Graphics | Future Editorial Department · Nanjing University "In-depth Reporting" Course 2024 Spring Course Classmate Wang Yaoxun Instructor | Bai Jing Editor | Liu Yang Editor | Huang Xicheng ....

Graphics | Future Editorial Department · Nanjing University "In-depth Reporting" Course

2024 Spring Course Classmate Wang Yaoxun

Instructor | Bai Jing

Editor | Liu Yang

Editor | Huang Xicheng

Operation | Xu Xinnan

The air-conditioning in the venue was fully turned on, and the stage was the only The light source draws the visitors' attention to the girls who are performing. Walking into this performance venue on a hot and bright June afternoon, seemed to have jumped into Alice's rabbit hole.

This is a small livehouse. The stage is less than 15 square meters. The emotions in the songs are overflowing, making the small stage seem even smaller. In comparison, the audience was much emptyer. There were about 80 spectators in the venue. Except for some who were watching the performance quietly, the rest were supporting the performance vigorously.

The song has just started, but what is more attractive is the audience in the audience. They formed a circle and clapped their hands in unison as the song began.

As the cheers ended, the idol on the stage began to sing the first lyrics. At first glance, it may seem confusing, but the warm atmosphere already makes people immersed in the scene, leaving the hot and sticky outside behind. This is an underground idol.

"The Warring States Period of Underground Idols"

This is the first anniversary performance of Kookie Biscuit Group, with a total of 19 idol groups participating. Biscuit Group is the first underground idol group in Nanjing. It will hold its first performance on May 28, 2023. It was originally organized by Bu Bu. After 10 personnel changes, the current members are Bu Bu and Qiucheng. , Lulu, and Miko. In addition to performing in Nanjing, they will also perform in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hefei and other places.

Biscuit Group's first anniversary performance

"Underground idols" originally originated in Japan. Whether there has ever been a mainstream debut is the most direct difference between "aboveground" and "underground" . Idol groups that are run by large companies and are active in TV programs and other mainstream media are considered "aboveground idols", while underground idols are made up of small Companies or individuals operate independently, with more intensive activities in the livehouse as the largest source of income.

Nobuhiko Baba, professor of the Faculty of Letters at Konan Women's University, pointed out in his paper "The Phenomenology of Underground Idols: Live Music Space as a "Situation Space"" that there is no clear standard for the term "underground", and there is no clear definition of the "underground idol" group. division. It should be said that the terms "underground" and "aboveground" do not refer to the types of idols, but to the different places where mainstream entertainment activities occur. For example, idols who appear on late-night programs are called late-night idols. Perhaps because the word "underground" has a somewhat old-fashioned and dark flavor, some audiences and idols prefer the term "live idol" to emphasize the live performance-centered nature of the event.

According to a report released by the China Performance Industry Association on May 20, 2024, the overall economic scale of the national performance market in 2023 will be nearly 74 billion yuan, reaching a record high. Among them, small theaters and small live houses have grown significantly, with a total number of performances of nearly 190,000 and a total of 24.224 million viewers (a year-on-year increase of 250.54%). A briefing on the development of the national performance market in the first half of 2024 emphasized that the number of performances in small theaters and new spaces is still on the rise.

Underground idols who are active in live houses, although the market size is small, they are also an important part of the national performance market.

According to statistics from Weibo’s “Underground Idol Related Bulletin Board”, as of July 24, 2024, there were 242 underground idol groups in my country, with Shanghai, Guangdong, and Beijing having the largest number.In March 2023, there were only 30 to 40 underground idol groups in the country. Introductions of new groups or new members are posted every day on Weibo, but there are also many groups that disbanded within a year or changed members frequently.

The earliest underground idol group in Shanghai was "lunar" founded in 2011. In 2015, they were the first Chinese idol group invited to perform in Japan. At the same time, the "Dragon Girls Group" and "Idol School" originated from Baidu Tieba were also established. In 2021, four members of the "Dragon Girl Group" founded "Ultimate Ultima" and developed into the leader of Shanghai puppet culture. In 2017, ufo idol office was established in Fuzhou, and "ouroboros" was formed in 2019, which is still very active today. In 2019, "Transparent Classroom and Parallel Girls" began activities in Hunan. It is known for its original Chinese songs and has even appeared on music campaign programs of mainstream online media. In addition, new idol groups are gradually emerging in Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou and other places.

