GoGirls Tokyo to hold inaugural event to promote opportunities for women in music
Arts & Culture ( 7 )
TOKYO —
GoGirls Tokyo will host their inaugural event on Sunday, March 6, at The Pink Cow in Tokyo’s Shibuya area. The event will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until 11:30 p.m. All proceeds of the 1,000 yen ticket will be donated to HELP Women’s Shelter in Tokyo.
Apryl Peredo, coordinator for GoGirls Tokyo, said the local organization seeks to empower and provide opportunity for women in the music scene and industry. They sponsor and provide monthly music events with performance opportunities open to female singers, musicians, and bands with at least one female member. Meet-ups are also held which provide networking and planning opportunities, and eventually the group will sponsor educational lectures held by music industry professionals. The organization strives to be international, but maintain strong commitment to Japan. They actively seek out Japanese female singers and musicians, and performance line-ups are coordinated so that at least 50% of the artists onstage are Japanese.
Also, through the association with GoGirls Music, the original U.S.-based organization, in addition to local area music events and promotion, members are given the chance to have their music heard on GoGirls Radio and GoGirls Livestream which are globally accessible programs broadcast twice a month. GoGirls Music also hosts a showcase event, which is open to submissions from GoGirls Tokyo performers, at SWSW music conference, held annually in Austin, Texas.
Peredo is also the owner of the Tokyo-based firm Inter Idoru, which specializes in online music/artist promotion and artist development. They also provide booking and promotion services within the Tokyo metropolitan area and U.S. West Coast. She said that she hopes the networks and contacts she has made through her firm, will assist in providing specific opportunities for female performers, as well as women wanting to get involved in promotion, booking, and management.
For more information, email inter.idoru@gmail.com or gogirlstokyo@gmail.com.
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tokyotom
you have a go-go girls headline and no picture, shame on you JT after yesterday's greatness, we have a low point.....
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oikawa
it says "go" not "gogo" so i presume they're different, but i can understand the confusion, especially as they're performing at the "Pink Cow". whatever they are i'm sure they're better than tokyo hooters
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MrDog
Yeah, because the Japanese music scene has no women. AKB48 are a bunch of teenage boys in drag.
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Monkeyz
MrDog, I would hardly call those girls "empowered." They and the Johnny's boys and all those in their genre are kind of the opposite.
As I understand it, this group is seeking to promote really talented female performers who deserve a shot regardless of sex appeal. If you haven't noticed, a vast majority of female performers are supposed to be sexy first, but talent is sometimes something that doesn't even figure into it. In some genres there's almost no representation by female bands (think of the visual scene or harder rock) even though such performers exist. I've also seen bands with female members ditch them, presumably because the girls who make up the bulk of the fan base would get jealous. Or something.
(On the other hand, you have bands like SMAP and Arashi that are full of the ugliest guys imaginable, and they STILL have no talent. Why the double standard? If you're going to force us to look at and listen to these folks, they might as well be good-looking.)
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amperedo
Monkeyz, thanks for your well-phrased reply to MrDog. As you mentioned, we are focusing on girls/women with true vocal or musical talent. The women who are not getting exposure, because they are not dancing in a school girl uniform. (Nothing wrong with AKB48 themselves - but none of those girls has spent years honing her piano or guitar skills or her vocal skills.)
In addition, the percentage of Japanese women working in the music industry as promoters, producers, engineers, managers is quite small. The organization also encourages women who want to explore those avenues as well.
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stevecpfc
amperedo; Sounds good, but hope also looking for people who are individuals and maybe different than the norm. In my experience it is often those self taught who have the best ideas and creativity.
There is too much emphasis on playing instruments well in Japan but without being different than the norm.
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amperedo
Indeed! We are open to all genres and styles! When I mentioned playing an instrument, it is more for the fact that girl "pop" groups are just girls who sing okay/dance okay. They do not play music, write music, craft music...
When one looks below the main surface, there are AMAZING female musicians and singers in Japan - maybe they are more unique because they do not have many female musical role-models, so they are required to make it up as they go?
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