"How do I get to play in Japan?" - Exploring Nordic Folk music Bands’ Brand Identity in Japan

Abstract

The starting point of the thesis was the desire to answer musicians’ burning question “How do I get to play in Japan?”. The thesis aims to give the reader an understanding how bands, agencies and other professionals in the field of music work to build brand identities for Nordic folk music bands in Japan, and give ideas that could be generalized to help answer the question “How do I get to play in Japan?”. The thesis is an exploratory study using qualitative research method. The data was collected through ten interviews with bands that are, or have been, in a roster of an agency, Japanese agencies, and professionals related to the field. Theoretical framework is based on literature on brand identity, Kapferer’s theory of prism of brand identity in particular. The research reveals meanings of brand identity elements on the specific field of Nordic folk music in Japan. Bands’ ideas why they were selected to an agency’s roster, and the agencies’ principles on selecting artists, and reasons why they get interested in Nordic bands, propose answers to the the question ”how to get to play in Japan”.