http://nippop.com

Much like the country itself, Japanese music is as intriguing as it is puzzling. Every month, new aidoru (Japanese idols) are presented to the general public; in the main, manufactured stars about as fresh as three-day old sushi. With the press giving blanket coverage to these teen icons, it is difficult to delve deeper into the talent rich world of Japanese music. Enter nippop.com, an English database of artists offering profiles, photos, biographies, as well as regular columns on Japanese pop culture. Launched in January 2005 by three gaijin (foreigners) with insider knowledge of the music industry (former Tower Records Japan CEO Keith Cahoon; former YesAsia.com Japan General Manager Bill Haw; and Billboard’s Asia bureau chief Steve McClure), the site claims to be “the world’s best English-language resource on Japanese music”. This may be a slight exaggeration, but where else on the Internet (in English, at least) can you find everything you ever wanted to know about acts like Malice Mizer, Guitar Wolf and Dir En Grey?

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
July 2006 issue