FABTONE RECORDS....wtf...?

There are so many great artists/bands around the world making fantastic music.... but not many of them are properly introduced to the kids here in Japan.



Fabtone Records was established to professionally introduce talented bands/artists from around the world to the Japanese market via our major system of promotion, marketing, production and distribution.



Our criterea for selecting bands we release is simple, we choose based on SOUND , sound suitability for the Japanese market.



We have little or no regard for looks ,hype, what label bands are on overseas etc. We welcome unreleased, unsigned bands....with a sound suitable for Japan.



But we are very fussy , the sound needs to be right , the quality needs to be perfect for Japan.



Think you have a sound thats "perfect for Japan"? Then hit us up , show us what ya got and we will give you an honest opinion.



Look forward to hearing from you! ( New Rave bands need not apply )

What Is Licensing To Japan?

IF (!) we like your music allot and think the kids here in Japan will too and we would be honored to release your music in Japan this is how we usually go about it , we LICENSE.

Typically a licensed Japan release is :-

l       Manufactured in Japan

l       Marketed and Promoted in magazines, store displays, by flyers etc in Japan ( see our Promo Plan)

l       Sold directly to stores and music outlets in Japan only, never outside the territory of Japan.

As far as the actual process goes, basically we are renting your music for the territory of Japan. Under a contractual Agreement we are "renting" your songs for release on a CD or LP Vinyl for release in Japan. We are "renting" the songs via a Master Disc (containing the songs) you supply and we use the Master Disc to press CDs/LPs from for sales and distribution limited to the territory of Japan.

We do not want nor do we get any ownership of the songs, they remain 100% yours.

Each time we sell a CD/LP we owe you a Royalty, a set, agreed amount of money per each CD sold. We calculate how many CDs/LPs we have shipped from our warehouse for each three month period (ending March, June, September and December) and that's what we pay you for.

So I/we Have To Wait Six Months or Whatever After The release to Get Some Money?

Nope. Under the terms of the Agreement and usually upon receipt of the Master Disc, release Artwork, Photos, updated BIO and some other bits and pieces from you we pay you an Advance, an amount of Royalties in Advance. The Advance is later offset against actual sales of the release. The Advance once paid to you is totally non-refundable, you keep it no matter what. The amount of the Advance is set by negotiation and agreed to via the Agreement form that we both sign. It is paid into your designated bank account upon fulfillment of terms and conditions described in the Agreement and of course signature of the Agreement by both sides. 

Is Any Tax or Anything Deducted From the Royalties and Advance?

If you fill in the Income Tax Convention Forms we send you and get a Proof of US Residency Certificate and if you are a USA citizen, then we don't have to deduct any Withholding Tax from payments we make to you. These forms effectively make it your responsibility to declare the income you earn from us to your local Tax Dept.

Other countries have different systems and depending on your country we may have to deduct some Withholding Tax, usually 10% of any money we send you, more for some countries. Most European countries, Australia, Canada etc require us to deduct 10%.

We will pay any tax deducted to the Japanese Tax Department and send you a receipt showing how much was paid. You can use this receipt to claim or offset against Tax commitments in your own country.

Without the forms we have to deduct the applicable amount of Withholding Tax from any payments we make to you…….up to 25% in some countries, so it's in your interests to fill in the forms obviously.

The law in regard to Withholding Tax between Japan and all the different countries is always being changed. However as we send this to you today the above is applicable.

Apart from this the only deductions are whatever your bank may or may not charge you for receiving the funds. We don't cover this.

What's The Difference Between an "All Inclusive Royalty" and a "Separated Royalty" Agreements?

There are two types of Royalty that we pay to bands we license and release in Japan.

1.Master Disc Royalty

This is the Royalty paid to you as owners of the actual Master Disc. Master Disc Royalties are paid direct to the person(s) or company that owns the Master Disc.

2.Mechanical (Copyright) Royalty

This is the Royalty that is ultimately paid to the people or persons who wrote and own the Music and/or Lyrics that are contained on the Master Disc. ie. Your band covers Prince's "Purple Rain". The song is not yours, the Mechanical Royalty has to go to Prince. Mechanical Royalties are paid to official collection agencies such as ASCAP in the USA who then get the money onto the rightful owner(s) of the song. In Japan Mechanical Royalties are paid to JASRAC , an affiliate of ASCAP.

They are two different things.

When we License we can pay them combined to you as an "All-Inclusive Royalty" a one ,lumped together Royalty that has provision for both Masters and Mechanical Royalties that we pay direct to you and don't involve JASRAC.

Or if you require we can separate the Royalties and pay the Master Disc Royalty to you and the Mechanical Royalty to JASRAC. This is called a "Separated Royalty"

Its your call, usually bands that are not Published prefer to get the All Inclusive Royalty.

Bands that are Published usually have to separate the Royalties.

Summary

The Licensing procedure is not rocket science. It sounds a little technical but its not a hard process. We will walk you through each and every step and if you don't understand or are worried about something then ask us ….or ask someone you know well on your side of the world who has experience in Licensing releases overseas to explain it to you or enlist the services of a Lawyer to look after your interests if you are still worried or concerned.

Media Factory Music : http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/music/index.html

Label Sites:-

www.fabtone.jp  (From UK Rock to Piano Emo),

www.radtone.jp (Punk / Emo)

www.xtalrecords.jp (Post Rock / Instrumental)

www.goontrax.jp (Mellow, Jazzy Hip Hop)

Fabtone Records, Radtone Music, Xtal Records, Goon Trax and Pikachu Records are music labels owned and operated under the umbrella of the publicly listed Media Factory company.