In addition to the rapid increase in the number of idol groups, the frequency of performances has also increased significantly. used to have only one or two idol events a week, but now in Shanghai, Guangdong and other regions there are two to three events a day on weekends, and even more during holidays. According to incomplete statistics from Weibo's "Underground Idol Related Notice Board", there are at least 112 performances confirmed after September 11, 2024. Among them, there are 32 performances during the Mid-Autumn Festival and 13 performances in Shanghai alone during the National Day.

TIF event promotional poster on October 4, 2024

In May 2023, the first domestic male underground idol group "Bizhuangwangwang Team" was born. Subsequently, men's groups also appeared in Shanghai, Wuhan, Beijing and other places, but compared with female groups, The growth rate of boy bands is very slow.

Performance poster of the "Brick Paw Team"

Self-operated groups and market difficulties

In addition to the trainee system for some services, most domestic groups currently still use performances to train, especially self-operated groups, Various aspects of stage performance In all aspects, you can only explore on your own. The members of the Biscuit Group all have other main jobs in life. Bu Bu is going to college, Lu Lu is preparing for exams, and Qiucheng is working. Therefore, most of the training within the group is concentrated on weekends, and extra training will be done when there are performances. "Most of our learning resources come from surfing the Internet," Qiucheng said. "We usually go to the stages of other groups to learn and accumulate as much stage experience as possible." It is an indispensable piece of the puzzle for the long-term development of the group. In November 2023, the Biscuit Group released its first original song "Heartache Withdrawal". The arrangement and Japanese lyrics were outsourced, and the Chinese lyrics were filled in by Bu Bu. The entire song cost four to five thousand yuan.

Generally speaking, domestic groups still have difficulties in producing original songs, and the quality varies. Most of 's performances feature covers of Japanese underground idol and anime songs, most of which do not have copyrights. Only well-developed groups such as "Ultimate Ultima", "Transparent Classroom and Parallel Girls", and "Disqualified NPC" pay more attention to originality.

"Underground idols are essentially an offline performance. As an audience member, I am quite picky about music and stage skills." Qingzi went to college in Nanjing and started watching underground idols in early 2024. She is a staunch live-goer. In addition to watching local idols in Nanjing, she also goes to Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities to watch other idol groups during holidays. “Some groups have nice merchandise and great bonuses, but the songs are not good and the dances are not good. This is a by-product that overwhelms the focus. After seeing such a group once or twice, I won’t go there again. ."

The cost of becoming an underground idol is almost zero. As long as you declare that you are an underground idol, you will become an underground idol. If you are participating in the recruitment of a firm, due to imperfect market regulations, many firms will not do a detailed background.

"In such an immature environment, the cost of being a bad person is very low, and the benefits are very high. The B-station up owner "ドルオタ novice village" criticized the current market chaos in the video "Casual Chat: Today's idol "dross" culture". In the submissions to the "Underground Idol Related Bulletin Board", there are also many idols and Disputes between agencies, idols and idols.

Insufficient ability, lack of originality, and disorder are all problems that the domestic underground idol market must face if it wants to achieve healthy development.

Growth is the core of idol culture

to With the theme of "Growth", will always stay positive, face difficulties, and dare to overcome all difficulties to make tomorrow better than today. Idols must prove to people through personal practice that this ability is not a simple slogan. It's a real fact. It can be said that growth is the core of idols.

Science began to watch underground idols in 2024, and would come to the scene once a week or two. During the continuous viewing, she witnessed the development of the Biscuit Group. Growth, "Their performances used to be a bit slow, but now they feel less awkward and have made great progress." The

Biscuit Group has been working hard to improve, which also attracted Xigua and Lizi who came to help for free, mainly responsible for special coupons. Sales, photography and order maintenance. They were originally fans of the Biscuit Group and signed up when they saw the recruitment in the fan group. “We are all doing this for love,” Xigua said. “We just do this for fun. Seeing them getting better and better makes us very satisfied. "

Biscuit group's first anniversary event after the special event

Bubu started to form the biscuit group just because she likes to dance, but in the process of becoming an underground idol, her view of the stage also changed: "The stage should be A kind of transmission of positive energy, the audience gives support to the idol, and the idol also feeds back to the audience through continuous progress on the stage, thus forming a positive cycle. This is a two-way rush and common progress. ”

