Ian Martin: Longevity in the Japanese indie music scene

Ian Martin is a 20-year resident of Japan by the way of the UK. Shortly after finishing his studies in script writing for film and television at Bournemouth University Ian made the leap to Japan and quickly immersed himself in Tokyo's indie music scene. Ian has worked extensively as a freelance journalist, specializing in Japanese pop and media culture with an emphasis on underground music. He wrote the monthly Strange Boutique column for The Japan Times and has written for MTV 81, Time Out Tokyo, Metropolis, Otaku USA Magazine, The Wire, The Guardian, NPR, and more. After organizing shows, concerts and live events for a time, Ian started his label 'Call and Response Records' which specializes in post-punk, indie rock and new-wave music from Japan. In 2016, Ian released his book: "Quit Your Band! Musical Notes from the Japanese Underground", which was then translated and released in Japanese the following year. Both editions have received great praise from both people inside and outside of the music industry. 

In this episode, Ian dives into how he got involved with music in Japan, what lead him to start a label, the struggles he's had to overcome and more. He also gets into the process of writing a book on Japanese indie music, his current views on the music scene, some advice for aspiring writers, and of course, why you should quit your band! 

Connect with Ian:

Twitter @ianfmartin 

Website https://callandresponse.jimdofree.com/ 

This episode was recorded in 2021 when COVID-19 was affecting drastic lifestyle changes and work.