Media Factory was formed in 1986 and enjoys a strong, reliable reputation in Japan. With approximately 100 employees and an annual turnover of $US130million (fiscal 2005) it has in time developed a fantastic infrastructure to create and produce, publish, promote, sell and distribute and administer the unique range of DVD, Books, Magazine, Music CDs, Games, Magazines, Movies, Comics, Publishing etc that it handles. (Updated company information in English is available here: http://www.mediafactory.co.jp/company/l301.html )

Perhaps Media Factory is best known for their heavy involvement in the Pokemon phenomenon that has spread throughout the world, they also release the Phantom of The Opera DVDs in Japan, Lonely Planet travel books, Harry Potter toys and games and are one of the leading animation and comic producers in Japan.

Selection criteria for artists released on our music labels is simple – we source new and emerging artists with a sound that the music fans in Japan will dig. We release artists regardless of their stature overseas provided we believe their sound will work in Japan.

We pick bands/artists based purely on sound suitability for Japan and then back ourselves to develop the band in Japan through Media Factory's existing infrastructure. Many unsigned artists, artists from small / tiny Indie labels, bands from many countries, bands that work hard and most importantly have "the sound for Japan" have been passionately released by us to date with great success.

To produce releases we have the full resources of Media Factory at our disposal. A team of designers is on hand at Media Factory to do CD/DVD/LP design and layout and promotional artwork, CDs and DVDs etc are pressed at Sony's pressing plant, Recording and Mastering facilities are available, the legal and accounts departments have dealt with foreign licensed releases of movies, books, music etc for many years and our reputation as a reliable business partner in Japan is untarnished.

Distribution for all releases is undertaken by the powerful JARED distribution company. Media Factory was a founding company involved in the formation of JARED. JARED is the same distributor used by companies such as Universal Japan, Sony Music, EMI, Polydor etc. Simply put, it is the strongest major distribution system available in Japan.

We use strong Indies Distributors such as CR Japan etc to ensure releases are offered to Indies specialist stores and online operators that may not be covered by JARED. This is important as the type of artists being released by us appeal to Indies music lovers as much as they do to mainstream-with-an-edge music fans.

Probably the strongest point for our labels is its sales and marketing. No stone is left unturned when it comes to promoting releases from a grass routes level through to major opportunities. As our labels will limit themselves to one or two releases per month they are able to concentrate their entire efforts on these few select releases. This differs greatly from the other majors in Japan who are offering catalogues of releases every month and often not displaying passion unless a release begins to sell well. We are highly passionate about our releases each and every one of them, regardless of sales results is given the same effort. We feel a strong obligation to do our utmost for the artists they become involved with.

Media Factory has a team of sales people strategically placed throughout Japan to conduct sales presentations directly to key stores across Japan. This sales team takes each release's info and listening samples etc and presents them personally to the buyers at the stores.

The sales staff directly involved in our labels also back this up by conducting their own sales direct to select stores in major population areas. They present only the three to six artists we are releasing each month, once again this is a strategy not matched by any other major or indies label in Japan. Our sales people are first and foremost music lovers, they are young, many play in bands, passionate and can relate to and are often great friends with the young but powerful buyers in the key stores.

To promote releases we place advertising and also get interviews in several leading music and chain store magazines, music TV stations are provided with videos, suitable radio stations across Japan are presented with every release, online presence with both major and indie sites are targeted heavily, cell phone sites and download operators are provided with content, our own free papers are produced each and every month and sent out across Japan, and perhaps the strongest form of promotion in Japan , in-store displays are undertaken on a level that embarrasses the other majors in Japan. Reputable DJs are also furnished with all of our releases to ensure grass routes exposure.

We work extremely closely on in-store displays with major chains such as Tower, HMV, Tsutaya etc. The design team at Media Factory produces posters, place of purchase display boards and even hand write Indie style rack display card for applicable releases. We have an unlimited amount for store displays, the maximum stores will dedicate and charge* for each release is encouraged.

*In Japan most store displays are paid for, the area used for displays is rented out so to speak however the decision on which releases get and how much space are dedicated to displays is determined by the individual branch managers.

We are also very much into touring bands in Japan provided sales warrant a tour and a suitable tour or festival can be arranged for the artist concerned. We are very much against touring bands if the impact on the band or label concerned will be negative. Large venues less then 30% full of kids is not the catalyst for a positive impact on the bands image in our opinion. Neither are small-scale tours with minor promoters a good idea.

We are close to the major promoters in Japan and present each release to them and look to tie up with major festivals in Japan. If there is a way to tour a foreign artist and do it properly in a manner that will have a positive impact on the bands image in Japan then we are more then prepared to back such a tour and provide funding for most if not all of the expenses involved.

We will continue to redefine the way artists are developed in Japan. The music scene has changed dramatically in Japan over the past six years. The music fans in Japan are now targeting bands based on sound way more then hype. In days gone by bands from leading labels in the US and other territories sold well regardless of sound suitability for Japan. This is not the case anymore. Unsigned, unreleased foreign bands can sell extremely well in Japan now because the fans are ignoring the foreign hype and picking up on new artists based on the bands sound.

We will continue to scour the world looking for artists with "the right sound for Japan" and sell, market and promote the band on a major scale using the fantastic and unique infrastructure developed over twenty years in Japan. The approach to the bands sourced by us is not a blinkered one, if a major artist with allot of foreign hype, on a large foreign label has a sound that is right for Japan then they will also be targeted and developed and released with the same passion.