The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many shops and facilities.
Live music venues in particular are facing extremely difficult circumstances.
Live music venues have supported music culture by providing musicians with a place to perform and audiences with the joy of discovering music and listening to it live.
The writer loves live music so much that it could be called their “reason for living.”
The excitement unique to live performances, which you can’t experience with CDs or DVDs, is exceptional.
One of the few full-scale live music venues in Kurashiki City is Kurashiki REDBOX.
Despite facing many challenges, it is working hard not to let the COVID-19 pandemic defeat it.
I want to support live music venues!
On June 9, 2020, I spoke with Jun Ueno, representative director of Stageperson Co., Ltd. and manager of Kurashiki REDBOX.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in June 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is Kurashiki REDBOX?
Kurashiki REDBOX is a live music venue and studio located about one kilometer west of JR Kurashiki Station.
It opened in 2004.
The large hall for live performances has a capacity of 400, the largest in Okayama Prefecture.
It has professional-grade sound and lighting equipment, and the stage is 70 centimeters high, making it easy to see from the back of the venue.
It holds live performances across a wide range of musical genres, with a focus on indie bands.
It also seems to be popular with high school students.
Its well-equipped drink counter is also well received.
There are four studios for band practice, which can be selected to suit your purpose and lineup.
The largest studio is 25 tatami mats in size.
It can be used for rehearsals before a live show, and can accommodate a full jazz band.
The break area is spacious enough to relax in after practice.
Interview with Jun Ueno
Finding an arrangement customers can accept
What has the situation been like recently?
Ueno
Almost all events have been canceled, and we are facing the threat of closure.
We’ve been trying to continue operating while taking precautions such as disinfecting, but customers aren’t able to come.
One student was apparently told by their school, “If you take part in activities at a live music venue, you will be disciplined.”
Working adults are also told, “Are you still doing that?” just for playing guitar at home. Even when there are no three Cs, people are sometimes criticized simply for engaging in musical activities.
We’ve also received several calls from people nearby saying, “Are you open or not?! What are you thinking, operating at a time like this?!”
Even when we were recording a live stream without an audience using YouTube, people heard the sound, assumed we were “holding an event,” reported us, and the police came.
That must be tough.
Ueno
We’re also working on streaming live performance videos, but direct interaction between people is important, not just in music, right? Being able to see each other’s expressions, for example.
For instance, even if we could create a system that generated revenue by filming and streaming performances without an audience, many people would still feel that “it’s not the same.”
There are things you can only get from a live performance, right? I love live music, so I understand that well. The synergy between the stage and the audience that comes from being in that space is irreplaceable.
Ueno
Exactly.
The people who handle the lighting also lose all their income if events stop.
We want to put on live shows, and the bands tell us they want to perform too, but we have to create a situation where “customers come because they feel comfortable doing so.”
We tried arranging chairs so customers could keep their distance from one another.
Taking pillars and other factors into account and arranging them so everyone can “see properly,” we can only set up 34 seats, even though the venue has a capacity of 400 for standing events.
Even so, I’m thinking we might start operating this way from July 2020.
We’ll limit the number of people, ask them not to move from in front of their chairs, and thoroughly implement infection-control measures such as disinfection.
But even with the same 30 people, the energy is different when they’re gathered at the front of the audience area compared with when they’re watching from their seats.
We’ve also considered putting up plastic curtains. But that would make people feel a wall between them and the stage.
We’re thinking about a new format.
What kinds of live shows and events are most common?
Ueno
Bands make up the largest share, but the overall number has declined.
There are more idol acts. Dance events have also gone up and down.
We held club events for a while, but they haven’t really taken root in Kurashiki.
In Kurashiki, even if an event ends at 3 or 4 a.m., there’s nowhere to wait until the first train.
There would have been demand from professional acts if we were near a station where the Shinkansen stops, but Kurashiki doesn’t have that either.
Valuing high school students, the entry point to musical activities
Are there many high school students?
