Netlabels in Japan

Ryosuke Hidaka estimated that Netlabels began increasing publicity outside Japan around 1999 and 2000.[1] Minus N was the first netlabel to be based in Japan, forming in 2003.[1] While Minus N set the model of distribution of Japan's netlabel community in that every release was issued for free online, it garnered the most attraction from Western territories due to acts from all across the world on the label.[1]

Maltine Records is one of the most popular imprints in the netlabel scene of Japan.[1] There have been more than 130 releases under the label as of December 2014.[2]

In 2005, high school freshmen Tomohiro Konuta, also known as Tomad, and Syem, his real name not revealed, formed the electronic dance music netlabel Maltine Records as a way to distribute their music.[1][2] Konuta explained, "During that time, there were a lot of internet labels starting to pop up overseas, and people uploading their music online for free—this influenced me and gave me the idea to start Maltine."[3] With Maltine, the two also released tracks from artists they found on internet bulletin boards and services such as 2chan and Myspace.[1][2] In the words of journalist Patrick St. Michel, the label gained attention due to "a combination of reoccurring musicians and one-off releases."[4]

Starting in the early 2010s, Maltine has used methods to spread their music around to those who don't have computer internet access; this included making and releasing the compilation album MP3 Killed The CD Star? (2010) on CD and a free iPhone application for listening to music by the netlabel.[4] Maltine has crossed over into the mainstream ever since the 2010s.[3] In 2013, Maltine collaborated with Tokyo Girls' Style for its producers such as tofubeats, Avec Avec and okadada to create remixes of songs by the girl group in what was titled Maltine Girls’ Wave.[1][2] The Fader described the project as "wonderfully weird fusion of corporate-sponsored pop and quirky internet funk."[3] Maltine's music has served as stylistic influences for the works of Western artists such as Cashmere Cat and Ryan Hemsworth;[3] Hemsworth has featured Maltine's music on the mixes and live sets.[2]

According to St. Michel, almost every track Maltine releases are dance music re-interpretations of J-pop: "None of the songs scattered across Maltine's website resemble AKB48, but rather are a re-imagining of Japanese mainstream pop created for the dance floor rather than an ice-cream commercial."[4] Maltine began releasing breakbeat and gabber tracks[2] before they expanded to releasing music of various styles such as synthpop, house music, drum 'n' bass, techno, ambient music, 2-step, jersey club, indie pop and rap.[2][1] St. Michel wrote that most Maltine releases are "strange" takes on the way electronic dance and pop music is made; for instance, several music released by the netlabel contain anime and video game samples over "normal" dance instrumentals, thus creating "faster releases imagining a world where Aphex Twin really liked Sailor Moon and decided to incorporate it into his music."[4][1] A track by Maltine regular contributor Gassyoh is a house song featuring samples from the role-playing video game EarthBound (1994).[4]

Bunkai-Kei Records is an ambient and glitch music netlabel that is also one of the biggest imprints in the Japan netlabel scene.[2][1] The netlabel had been around a few years before Maltine began, but did not start gaining attention until after the popularity of Maltine.[1] One of their releases is a record by Vocaloid musician kz.[1] Their later works included singing from vocalists such as Tokyo singer Smany, pornographic actress Yura Sakura, and Brooklyn-based singer Abigail Press.[2]

Formed in 2005, the netlabel Bump Foot release two types of records: "Bump House," which issues techno and house albums, and “Foot Side,” which is for "music meant to be absorbed," as St. Michel wrote.[2] Bump Foot has the most releases out of all the Japanese netlabels (More than 400 as of December 2014), and also features the highest number of non-Japanese artists.[2]

The Tokyo netlabel MarginalRec. has released what St. Michel described to range "from remixes of popular J-pop songs, to anthemic floor fillers, to fidgety built-for-headphones numbers."[2] He cited it as an "essential" to the Japan netlabel community for its heavy focus on live nightclub events known as Another Weekender, which are also streamed to the internet via Ustream.[2]

