Interview - Horiemon talk (Part 2)

Source: Horiemon - April, 2014

Translation by: Toppi - CoMYVz Crew

World Acclaimed Samurai Guitarist MIYAVI Talks about the Future of Musicians - Part 2

MAKING FANS ALL AROUND THE WORLD BY UPLOADING LIVES TO YOUTUBE

HORIE: By the way, what parts of the world do you plan on touring this time around?

MIYAVI: Starting from Asia, we’ll go to Europe, then to the USA, then to South America, and then we’ll do the Japanese leg, which was around June, I think.

Where are you going in Asia?

This time, to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

(While looking at Miyavi’s tour schedule) Oh, you’re going to Denmark too, aren’t you. To Holland as well? You’re doing as much as 3 dates in Russia?

Yeah.

Three days in Russia though, Moscow?

Moscow, Sankt Petersburg and I think Krasnodar.

Krasnodar!? Where on Earth is Krasnodar. I have no idea (haha). And in Poland it’s not the capital either, is it.

… … Krakow.

Krakow!? For example, when you go to a city like that in Russia, around how many people are there in the audience?

It depends on the location, but I think around 1000~3000 people.

Oh~, that’s a considerable number of people, isn’t it. Still, how do you get offers for cities like Krasnodar or Sankt Petersburg?

The Internet.

The net, huh. Does that mean that they’re following MIYAVI on websites like YouTube?

I guess so. Because in South America, in countries like Brazil and Chile, I had a fan base of around 5000 people from the very beginning, who said “We want to bring MIYAVI here”. If one were to ask about how they all knew about me, I think that it’s because they must have seen videos of me on YouTube. I also make videos myself from the stage during lives and put them up on YouTube and such, so they might have been looking at that sort of things too, you know. Therefore, I think that the reason I can be active worldwide like this is because the Internet exists. I really think so. In the past, something like this would’ve been unimaginable, you know. I think that technological progress is a huge thing.

It seems so, indeed.

Actually, it seems to me that artists who are part of younger generations than me have been increasing their activity overseas, and young bands in particular are starting to turn their gaze upon foreign territory. From now on, I think that it’s an era in which musicians will go on to embrace things like YouTube for self-production and promotion. I believe that in 5 years’ time, the music world will be completely different from what it is right now.