Metal Music Blog

If you compare two cultures, Japanese and Finnish, you won’t find many similarities. May be the only common this is that both Japanese and Finns are workaholics. When it comes to music, I can’t see much similarity. So, why on Earth Finnish metal and even folk music bands are pretty popular in Japan? Some Finnish bands sell more in Japan than in Finland, and some Kantele (traditional Finnish instrument) are not known in Finland but sell pretty much in Japan.

Japan is the world’s second biggest single music market, straight after United States. It is bigger than the rest of the Asia and as big as UK and France together. What is the secret behind the success of Finnish music in Japan? Pale face and blue eyes? Fiercer look and Viking style? Although some Finnish bands have made it, it is not easy to enter the Japanese music market.

Bands like Stratovarius and Hanoi Rocks have been popular in Japan for some years, but new bands like Lovex and Negative are joining the group of Finnish bands performing in Japan. Kantele-artist Eva Alkula is going to have four gigs in Japan this year. So far 100 Finnish artists of different music genres have released their music in Japan. Although those Finnish bands have sold tens of thousands of albums in Japan, most of the ordinary Japanese citizens are not familiar with these bands. But what really is interesting is that a metal music expert of a Japanese record company asks “which one is more popular in Europe - Sonata Arctica or Iron Maiden“? (Source - Soundi Magazine 5/208). This is no wonder because Sonata Artica is more popular in Japan than Robbie Williams for example. Sonata Arctica has sold 70.000 records in Japan so far.

So what makes Finnish music popular in distant Japan? It is melodic music and fashion related things. Melodies of Finnish metal and rock bands sound good in the ears of Japanese people. Additionally the outfit of bands like Lovex and Hanoi Rocks seem pretty cool in the eyes of Japanese people. Japanese also enjoy music sang high, which is one of the reasons why Sonata Arctica sells well in Japan. For example HIM is not popular in Japan because Ville Valo sings low.

Other reasons for the success in Japan are related to making business with Japanese companies of music industry. Personal relationships matter very much and bands need to get high visibility in Japanese media so that they reach their target audience. Bands must be patient and tenacious. It takes time to break through in Japan.

If you are a serious metalhead, you would probably say Lovex sucks. Well, you’re not the only one thinking like that in metal scene, but guess what? Lovex has very high potential to break through in Japan and in the rest of the world. Diablo and Amon Amarth sound better for headbangers but they will never break through because the big masses don’t listen to such heavy music.

Image source.