ALTEMA Records has issued music in a variety of electronic music genres, including brostep, intelligent dance music and tracks featuring samples of sounds from 1990s computer programs.[2] St. Michel spotlighted the netlabel's heavy emphasis on anime, with many of the cover arts including cute anime drawings.[2] He noted ALTEMA's aesthetic as an example of the obsession towards anime art that is commonplace in Japanese netlabels.[2]

The netlabel Trekkie Trax originated as a party titled "Under 20" that took place in the Akihabara area of Tokyo.[2] It soon transformed into an online label that issued dance music touching on genres such as juke house, 2-step, brostep, and grime-influenced dub music.[2] In 2014, the label gained international attraction through appearances on the Tokyo radio station block.fm.[2] On April 11, 2014, the Finland label released Trekkie Trax Japan Vol. 1 (2014), a compilation album of the works of Trekkie Trax.[5][2] The compilation was one of many ways Trekkie Trax "fought against" a law in Japan that stated people were not permitted to dance in nightclubs without "dancing licenses."[6][7] The law ended in 2015.[7]

Netlabel created in 2012 by Satomi Fukada. Mainly for witch house & vaporwave music. Located in the city of Sapporo.

Otherman Records is a breakcore netlabel that began in 2010 and have released works with elements of chiptune and drum'n'bass.[2] It has released the harshest-sounding music that has been a part of the netlabel scene.[2]

While a majority of music that comes out of the Japan netlabel landscape is based on electronic dance music, there have also been Japanese netlabels that have mainly issued indie pop and rock music.[1]

Formed in November 2011 by producers Azusa Suga and Yoshiki Iwasawa,[8][2] Canata Records is a Tokyo-based label for bedroom musicians from around the world.[1] Iwasawa was inspired to start an indie label following a conversation with a book store buyer who suggested there was going to be an indie revival in Japan, a "third Summer of Love" that would be “partly influenced by Japanese indie music and anime culture.”[8] Thus, the works of Canata include aspects of anime series and indie music.[8]

Canata's music has touched on styles such as shoegaze, indie pop, Vocaloid rock and, in the words of St. Michel, "nostalgic, sample-heavy" chillwave and vaporwave works by founder Azusa Suga.[1] St. Michel noted the label's "weird" experimentation of the indie pop genre;[2] an example would be its first releases by the groups Mane Laundering and The Hatsune Mikus, who works combined Vocaloid singing with indie and twee-pop elements.[2][8]

The label Ano(t)raks began on July 1, 2012, by Dai Ogasawara, also known by the moniker Twangy Twangy, and focuses on guitar-heavy twee pop inspired by the works of Sarah Records.[8][1][2] The name of the label is a play on the word anorak, clothing that is often associated with most indie-pop artists from the United Kingdom.[8] Ogasawara formed Ano(t)raks out of desire to release music with the groups The Paellas and Post Modern Team that he first met via Bandcamp.[8]

Ano(t)raks' first release was an extended play by The Paellas.[8] On September 14, 2012, they released what St. Michel described as "the best snapshots" of Japan's indie scene, a compilation album titled Soon V.A. which features music from indie acts throughout the country, such as Old Lacy Bed from Nagoya and Homecomings from Kyoto.[8][9] The album received attention from music blogs across the world, and led to some of the bands featured on the record gaining gig opportunities according to Ogasawara.[8]

Ano(t)raks is cited as one of the few labels to increase the popularity of indie pop in Japan in 2012.[8] Homecomings and the Paellas, two acts formerly from the netlabel, have gone to become part of major labels.[2]

Tanukineiri Records is a Japanese netlabel that St. Michel highlighted for its lack of stylistic "identity" uncommon in the scene.[2] Their styles range from four-on-the-floor dance music to folk music to experimental lo-fi music to Indonesian indie pop.[2] While most of their music is issued for free online like all the other Japanese netlabels, they've also released some works on compact disc.[2]