Stars Born of Television--The Cozy Relationship Between Japanese Music Programming and the Industry in the Mid-1970s

Stars Born of Television--The Cozy Relationship Between Japanese Music Programming and the Industry in the Mid-1970s

In 1975, Japanese music programming was closely linked to TV stations and the music industry. In particular, programs such as "Kohaku Uta Gassen," "Best Ten," and "School Birth" functioned as the backbone of the music industry. These programs gave top priority to obtaining viewership ratings, and by working with specific record companies and production companies, they served as venues for the large-scale marketing of specific singers and songs.

For example, the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" was an extremely important program for record companies and production companies as a major year-end event. The selection of performers depended not only on their popularity and ability, but also on the influence of the production company they belonged to and their relationship with the TV station. Major production companies such as NABEPRO had a strong influence, and the system was designed to determine the "hot sellers" of the year by securing slots for their singers to perform. This limited the opportunities for new music and independent artists to appear on the program and contributed to the loss of musical diversity.

In addition, ranking-style programs such as "Best Ten," although audience-participation oriented, were actually operated under the strategic collaboration between record companies and music publishers and TV stations. The ranking of songs was influenced not only by record sales and viewer votes, but also by the TV stations' intentions and the power relationships among production companies, and "manipulated rankings" were sometimes viewed as problematic.

Furthermore, although "School Birth" and other newcomer discovery programs appeared at first glance to follow a fair audition format, in reality, candidates with ties to particular production companies or record labels were often given preferential treatment. Television stations, which place great importance on viewership ratings, adopted a strategy of strengthening their relationship with the music industry and increasing advertising revenues by bringing newcomers with a high-profile profile to the forefront.

In this way, music programming in 1975 created an environment favorable to some production companies and record labels through close ties between TV stations, which prioritize ratings, and the music industry, which aims for commercial success. Within this structure, it was pointed out that musical diversity was lost, and there was a risk that new talent would be buried. As a result, from the late 1970s through the 1980s, criticism of this monopolistic system grew, and the form of music programming gradually changed.