FF : If The World Comes Tumbling Down
If The World Comes Tumbling Down
Chara : tetsu (leader-san)
Rate : PG-13 for a little thought
Genre : General, Angst, Essay
Starting from the age of mere twenty five, he learned to become one of the best entrepreneur in the music business. Since their contract with Danger Crue was signed, everything rolled so fast that other things seemed to move backward while they were advancing by the days. You know, even if you would only get paid one yen per person for every sold album, if your record sale reached to a million, then you would earn one million yen anyway. And that still didn’t count with single sales, CM contracts, tie-ins, guest appearing in TV and radio, merchandise sales, and sold-out guarantee live concerts. So, by using stupid logic, we can count their annual income, since they release an album almost every year, off course it exceeded the amount of one million yen, and to note it again, the “at least one million yen” was only taking the album sales into concern, which was actually not much - a roughly 83.333 yen a month . Added with other list income, just do another stupid math, and you’d have their income was at least five times the first figure. And the word “at least” told you that it could be more.
Nevertheless, they say, all that glitter isn’t always gold. And those words tasted so true in their tongue. Even though in the eyes of the outsiders, they were paid to do what they loved doing. Making music, rock party, and live concerts. But if fame was to be paid with working days in days out, sacrificing privacy, and public holidays for work; then the amount of LV bags, Dior shoes, DG limited edition sunglasses, vintage musical instruments, that would only be put in his warehouse after one week, or a nice set of Harion speakers wouldn’t satiate the loss that fell from the holes of his heart.
That’s why he understood that everyone has their own escapees. Ken with his ever-changing hobbies - one that might only last for several hours, like buying several good cameras only to have them stacked inside a cabinet without even being taken out from their boxes, or buying a bike and rode on it for several minutes before hurling it into a cab and dropped it at a friend’s place. Even he could somewhat understand when he learned that Sakura possessed illegal drugs. Or that Yuki’s tendency to buy several identical things at the same times. Or Hyde’s ridiculous attempt on getting a little taste of normal life with his early matrimonial life, even if Hyde was well-aware that it would only added him some problems with the media trying to dig into his personal life. Tetsu knew well that they were all just trying to balance the abnormality of their lives. Like fighting fire with fire. Insanity to maintain the equilibrium of sanity.
But he was a man of thought. He knew better. Even if he had never taken any management or business courses in the varsities like most higher-ups in the record company, he knew better. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to play on stage when they’re old and bent. They might still be jumping on stage until, say they’re forty-something or at the topmost at fifty-something, if they survived the body wracking lifestyle of rock stardom that long. But who would have known?
So he put everything carefully on its place. Even if he wasn’t fond of playing strategic board games like shogi, igo, or even chess and halma, the played well in his business. He knew that like any other jobs in this world, he - no - they would have to retire sooner or later. And later was the better choice.
So when Sakura’s drug arrest incident arose, he played it calm. He got rid of the drummer, because he would have to save himself and the other two members, and a big number of staffs and company employees that got their daily food from a band called L’Arc~en~Ciel. No one held grudge on that decision. It was made together through nights of sleepless meetings with the members and the record companies, the lawyers and image consultant. Perhaps the only one failed to understand was the fans. But then again, as long as Hyde was still fronting the band, he was 100% sure that the band would still sell well. And his theory was proven well.
Then slowly but surely he gained more control on their music. He managed to make them as their own producer. A little bit of more work, but you would gain your own independence. By becoming the producer meant that they gained freedom to decide what kind of music they would be making. And then there’s also the monetary reason; being a producer earns more than the band. They could earn at least triple their previous earning. Off course there was this whole lot of bet whether the public love their music or not. But in Japan, those who understand the market would sell better. And he knew the market. He knew how the market always craved for something new. You cannot sell the same thing to Japanese market twice. The market gets bored every too often.
In the end, after years of insane hard work with tons of pressure for media, the company, and the fans alike, things paid of when he bought the independence, by claiming most of Ki/Oon’s annual came from their sweat and if they were to leave, the company would fall flat. They gave them freedom, even if that meant years of hiatus and pursuing solo careers.
Now as he looked again into his life. He knew that even if the whole world comes tumbling down, one Tetsuya Ogawa would always stand tall..
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OK ... kill me now... this doesn't make any sense.