Prologue
Chapter 1: Music Shows
Chapter Two: Video Lingo
Chapter Three: Digging For Music
Chapter Four: The Live Scheme

Mission: To give all of the English-speaking people who dwell outside of Japan a platform from which to jump into the J-Music scene.

How? We here at centigrade-j tend to crank (no pun intended) out columns, features, news, and translations that assume that our readers have a basic knowledge of the Japanese music scene. We've thought about it... and we realize that before we moved here, we didn't necessarily know what was available outside of a really narrow strip of performers and groups that made it to our side of the ocean. I've therefore been appointed to write a bit of a guide for those of you who want to know what the hell we are talking about. With this in mind, I'm going to begin with definitions, just to make sure that everyone is up to speed. We're shooting for a level playing field- I want to make sure that everyone knows what we here at centigrade-j are referring to all the time.

Methodology: Although we here at centigrade-j have a distinctly clean-cut image, we don't deny the existance of Music Videos, mp3's, and other such media on the net. Hell, when I lived in the states, I was sustained by my downloads. I needed Japanese music, and short of shelling out $30 US for one cd, that was the only way to get it. Therefore, I'm not going to ignore the media deluge coming from this side of the globe from the hardcore fans on the scene. It is assumed that the people I am writing for are more of the serious and less shady type, and that you actually use these mp3's and such for their widely supported purposes- to try out something that you can't hear on the radio, and to decide if you wish to buy it. When you find that song with the hook you can't shake, and the album it comes from is getting rave reviews, support your favorite artists. Head over to the vendor links or hit up a search engine (i.e. Yahoo) and find somewhere to buy it. Remember, if you ever want to see Japanese music for sale in your home country, you need to support it. So, with that in mind, I will be writing about the newest stuff I've seen, because I know that if you spend a bit of time looking, you can get it pretty much immediately as well. I've seen CD's available on the 'net before you could buy them at the local store here. This, however leads to the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I'm not in the business of supplying everyone with said Music Videos and mp3's, and I'm not willing to answer a flood of emails asking where to get that stuff. I have learned that when someone really wants something on the net, they can get it. Just keep looking! That said, I will be posting some sources here in the column. I naturally take no responsibility for anything you download and all that legal jazz. Remember I'm not supplying, I'm just pointing you in the right direction. If you have a legitimate question- for instance I left out a web address for a site I'm referring to or something- then post it on the message board. Also, I hate to be elitist, but I won't be answering "Lamer" questions, i.e. "How do I connect to an IRC channel?", "How do I resume downloads?", etc. Now that the disclaimer is over, let's get down to brass tacks.