Music festivals have become everyone’s activities much like summer festivals, pools, skiing, and snowboarding, as leisure activities. The question arises: What meanings and roles do the “festivals” held across various regions currently embody, and how are they evolving?
In this interview, we spoke with music sociologist Junichi Nagai, who is conducting research on rock festivals. We delved into how festivals in Japan have changed amid the transformative period of COVID-19, how they are addressing social issues such as race and gender, which are also significant in overseas festivals. Furthermore, considering discussions in his book “The Sociology of Rock Festivals: Exploring Celebrations in an Individualized Society,” we explored the interplay between the Millennial generation and festivals, and what significance festivals hold for Generation Z. The conversation aims to contemplate the significance of “festivals,” which have evolved beyond mere celebrations for music enthusiasts.
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Born in 1977 in Hyogo Prefecture, Junichi Nagai is an associate professor at the Faculty of Sociology at Kansai International University. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and specializes in the sociology of music and media studies. Nagai conducts research on the relationship between society and music festivals, exploring events around the world. His publications include “The Sociology of Rock Festivals: Exploring Celebrations in an Individualized Society” (2016, Minerva Shobo), co-authored works such as “How Have We Interacted with Western Music?” (2019, Hanadensha), and “Critical Word: Expanding and Updating the Act of Listening to Popular Music” (2023, Film Art Sha).
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Unlocking Business Potential: Festivals as Lucrative Opportunities in the Post Pandemic
In 2021, Mr. Nagai is writing a book entitled “Research Report on Live Performances after the Corona Disaster” (2021, Japan Popular Music Society). Now that the Corona disaster is under control, what do you think are the differences in festivals before and after the Corona disaster?
Nagai: Actually, I feel that there is a disconnect between the public’s perception of festivals and the reality. This is because I believe that after the summer of 2022, the market and the content of festivals had almost returned to their original state, albeit with some restrictions.
When I did the research for the “Survey Report on the Corona Disaster Live Music” in 2020, I was spending my days in a hopeless mood. 2021 was also very windy, and “Fuji Rock Festival (FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL)” was eerie, like a wake, even though there were many people there.
-So 2022 was a turning point from that situation.
Nagai: Yes, I have the impression that the festival resumed smoothly in the summer of 2022, with masks but no alcohol allowed, and people could eat and drink with their friends and have a normal time at the festival.
So when in 2023, when they said, “Starting this year, everything will be back to normal,” the only changes were the optional wearing of masks and the lifting of the ban on speaking out, so I wondered if it would be that different from the previous year. I wondered if it would be that different from the previous year. But in fact, it was different.
-What was the biggest difference?
Nagai: The biggest difference is in terms of social norms: until 2022, people felt guilty about participating, but now they can participate in festivals without hesitation.
I think that the Corona Disaster has also popularized festival participation via video streaming. What are your thoughts on festival distribution?
Nagai: Although distribution was active from 2020 to 2021, I don’t think it took root strongly at domestic festivals. I have also heard that the sales of performances by individual artists were better, so I think that the current situation is different from what we had hoped for.
However, some of the large overseas festivals were enhancing their brand power through distribution, and although there was no festival in 2023, I think many people used distribution for “Fuji Rock” as well.
-So you are saying that the on-site is more important than the distribution. Is there anything that you have noticed as the current situation of festivals?
Nagai: I feel that the number of emerging festivals is increasing. I think that the festivals were probably held in 2023 after having been prepared for 2020-2022, but there are more and more small-scale festivals that have the flavor of local festivals but also have a business-like feel.
I think the background is that festivals are now attracting more attention as a business venue than they did 5-6 years ago, and companies are entering the scene as sponsors and organizers.
Why are festivals attracting more attention in the business scene than in the past?
Nagai: Local businesses and festivals are becoming linked. For example, it is easy to understand that there are festivals sponsored by craft beer companies (such as “Craft Rock Festival” organized by Craft Rock Brewing and “Mugi-no-Aki Music Festival” organized by Kyodo Shoji Coed Brewery).
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Analyzing Festivals through the Lens of Music Genres and Generations
-What do you think about the relationship between festivals and genres?
Nagai: To begin with, “Fuji Rock” was relatively genre-less. Although it was called a “rock festival,” it also featured techno and hip-hop, and the atmosphere was similar for the subsequent festivals. However, with the passage of time, a so-called “Japanese rock” scene emerged, and I think there was a time when it became the only genre.