Ueno
High school students in Kurashiki City can only get around by bicycle, and REDBOX is often the only venue they can reach, so most of them use our facilities.
Teachers at schools also contact us about events such as cultural festivals.
“We want to place the greatest importance on the entry point” is the owner’s guiding principle.
We give students a 1,000-yen discount per hour on studio fees for band practice, making it affordable for them to use.
That must be great for students.
Ueno
In the past, there were kids who didn’t go to school, had nowhere to go at home, and spent all their time at REDBOX.
Of course, I can’t say that in itself was a good thing.
Naturally, we never let students smoke, and alcohol is prohibited too.
We don’t tell them, “If you want to skip school, you can come here.”
We ask them, “Why don’t you go to school?” and if their parents call, we tell them, “They’re here.”
That way, while setting basic rules, we became a place for kids who had nowhere else to go.
It was a kind of third place—a valuable place to have.
Ueno
I think it’s because this was that kind of place that we’ve made it this far.
But even if the government says in the future, “You can go to live music venues as much as you like,” I don’t think things will “go back to the way they were.”
There’s a “yearly cycle,” you see.
The “momentum” built up over time has been reset
What exactly do you mean by a “yearly cycle”?
Ueno
For example, for high school students, REDBOX has held events for them in spring, summer, and winter.
At the spring welcome concert for new students, admission and drinks are free for first-year students.
That gives them a chance to experience a live music venue.
At our summer vacation event, “Battle High School,” staff members are paired with high school students by drawing lots to form about ten bands, and they practice together and compete for around two months.
That really brings the students and staff closer together.
It also makes it easier for us to offer advice and introduce people who are looking for band members to one another.
In the past, we had to announce at the new-student welcome concert, “There’ll be an event like this in the summer.” Since we couldn’t hold the welcome concert, we can’t hold the summer event either.
In January, we hold an event called the Akabako Festival, where high school students perform live from morning until night. REDBOX is commonly known as “Akabako” (“Red Box”), hence the name “Akabako Festival.”
We invite high school students who come to REDBOX to perform at the Akabako Festival.
More students come to REDBOX because they want to perform at the festival.
The spring and summer events are really important, and since we couldn’t hold them, we can’t build connections, so things won’t be the same as in previous years.
We’ve been doing something similar for university students since 2018, and the numbers are growing, but it still doesn’t have the same history as the high school program.
That’s because we’ve spent many years building something for high school students.
Ueno
Because we couldn’t hold events this year, we’ll also lose the pattern where “someone who came to see their seniors perform in their first year starts a band.”
It’ll be interrupted for a whole year.
We’ve also lost the chance to provide sound and PA services at school festivals and other events (lending out sound equipment and adjusting the venue’s audio), as well as graduation concerts. Until now, the seniors introduced us to the next generation.
We don’t know who to reach out to, and the students don’t know who their seniors called or how they did it.
So it’s not just “the damage from being unable to do business for several months.”
Ueno
Our work depends on relationships.
What we sell is invisible, and people may have the impression that “live music venues are scary.”
We’ve been working for many years to dispel that impression and encourage people to use the venue.
So, it’s tough to have all those relationships reset.
The fact that events became impossible because of COVID-19 just as the school year was changing made it the worst possible timing.
Meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign is underway through June 26, 2020. Kurashiki REDBOX Continuation Support Project – CAMPFIRE
Ueno
Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive this many messages of support.
I realized that maybe people still need us to some extent, and that there are people supporting us.
There may be more people who’ll use the venue, and I’ve also had some new realizations.
The people who work part-time at REDBOX also come to meetings once a week, gathering voluntarily and without pay because they want to protect this place.
The shock of COVID-19 has been real, but rather than letting things dwindle away, we have to make this a chance to try something new.
Do you have a message for people who aren’t familiar with live music venues?
Ueno
About ten years ago, it was common for staff at live music venues to smoke at the reception desk and speak rudely to customers.
But I wanted to change that, and other venues also reconsidered their approach. Venues that couldn’t provide good customer service began to go out of business.
