A judge of the Japan Record Awards pitched tie-up advertising worth up to ¥15m to record companies while the awards were being judged, and the organizer confronted him over it, Bunshun Online reported.
The proposal came from Modelpress, the web outlet run by Netnative. Its president, Yoshinori Matsushita, is one of 23 judges on this year's panel.
The Japan Record Awards, known as the Record Awards, was founded in 1959 and is Japan's longest-running music prize. The Japan Composers Association organizes it, and TBS broadcasts the ceremony live.
A record company employee who saw the sales material in October reacted with disbelief at the sums involved.
“¥10m for one vote!?”a record company employee, on seeing the proposal
Three tiers of advertising
The material, which Bunshun Online obtained, sets out three annual advertising packages. They differ by the number of artist interview articles, dedicated pages and video content included.
- Entry: ¥7.5m
- Standard: ¥10m
- Premium: ¥15m
Prices exclude tax. A note in the top right corner of the document reads: "This proposal has no connection whatsoever with judging for the Record Awards."
The disclaimer deepened suspicion at the labels rather than easing it. One record company source said tie-up advertising with Modelpress had existed before, but the fees had never been this large.
The source called the note a deliberate provocation that hinted at the opposite of what it said.
Confronted before the judging meeting
Record companies complained to the Japan Composers Association, which learned of the proposals from them. On October 23, shortly before a judging meeting, association executives and some judges took Matsushita into a separate room and pressed him on it.
The main categories have traditionally been judged by newspaper reporters, critics and TBS affiliate staff. This year two people from online media joined the panel for the first time: the editor of Music Natalie and Matsushita.
Every autumn, record companies lobby judges for their artists by inviting them to concerts and hosting meals. The pitches went out during that same period.
The grand prize and the awards for best vocal performance and best new artist are decided and announced on the live broadcast on December 30. Mrs. GREEN APPLE, seeking a fourth straight grand prize with "Brand New," and M!LK, whose "Suki Sugite Me!" has been a breakout hit, are seen as the two frontrunners.