-I think it was around 2010, when the “four beat” scene became popular.
Nagai: The increase in the number of local festivals up to around 2010 were held by local promoters. The background to this was the establishment of large standing venues such as Zepp, etc. When people who create events on the scale of Zepp organize festivals, they naturally attract more rock bands, and I think the “rock festival” format quickly spread.
After a period in which those DJ culture things were eliminated and rock remained, we are now seeing an increase in HIP HOP festivals, and I think this is also a generational issue. Certainly, younger people are going to rock festivals, but the age group is going up. On the other hand, HIP HOP festivals are mainly for the younger generation. If we look at festivals as an intergenerational issue, I wonder if mixing genres will lead to more expansion in the future.
For example, you would like to bring together both the millennials who mainly listen to rock and the Gen Z who mainly listen to Hip Hop.
Nagai: Yes: I think that would be interesting. I think there is a limit to how far we can go with the same group of people and the same audience, so I don’t think our metabolism is working well.
– As festival culture matures, there is a sense that it is becoming more diverse across generations. However, there is also a division between festivals where the audience base is primarily composed of those who have been attending since the early days of festivals and those where a newer generation takes the lead.
Nagai: That’s right. And even within the “rock” genre, new rock bands are emerging, but I feel that they are differentiated and divided in the form of “bands popular among young people.
– So, even if we say “rock fans,” there are festivals that focus on young people, festivals that focus on middle-aged and older people, festivals that focus on Japanese music, which continues to undergo its own unique changes in Japan, and festivals that focus on Western music that draws on the history of global rock music.
Nagai: That is how I feel now. My metabolism has been bad for the past few years. However, there are a lot of interesting bands coming out, and there are scenes where indie bands and HIP-HOP are coming closer together, or bands with a club-like atmosphere are coming out, so there are scenes that are nearby, so I am paying attention.
– What do you think about overseas festivals?
Nagai: Music is used effectively in cultural events other than music, such as dramas and movies, to fuse cultures and create points of contact between different genres of music. I wonder if this can be reflected in festivals.
Recently, there is a drama called “THE IDOL” featuring The Weeknd and BLACKPINK’s Jenny, and the world view is exactly like “Coachella (Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival)”. If this kind of thing is considered within the framework of Japan, I think it could happen with anime.
– So you are saying that the use of music in anime culture brings other genres of music into contact with each other, and that festivals are also influenced by this.
Nagai: Yes. There are still very few cases, except for festivals, where music from other genres are mixed together to create a single sense of value. I expect that large-scale festivals linked to hit charts will play more of such a role.
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Festival Formats: Comparing Shopping Mall and Arcade Style
-As with “Coachella 2023” headlined by non-white artists such as Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, and Frank Ocean, I think the bookings are being made in a way that is linked to social movements such as race and gender. How will the message of these festivals be incorporated in the future?
Nagai: I think the booking for “Coachella” is a critical lineup that reflects trends, values, and visions of the entertainment industry. I don’t think there are many festivals overseas that can go that far, and in Japan, I would say “Summer Sonic” and “Fuji Rock.
However, none of the festivals have a way of putting out the message that “this is a festival for the sake of the festival. Rather than stating their purpose explicitly, they present messages about environmental issues, race, and gender in a meta way.
As it has become a must to reflect diversity, I think it would be more interesting to invite Asian artists to interact in Japan, and I think it will make people more aware of gender issues.
Also, looking at festivals and music markets around the world, Japan has a high percentage of domestic artists. Of course, it is good to have festivals with only domestic artists, but the number of events with similar content inevitably increases, and I feel that it is difficult to see what the festival is trying to achieve.
I think of large-scale festivals as being like shopping malls. If you go to aeon, you can see a certain amount of things, and the experience is good enough. However, when there are more and more people for whom that is not enough, I think that local festivals that have a regional flavor and play the role of a shopping mall may be more unique and interesting than large-scale festivals.
Do you think that while large-scale festivals play the role of a shopping mall, local festivals will strongly emphasize preferences and characteristics and strengthen their messages?
Nagai: Yes, that’s right. Local festivals are more interesting in terms of their origins. For example, I wrote an article about the “Live Azuma” festival in Fukushima, a fusion of both formats I just mentioned.