Actually, today’s live music venues are very safe compared with other places.
If someone is drunk and collapsed, the staff will always take care of them, and take them to the hospital if necessary.
It hardly ever happens, but if there’s a fight, we stop it right away. It’s a very wholesome environment.
Some people have a negative image of live music venues, so we take extra care with customer service.
At REDBOX, you can have a mohawk and wear piercings if you like.
But I tell the staff, “As people, you need to behave better than the average person.”
Exploring what comes next
What are you thinking about for the future?
Ueno
Until now, we’ve charged a flat rate for using the venue.
But, for example, if it’s a yoga class that doesn’t use the stage, the cost of air conditioning and electricity should be enough.
If people use the venue for a wider range of purposes, they might also use the stage for an event later on.
Live music venues aren’t just for band members.
Comedians and other performers also use them for live shows.
If people can use the venue as they would a multipurpose hall, we plan to consider our pricing and services flexibly to meet their needs.
Going forward, we’ll be looking at socially distanced live shows and exploring new business models.
Ueno
While keeping an eye on how people view live music venues.
We don’t mind if people think we’re the bad guys, but we want to avoid making the performers look like the bad guys.
Live music venues are changing into places people can use casually.
Come by once, take a look, and see for yourself.
How you use the venue is up to you.
We have lighting and an open, flat floor.
We’d love people to use the venue for things other than live music—for karaoke, for example.
Karaoke under the lights, with sound equipment this good, must feel great.
Ueno
We sometimes help with karaoke events as sound technicians, but there’s only so much equipment we can take to outside events.
So I think it’d be great if people came here and sang onstage.
We’ve also held BMX cycling events and fashion shows.
I think people can have a great time here doing things other than live music, so I hope they’ll feel free to use the venue.
Crowdfunding runs through June 26
Kurashiki REDBOX is seeking support through crowdfunding to cover rent, equipment maintenance costs, and investments in equipment such as streaming facilities.
The campaign runs through June 26, 2020.
Rewards include T-shirts and sake.
A place to nurture music
REDBOX is the only full-scale live music venue in Kurashiki.
At present, there are few places for bands to perform.
To protect places for musical activities, professional bands that used REDBOX when they were independent artists, as well as the mayor of Soja City in Okayama Prefecture, have sent messages of support for the crowdfunding campaign.
For example, Masanobu Izawa, president and CEO of KURABUN Co., Ltd. (nickname: George Izawa), sent the following message.
Culture is the way people live and the passing down of that way of life. Music is a culture that has continued from the dawn of humanity to the present day.
That flame must not be allowed to go out in Kurashiki, either.
“Live performances, which can only be experienced in that moment and place, bring richness to life.” That’s what I believe.
In fact, live music has lifted my spirits many times when I was going through difficult times.
We can enjoy live music because there are people making music, places to perform, and people who run and set up those places.
REDBOX has supported Kurashiki’s music culture.
May this live music venue, which has been used for bands, solo acts, idols, dance, shows, and all kinds of creative expression, continue to thrive in Kurashiki.
Kurashiki REDBOX Information
| Name | Kurashiki REDBOX |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-1-15 Oimatsu-cho, Kurashiki City, 2F |
| Contact | 086-421-3929 |
| Parking | Available If you cannot park in the shared parking lot below the venue, use a nearby paid parking lot. Present your parking ticket to receive a discount of 100 yen per hour of studio use. |
| Opening hours | Weekdays: 5:00 p.m.–midnight Weekends and holidays: 10:00 a.m.–midnight *If there are no reservations as of 9:00 p.m. that day, the venue closes at 10:00 p.m. |
| Closed | None |
| Admission (tax included) | 【Studio rental】 General: from 2,100 yen/hour Individual practice: from 600 yen/hour 【Stage use】 6-hour package: from 105,000 yen Hourly rental, 4 hours or more: from 20,000 yen/hour *Operator fee included |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Okayama Live House & Studio Kurashiki REDBOX |
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