In late May, Spotify launched a new Japanese music playlist, “Gacha Pop.” The playlist plays on the idea of a “gachapon”, the Japanese toy capsule machine. “What pops out!? Roll the gacha and find your Neo J-pop treasure,” is the playlist’s tagline.
Patrick St. Michel of The Japan Times released a new article this weekend talking about “Gacha Pop.”
“The idea and branding behind the playlist goes much further than simply offering another digital depot to get a sense of what’s popular in Japanese music, though,” he writes. “‘Gacha Pop’ tells the story of how Japanese music travels in the world today, turning what used to be J-pop’s weaknesses into strengths.”
What is this alleged weakness? The diversity of Japanese music. For years, international fans have tauted the diversity of Japanese music, while the industry itself has in the past only pushed a certain type of Japanese music, one that fits preconceived notions. But it seems that things are now changing!
Read Patrick’s full article here. The “Gacha Pop” playlist can be listened to here.