Live Azuma” is a festival that started in 2022 and is organized by Fukushima TV and Creative Man Productions (which plans and produces “Summer Sonic”).
Nagai: It is designed to have sharp stores in the AEON stores, which is connected to my first point, but I think it is also about monetizing the event. The starting point is not only “let’s do something interesting ourselves,” but also “we need a profitable system to continue,” or “we want local companies and stores to do their best. It is systematic and clean, but what we offer is handmade and not fast-food-like, which is interesting.
When you say “not fast food-like,” do you mean that the booking of artists is unique? Or is it more about the locality of the local stores?
Nagai: What I thought was also very impressive was that the one in the stadium was a large scale live concert (Denki Groove, [Alexandros], STUTS, etc. performed), while the smaller stage in the parking lot was about the scale of a local festival (C.O.S.A., ALI, Donguri Zura, etc. performed). The smaller stage in the parking lot is about the size of a local festival (C.O.S.A., ALI, and Donguri Zura). It’s like having a big festival and a small festival at the same time.
Why are festivals that are a combination of large and small-scale festivals appearing in the market?
Nagai: On a negative note, I think it is becoming more and more difficult for individuals and organizing committees to set up and hold festivals due to the rising cost of production and other expenses associated with rising prices. At such times, I think that an executive committee consisting of multiple companies and organizations will be formed to reflect each company’s intentions in the festival, for example, we will create the content, but we will pay the money.
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Emerging Trends: The Youth-Led Future of Festivals
-In “The Sociology of Rock Festivals: On Festivals in an Individualized Society” (2016, Minerva Shobo), I argue that since the collapse of the bubble economy, festivals have spread in a way that resonates with the lifestyles and values that young people are demanding. Nagai discussed the connection between the millennium generation and festivals. How do you think festivals will be linked to Generation Z, which will be the future leaders of the festival industry?
Nagai: I think that generation and festivals are linked, and I think this is true in reality as well. The Los Generation generation went to “Fuji Rock” and created “Fuji Rock”-like events, whether large or small scale, and I think that has been the situation until recently.
So how will Generation Z get involved in the future? I think more and more people will be in the position of senders.
– By ‘sender,’ are you referring to the side of the artists?
Nagai: The organizers and artists. I think that festivals themselves originally contain a lot of Generation Z values and characteristics of contemporary society. For example, liberalism and diversity, and also mobility. I think it’s similar to the open world of video games, where you can move within a certain range and there is no set storyline. Young people are exposed to that early on, so I think they can get used to it sensibly.
Also, some of the students around me are working in the event industry, and the children of the festival organizers are growing up. I think it would be interesting to have a festival as a place to return to, where children who have been brought to festivals since they were little can grow up and volunteer with their friends or help out at festivals even after they are on their own.
I think that many of the participants come with their families, not just the festival organizers. It seems like there could be a future where children who are brought by their parents become festival bearers.
Nagai: I think that young people becoming bearers of the festival is linked to the genre and message of the festival, as they are exposed to a large amount of information quickly through SNS and other means, and they become familiar with Asian artists and other genres of music, which will lead to a festival with more diversity.
On the other hand, although there is access to a wide variety of information, there is also the concern that the festival has become an octopus, with the focus concentrated on the domestic scene. The majority of movies in the rankings are Japanese, and there is an atmosphere in which only Japanese music is acceptable, which worries me.
You talked about the future of festivals in which Generation Z will be the senders. What do you think is the best way to increase the number of new young people at existing festivals, which are maturing as they become multigenerational?
Nagai: As I mentioned earlier, I think there are methods to attract new customers by mixing genres. However, it cannot be said that changing performers is generally a good idea, so it is difficult to find the right balance between the two.
It is a difficult problem. If the performers become fixed, only customers with the same tastes will come to the show, which means that it will become an inner circle, right?
Nagai: Of course there should be such festivals, but I think there should also be festivals that don’t. Currently, one person can go to many festivals. Currently, I think that one person goes to many festivals.
Some are genre-specific, some are mixed, some are large-scale, and some are local.
Festivals themselves are diversifying, so there may be no need to diversify the content. Still, there seem to be two trends: one to diversify and the other to ensure specialization.
