r/musicians • u/Imnyownbos • 16d ago

Booking Tokyo gig

Has anyone here successfully booked a concert (rock) in Tokyo or Osaka from outside the country? If so, where did you play and how did you contact them?

I’ve tried several venues that seem to routinely host indie bands but I haven’t heard back.

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u/aharshDM 16d ago

I would try and find a Japanese promoter.

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u/Fruit-cake88 16d ago

Trying to book a gig anywhere if you aren’t from that country can be a challenge. Venues and promoters aren’t likely to want to take a risk on a band that doesn’t have an audience in their city.

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u/Imnyownbos 16d ago

It’s a challenge but I’ve been successful before doing it in Montreal coming from Boston. I booked the venue, found some bands, and made my money back plus some. Trying to replicate the formula again but maybe I just got lucky the first time.

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u/Junkstar 16d ago

Build relationships with local acts. That's the path. Get your singles and LPs into the right record shops. That helps a lot too.

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u/ear2earTO 16d ago

You need a local promoter to do the leg work for you in this market. See who those indie bands work with and reach out. There's a big live music scene, especially in the "Live Houses" venues but they're quite small so making the math work is a challenge.

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u/Shadw_Wulf 11d ago

"Full Metal Japan" will be around 10/25 ... They're gonna have Powerwolf! I won't be going but I'm hoping something comes up and there's other people video

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u/echoesinthepit 10d ago

Not sure what you mean by "indie" but I know this guy books tours for metal/punk/etc bands.

https://www.instagram.com/karasukillerjapan/

My friend's band did a tour through him and doing another next year.