Driven by Sonic Obsession

One reason why so few Japanese bands cross over to international audiences, apart from the obvious language barrier, is the fact that Japanese record labels are not used to operating internationally. For the last few years, Setsuzoku Records has been creating opportunities for Japanese musicians trying to build an international career. Owner Christopher Morris tells us about the mission of the label, as well as the challenges of working with artists from Japan.

“Setsuzoku is Japanese for connection”, Morris explains. “The reason why we named the label Setsuzoku is because we wanted to make the overseas market more accessible to Japanese artists by doing something a little different to what other labels were doing. Instead of only music licensing, we wanted to offer really well-rounded full label service.

We knew we could do that, because we already had experience doing live events with Orion Live. We had dipped our toes into the water of merchandising as well. So apart from music licensing and distribution, we could offer merchandise, promotion and tour support and go from there. That’s more than what they could get from any other label that just wants to license the music from a Japanese company.”

Cultural phenomenon

Both Setsuzoku and Orion Live are specialized in Japanese music. “I’m a lifelong metalhead, but I had no interest in Japan”, Morris explains. “I was not an otaku, I was not into anime and I don’t like manga. When I was living in London in 2013, I got an e-mail from a friend of mine in the States who said: have you seen this viral video? And it was Babymetal. I watched it and it kind of blew my mind.

At the time, I was finishing a master’s degree at the University of London and had been introduced to the field of ethnomusicology, which is the study of where music and culture intersect, in which I’ve got my PhD now. I thought Babymetal was a brilliant cultural phenomenon and I sort of became a fan viscerally and intellectually. That was when I discovered Japan had a very rich scene that people were kind of just discovering.

This was 2013, so we’re talking early in Babymetal’s success, because their first album hadn’t even dropped yet. No one at the time knew who Band-Maid, Mary’s Blood or Aldious was; they only had cult followings. When I came to Japan for the first time in 2015 to see Babymetal perform at Saitama Super Arena, I was really exposed to what Japanese music had to offer, so this is where the interest began.”

Relevant

“In 2016, I was still living in London and the Japanese all-female punk band Mutant Monster was touring with a band called Touch My Secret. A very low-budget, DIY guerilla indie tour. I met them, got on with them really well, we became friends and somewhere along the way another friend of mine and I thought: wouldn’t it be cool if we could help them? Because this tour looked like it was a bit of a shitshow.

One day, out of the blue, I get a call from a friend who said: I’m bringing Touch My Secret back to the UK and I understand you’re friends with them. Can you help me organize a tour? So I helped put together a show and then that turned into two shows, which turned into four shows, which turned into six shows. And the next thing you know, my friend who eventually became my business partner is driving, we’re setting up gear, we’re organizing hotels and we’re suddenly tour managers.

The record label was an arm of that business that we started when the pandemic hit. We had thrown the idea before, because there were artists that were looking for opportunities that other labels couldn’t give them and we wanted to take advantage of the great relationships we had developed. When Covid hit, we had to cancel six tours. Financially that was a big hit, the artists were disappointed and we didn’t want to lose our momentum, so we kind of rushed the label into existence. It was a way to keep ourselves active and relevant and at the same time begin helping artists in other ways than live events.”

Testing the Waters

The biggest event Orion Live organized thus far is the Metal Matsuri festival in London in 2019, which featured bands like Mary’s Blood, Bridear and Unlucky Morpheus. It was also an important step towards starting the record label. “We were testing the waters of interest”, Morris admits. “Even from just sitting around at the hotel. We were talking to some of the artists and they would ask us: what’s next? What will you guys no now you’re growing so quickly?

We told them we were thinking of starting a record label and a few musicians asked us to keep them informed. That was where we met Ibuki for the first time. She was singing for Fate Gear and she ended up being our first record label client. At the time, we did not think we would start it so quickly, but we at least wanted to know their opinions.

There were a couple of artists who were willing to participate, but the one we immediately felt we could have a good working relationship with was Bridear. We knew that was going to continue. Ibuki wasn’t going to tour, but we knew there was an audience what would be interested in her. This pre-established relationship to a live event company with an audience is something no other label had.”

Direct

It does not take long to find out that Morris is a straight shooter, honest to the point of being blunt. My experience with Japanese managements is that such a direct approach is not always appreciated. “There have been some artists and companies that have told me I’m being too direct”, Morris nods. “Back in 2018 or 2019, I would maybe be a little more respectful of the Japanese way of communicating, but I’m going to be dead honest with you, and you can quote me on this: Orion Live has been running for a while, Setsuzoku Records has proven itself, I no longer have to kiss anyone’s ass.

The fact of the matter is: I’m working with Japanese artists who are trying to be successful in Europe and the United States, so they better start doing business the western way. That’s their responsibility as an artist: adopting a more western-friendly open-mindedness to doing business. And that means dealing directly with people.

Because it’s not going to be just me. If you come overseas for anything, you’re dealing with venues, fans, media, a distributor, a retailer… Whatever it might be and however those connections are made, they’re going to be more like me than what they are used to. So it’s best to just get used to it.”

Genuine International Interest

“Some artists and their managers expect to start at a higher level than they really are and make money in the same way they do in Japan, but it’s a totally different business model, obviously. Everything is different: venues, prices, the fans themselves and what they expect from the artists… Artists coming in expecting it to be like in Japan will fail.

There are artists who look at it and think: okay, maybe I will make a little less money, but it will be fun. They don’t see it as a serious career opportunity. One of the things I find myself saying all the time is: if you’re looking for a paid holiday, we are the wrong company to come to. But then you find the artists who want to give it a very legitimate effort. They understand that it’s different overseas and that there’s an opportunity there, but you have to change your mindset.

Once you break through that in conversation and you notice that the artist and their management are genuine in their international interest, the conversation becomes amazing and productive. We will help artists become international, not a Japanese artist having an international experience. There’s a difference. Just coming over to play in front of 150 people, then going home with no plan for what’s next is ridiculous. That wastes my time and money, plus it frustrates fans, because they want to know what’s next.”

Opportunity

This year, Setsuzoku presented a new signing that Morris is very proud of: rock diva Mari Hamada. “I’m such a huge fan!”, he enthuses. “She tried to be a success overseas in the mid-nineties. It was a concerted effort: she had English lyrics, she had a deal with MCA and released an international album. She had success in Southeast Asia, but not in Europe and the United States. She eventually disappeared back into Japan, but it was because the opportunity just didn’t pan out.

All of these decades later, she came up in conversation with JVC/Victor and I jumped at the opportunity. She can’t tour here, but she hasn’t released an overseas album in thirty years. So if there is ever a time to try to make another album available and get press, it would be her fortieth anniversary. This is a little different, because we’re not looking ahead to what’s next. Instead, this might be the last time she has the opportunity to release anything internationally, so let’s make the most out of it.”