Doujin music
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Doujin music (同人音楽, dōjin ongaku), also called otokei doujin (音系同人) in Japan, is a sub-category of doujin activity. Doujin are non-official self-published Japanese works which can be based on official products or completely original creations. Such products are sold online on specialized sites, on the authors' own sites, and at conventions such as Comiket and the audio-focused M3.
Genres and production
[edit]Doujin music is not a musical genre in itself, but instead a term used for independently produced and self-published music.[1] Doujin music may entail fan arrangements and remixes from anime and video games, or wholly original works in a variety of genres.[2] Electronic music makes up around a third of all doujin music,[3] though other genres such as rock[4] and jazz can also be found. Vocaloid and utaite albums are often sold at doujin events.[1][2] A large portion of doujin music is dedicated to the doujin game franchise Touhou Project.[5][6]
Doujin music is produced by circles, which can range from being individuals to small groups.[3] Circles often put out around two to four albums per year depending on their size, typically selling CDs through events like Comiket and Music Media-Mix Market, both of which are held on a semiannual basis.[2][7] Events dedicated to specific franchises are also held, such as the Hakurei Shrine Retaisai for Touhou Project[7] and The Vocaloid Master for Vocaloid music respectively.[8] Doujin music is also commonly sold in shops within Akihabara.[9] Albums are sometimes promoted with dedicated sites, with some using specialized templates for Tumblr.[10]
Notable artists and groups
[edit]- Akiko Shikata, a soprano singer, composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose songs often tend towards experimentalism
- Annabel, who has worked on several anime productions and is known for works in partnership with musicians like Nagi Yanagi and bermei.inazawa
- Camellia, an electronic musician[3]
- Chata, a video game and anime vocalist
- Haruka Shimotsuki, a vocalist known for her fantasy themes
- IOSYS, a doujin group most commonly recognized for their Touhou arrangements[6]
- Kishida Kyōdan & The Akeboshi Rockets, a rock band formed by Kishida and four other members
- Rekka Katakiri, a singer who manages her own Closed/Underground label
- Sound Horizon,[2] who describe themselves as a "fantasy band"
- T+pazolite, a j-core producer and member of the label Hardcore TANO*C[5]
- Team Shanghai Alice, the creator of and the composer for the Touhou Project
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Nakabayashi, Akira (2016-11-11). "CD不況の今、音楽を買いたい人が集まるイベント「M3」って何?" [What is "M3"? It's an event that brings together people who want to buy music amid the current CD recession.]. AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c d Suzuki, Miyuki (2016-04-07). "音のコミケ「M3」 1万人動員のイベント主催者に聞く「同人音楽の20年」" [Comiket "M3" - 20 Years of Doujin Music]. ITmedia NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c Taylor, Aidan (2021-02-19). "A taste of doujin". DJ Mag. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ Yamamoto, Kohei (2022-10-30). "キングクリムゾン、ＥＬＰだけじゃない 同人プログレの〝布教〟に尽力する男がいる" [Not just King Crimson and ELP, there's a man who's dedicated to spreading the word about doujin progressive rock]. Yorozoo (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b "音楽業界を征服？ 知ってるようで知らない同人音楽の世界にダイブする vol.1"t+pazolite"" [Conquering the music industry? Diving into the world of doujin music that you may think you know but don't know vol.1 "t+pazolite"]. ORICON NEWS. 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b Shiraishi, Kosuke (2022-02-14). "kz(livetune)×REDALiCE×まろん（IOSYS）が語り合う"東方音楽とクラブミュージック"" [kz (livetune) × REDALiCE × Maron (IOSYS) talk about "Touhou Music and Club Music"]. Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b "A-Oneインタビュー――『TOHO EUROBEAT』って？A-Oneって？同人音楽って何だ!?" [Interview with A-One -- What is "TOHO EUROBEAT"? What is A-One? What is doujin music?]. USEN (in Japanese). 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ "「THE VOC@LOiD M@STER(ボーマス)」ボーカロイドonly event". ketto.com. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ Beil, Benjamin (2025). "Akihabara". In Beil, Benjamin; Freyermuth, Gundolf S.; Hamm, Isabelle; Ossa, Vanessa (eds.). Gaming the Metaverse. Bild und Bit. Studien zur digitalen Medienkultur. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: transcript Verlag transcript Verlag [Imprint]. ISBN 978-3-8394-7462-4.
- ^ "Tumblrで同人音楽CD特設サイトが簡単に作れるレスポンシブなテンプレート「Tokusetsu」" ["Tokusetsu" is a responsive template that makes it easy to create a doujin music CD special website on Tumblr.]. GIGAZINE (in Japanese). 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2025-09-27.