Hardcore Beats That Divide A Fandom

Minor blog update: I've given some consideration to feedback and I've decided to change this blog's name to something less "generic".

A sprawling laser light show, a troupe of male dancers ripped straight out of the EXILE-inspired crowd, heavy bass-driven beat line and extensive vocal auto-tuning applied with hints of electro-synths throughout. No, I'm not talking about Rihanna, Tohoshinki or 2NE1. Meet your newest AKB48 single.

The world premiere of UZA during this year's Janken Tournament wasn't particularly surprising for many. After all, we're approaching the "cool and dark single" stage of the annual release cycle pattern so something like this was to be expected. What wasn't as expected was the larger than expected disparity of opinion throughout the fandom.


The issue at hand, however, is not so much as it pertains to musical styles and composition. Everyone is expected to have differing musical tastes, which comes down entirely to personal preference. If one liked RIVER or Beginner, that doesn't automatically mean he/she likes UZA and for many, it will depend on your opinion of current pop trends. No doubt there will be countless comparisons with fast-tempo synth and auto-tune-heavy Western/K-pop, however accurate those comparisons may be. What is more concerning among fans however, is that it is not your stock-standard "idol song". It is one that clearly is more designed for mainstream, casual tastes rather than being able to cater for sweaty wota MIXing to it. And considering that the wota are the core market of the entire AKB48 brand's existence in the first place, it seems that Aki-P is at loggerheads with the target audience. The question put forward by critics, then, is "if the wota won't like it, what good is it that it's produced in the first place?"

On the other hand, proponents of the song place heavy emphasis on the need to expand its market and appealing to the mainstream. What is "in vogue" nowadays is global pop music leaning towards Western standards and for that reason alone, it suggests UZA hits the spot. Furthermore, the design and release of UZA seems to coincide well with the post-Tokyo Dome era - it needs something new and fresh to keep itself relevant (and to stop any further perceived sales declines), so the different musical style might be seen as a nod towards that notion. A signal that AKB48 is still a market force to be reckoned with, even if their former glory (i.e. Atsuko Maeda) has left.

There is also the middle, but often overlooked, opinion. UZA merely adds to the variety of musical styles in the AKB48 song portfolio, nothing more and nothing less. No one wants the same-old musical styles to be churned out of the factory on repeat (I'm looking at you, K-pop), otherwise the entire group will just become stale, so some diversity would help in keeping it afloat and the public intrigued.

To reconcile all opinions together in agreement would, as with most issues throughout AKB48's history, be an impossible and unnecessary task. But even with the diversity of opinion and thought, there are two fundamental takeaway points that the release of UZA gives us to think about.

1. This is simply an exercise in brand and market management. UZA isn't targeting, and doesn't need to target, the wota (who will just lap this one all up anyway thanks to (theater edition) handshake events and Request Hour votes, as is the norm in the AKB48 sales formula). But sooner or later, those wota might move on from AKB48 to newer things. What UZA is ultimately intending to do, just like RIVER and Beginner did in times past, is to attract and lure new, piqued consumers into the fold. You get them in with the types of music that they think is "cool" and conforming with mainstream tastes, and then they gradually become absorbed into what AKB48 is really all about - the girls/members. Then it doesn't really matter what types of music styles AKB48 releases going forward, as they have already become (or slowly becoming) a wota like those before them, and whom are more concerned about purchasing music for the opportunity to meet the girls rather than the qualities of the music. A turnover strategy for conquest marketing, yet one that has been in place since AKB48 started releasing music commercially. 
2. UZA is a signal of AKB48's future senbatsu strategy. What is notable about this senbatsu lineup is that  there are two centres this time around - not just Yuko Oshima but also Jurina Matsui. If it wasn't as clear enough already back in March, this is an important confirmation that Jurina will play a bigger role in AKB48's entire image strategy going forward. Haruka Shimazaki ("Paruru") also features in this lineup; another important recent and developing trend continuing here, which again reminds us of her key role in the future of AKB48. Moreover, UZA's lineup is a further demonstration of the underlying theme Aki-P has implicitly emphasised  throughout the past couple of months of announcements and events: the fluidity of teams, brands and members in the entire AKB48 family. Evidence of this is shown through the addition of Miyuki Watanabe (NMB48) and Sakura Miyawaki (HKT48) in the standard senbatsu lineup, both underscoring the importance of this concept. Expect more of this to come in future releases and lineups, and a further cementing of places and roles in management strategy going forward. 

While it remains to be seen how UZA will fare as far as sales are concerned, regardless of the numbers and personal perception of UZA (the song) itself, like RIVER and Beginner before, it will continue to play the important role of bringing in new consumers to the 48 fold, in the hope that they, too, will become a pivotal source of revenue for AKB48 in the future. Just like the thousands of wota before them, getting their cash and cards ready to splurge out on whatever opportunities they can get to meet the girl of their dreams. 

Even if they can't MIX and wotagei to the song that they have actually purchased.