies are being used to promote their music are planned by the record company - the profit seeking enterprise. Thus, their commercialisation to a large extent is beyond their control. It has a lot to do with the Japanese music industry and the fans themselves too. The Japanese music industry emphasizes a lot on packaging, even for the rookies. Thus, for a band of GLAY's stature, it is inevitable to a certain extent that they are being commercialised - with every possible agent wanting a slice of the proverbial pie. GLAY's popularity is enough to spawn an entire industry and from a business point of view, the record company would be foolish not to cash in on their immense popularity. Afterall, it is a profit-seeking enterprise, not a charitable organisation. The fans themselves are also a contributing factor to the commercialisation of GLAY. They are whom the whole business of GLAY caters to - they are happy with the freebies and the posters that come with the first press releases and thus, GLAY being commercialised is inevitable when viewed from this perspective.
At this point, THe PiNK SpIdER is heartened to point out here to the reader- though a minor observation, nevertheless it shows that GLAY is still the same quartet from their early days - the lyric book in HEAVY GAUGE contains only 4 individual shots of the band. It remains a simple functional lyric book, not a coffee table spread. The lyric book is perhaps the true gauge of how commercialised GLAY has become, and THe PiNK SpIdER is glad to know that GLAY hasn't turned into a parody of the times that has similarly gripped other rock band wannabes.
With this, THe PiNK SpIdER answers her own question posed earlier : The commercialisation of GLAY may be a little hard to swallow but it is really inevitable in this age where image and packaging and gimmicks count towards success. Besides, fans are not really being exploited at this stage as they are happy with the current arrangment. THe PiNK SpIdER also believes that when the push comes to shove, GLAY would never let their fans be exploited too. Meanwhile, THe PiNK SpIdER continues to support GLAY's first press releases whenever possible and of course, would be hoping patiently for that poster that comes with the first press release of the new MERMAID single as well as that memorial photobook for the video ordered.
HAPPINESS single cover taken from HAPPY SWING SPACE SITE.
"LOVE SLAVE" Edit of PURE SOUL logo by CherieBebe - A TRIBUTE TO GLAY.
HEAVY GAUGE album cover is the courtesy of Nayumi - GLAY ONLINE.
HEAVY GAUGE posters, Midnight Sun and Midnight Sun Reprise covers are the courtesy of Aciel - GLAD TO BE GLAY.
