Japanese Music Industry

 Yoshiharu Abe is known as the father of personal multi-track recording in the audio engineering field.  He was one of the five founders of TEAC in 1957 and went on to become one of the company’s most important product designers.  Abe-son designed several landmark products over his long career including the 80-8 and the Portastudio series.  He later worked for Fostex and was a key player in the teams that created the B-13 and X-15.  Beginning in 1948 he also began writing extensively

 Takehiko Akaboshi, the legendary Japanese music therapist and founder of the world renowned Japan Music Volunteer Association, began his career as a popular singer who recorded traditional and new folk songs as early as the 1950s.  While singing around the country he began seeing the benefits of music on the ill and in 1972 created “ryouiku ongaku” or therapeutic music programs that have since been proven to reduce stress and pain in mind and body for his many patients.  Mr.

Shiro Arai is the founder of Aria Guitars, a Japanese electric guitar company that gained great international success in the wake of the Beatles invasion—both in America and (as some of us may forget) Japan. Mr. Arai was an early pioneer of Japanese/American commerce, developing one dealer base that represented both countries. When Mr. Arai established the company in 1956, his focus was on classical instruments, as he himself was a trained classical guitarist and educator.

Akira Komaki recalled the early days of his grandfather’s career as a Japanese retailer. Akira took over the company from his father, the eldest son of his grandfather. Komaki Music opened its doors in 1931 and has since become a part of the Tokyo landscape. Akira has studied the American music retailers and provided an impressive comparison of how he has seen them charge over the years.

Hajime Yamaguchi was born on September 26, 1944 in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 18 he traveled the country as a professional drummer and a year later landed a stellar job as drummer for a late night TV talk show in Japan. After a few years his girlfriend (and future wife) explained her parents concerns for her getting married to a musician. They wanted him to have a steady paying job. Knowing a friend who worked for TEAC, Hajime applied for a job and was hired.