Biscuit Group has not yet achieved profitability since its establishment. The early biscuit groups were operating at a loss. At the beginning, tickets could not repay the money, and the members had to share the venue fee with the organizer. As the popularity gradually increased, the biscuit group gradually increased its popularity. There is no venue fee for the group, and the discount coupons have increased from 25 yuan per ticket without a signature and 50 yuan per ticket with a signature to 30 yuan per ticket without a signature and 60 yuan per ticket with a signature. Now the biscuit group can only try not to lose money. "Becoming" an underground idol can have zero threshold, but "becoming" an underground idol is definitely not the case. akb48's chief producer Akimoto Yasushi said that if there is no enthusiasm to invest day and night, 365 days a year, then there will be no success. He is not suitable for a job in the entertainment industry. Small-scale offline performances set the ceiling for underground idols’ income, especially for self-operated groups without resource support. The hard work, tears and countless late nights invested by the members are still not enough. Having unlimited fantasies about youth is most likely just a sunk cost.

“I can’t say exactly how long I can remain an underground idol, but what is certain is that I want to stay on the stage as long as possible until I meet someone. Only when the problem cannot be solved will you consider leaving. But even so, the idol spirit will remain with me forever. "When asked how long he will continue to be an underground idol, Bu Bu thought for a while and gave this answer.

Three months after the interview, on September 23, 2024, the Kookie Biscuit Group, which had been in business for one year, three months and 26 days, announced its peaceful dissolution.

Love is more than a stack of Polaroids

Underground idols usually set up special events during performances. Fans can support the idol by purchasing certain peripherals or special coupons, and take photos, chat and sign autographs with the idol.

Compared with idols who can only be seen on TV, akb48 usually meets the audience directly in the theater. At the special event after the performance, the audience can chat one-on-one with their favorite idol for a small amount of money. Today, although akb48 has left the underground and has become a mainstream idol group, 's business model of winning through interpersonal links has been passed down among underground idols.

As symbolized by akb48's concept of "meetable idols", the charm of underground idols is that you can see them live and make your own support "seen" rather than through TV and movies etc. The media worships idols as idols. This kind of emotional experience attracts the audience to the performance site many times.

In the process of supporting idols, fans also get to know each other and become a community of destiny. "After the event, we all made an appointment to have dinner together. All we discussed were idol-related topics, and the joy of watching the show can last for a long time." Qiezi met some friends in the process of supporting idols. "We don't need to make an appointment in advance, because You know that everyone will definitely come to certain events. "

The author "shoots" (takes Polaroid photos) with the little idol at the special event

The live house is a special performance venue with almost no so-called interior decoration. The walls are covered with acoustic panels, the bare concrete floor and ceiling are exposed, and huge speakers are mounted on sturdy stands on either side of the stage. Being in it is like being in a closed black box, and the events that occur in it are completely independent experiences from the outside world.

Because there is no curtain, the volume of the background music will instantly increase when the idol appears. Then, one by one, the idols appeared on the dimly lit stage. As soon as the song begins, the lights flash and the show begins. This dramatic transformation from nothing to something is what makes live performance interesting and what makes it unique. The appearance of the idol turns this bare physical 'place' into an emotionally flowing 'scene' that appears as the music plays and disappears as the music disappears, instantly and unrepeatably.

Qiezi likes to watch the performance videos of underground idols on the Internet, but this does not affect the frequency of her going to the scene: "Some memories can only be produced in live scenes. Although the same songs are sung, there are different supports and different performances. Interaction creates different and sparkling memories. Coming to a performance is like attending a banquet. ”

In addition, some ways of cheering and playing can only be learned and shared on site. As far as call-calling is concerned, the audience shouts the same words in the same rhythm during the intro and interlude of the song, which has led to hundreds of ways to play it. These changes can only be updated first-hand at the performance site. Before and after the performance of a big event, fans will gather near the venue to chat, practice two-step and wota skills, and the atmosphere is warm. It is indeed like a holiday banquet. There is a sentence in

's novel "Idol Disqualification": "When I supported my idol, I dropped everything and indulged in it. Even though it was a one-sided emotional output, I felt filled like never before."In this one-time 'scene', the idols performing on stage are integrated with the fans cheering off the stage, evoking a sense of excitement and satisfaction.

Regarding the development of underground idols, Eggplant is somewhat pessimistic: "The underground can make money. There are very few idols, and today's market always wants money as quickly as possible, but 'cultivation' is a project that is light on capital and heavy on time. "

But this did not affect her enthusiasm for the scene. The performance had just ended, and Eggplant was sweating after the support, and her face was red: "This is love! Whether it’s the stage or the songs, you have to have love to have fun. idols and we have created a utopia that seems meaningless to outsiders, but isn’t the process itself meaningful? "