Im starting to do some research on how they compare in terms of which country has more quality pop music. please be sure to explain why you believe it is quality.

I know there are a bunch of music buffs here. So I though I'd take a poll and ask for opinions.

when I say pop I dont mean just "music that's popular". The definition of pop can be really ambiguous sometimes. So just stick with stuff that accepts the genre of pop onto it. i.e. indie pop, pop rock, alterna pop, straight pop, etc.

so. let'r rip.

edit: [b]The poll is about quality of music rather then innovation and originality. Please keep that in mind if that would change your mind. Thank you and have a fine day.[/b] this public service announcment was brought to you by PFPCP.

Poop's poop, American or Japanese.

I tend to think that J-POP is more innovating than American Pop. Although there are some pop idols that aren't good in Japan, the ones that are good are better than the American pop singers. I would never be caught dead listening to Britney and Jessica Simpson, but I can easily admit that I listen to Puffy & YUI.

This is my opinion, of course.

America has a ton of shit pop rock, alt pop, pop pop, classic pop, punk pop, and electro pop groups.

Japan has a ton of shit pop rock, alt pop, pop pop, classic pop, punk pop, and electro pop groups.

I listen to a decent amount of "pop music" from America and Japan. I tend to listen to Japanese pop more, [b]just because.[/b] It's all about the people behind the music, not their nationality, race, ethnicity, etc.

That said, from my limited experience, the Japanese pop music I listen to SEEMS to have a more VARIED array of pop music styles and sounds than America's.

[quote="omnistry"]I tend to think that J-POP is more innovating than American Pop. Although there are some pop idols that aren't good in Japan, the ones that are good are better than the American pop singers. I would never be caught dead listening to Britney and Jessica Simpson, but I can easily admit that I listen to Puffy & YUI.

This is my opinion, of course.[/quote]

But YUI and fucking Britney Spears is an unfair comparison. She's definitely more folkish (JFOLK rofl) than anything. Kinda like Jewel but a bit heavier. I think Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro would be better comparisons to Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, considering Puffy and Yui are a lot more rock oriented than they are. But i'm not going to jump on this J-POP IS SOUPEEREOR bandwagon. There's shitty pop music everywhere you go, and considering how massive the U.S. is compared to Japan, it's a bit unfair to listen to a few artists you end up not liking, and writing off the entire fucking scene because of it. It's a ton easier to sift through Japanese music because of this. Different? yes. Better?

[quote="skoolyardpunk"][quote="omnistry"]I tend to think that J-POP is more innovating than American Pop. Although there are some pop idols that aren't good in Japan, the ones that are good are better than the American pop singers. I would never be caught dead listening to Britney and Jessica Simpson, but I can easily admit that I listen to Puffy & YUI.

This is my opinion, of course.[/quote]

But YUI and fucking Britney Spears is an unfair comparison. She's definitely more folkish (JFOLK rofl) than anything. Kinda like Jewel but a bit heavier. I think Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro would be better comparisons to Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, considering Puffy and Yui are a lot more rock oriented than they are. But i'm not going to jump on this J-POP IS SOUPEEREOR bandwagon. There's shitty pop music everywhere you go, and considering how massive the U.S. is compared to Japan, it's a bit unfair to listen to a few artists you end up not liking, and writing off the entire fucking scene because of it. It's a ton easier to sift through Japanese music because of this. Different? yes. Better? [/quote]

quoting this for truth. I also agree with GR though.

Yeah, omnistry. It just depends on where your head is pointed.

If you're on the internet and you hang around areas where people discuss Japanese music, you're probably gonna hear a decent amount of cool stuff. Just from the people on IM (and my own subsequent searching), I now regularly listen to Number Girl, Zazen Boys, Bloodthirsty Butchers, Toddle, Vola & the Oriental Machine, Mukai Shutoku (lol, seeing a pattern? but no,), Sparta Locals, Nino Trinca, Sambomaster, a little POLYSICS...
...got into Judy & Mary from a pillows fan I met at a show...listen to some Aiko and even a few Gackt tracks because of internet radio...listen to some CHEMISTRY because of the music video displays in a local Japanese music store...have a used Whiteberry CD because I was browsing in a Book Off store for used Japanese music...BOOM BOOM SATELLITES because they opened for the pillows at a show I went to...Yoko Kanno and Joe Hisaishi from anime soundtracks...

the list goes on.

What it all boils down to is this: If you consciously submerge yourself in Japanese rock, rap, pop, folk, noise, VK (whatever you like)...you're gonna find a lot of stuff that appeals to you. Japan has a booming music industry, it's not hard.

If I chose to limit myself to just American music, I'm sure I'd find as much great music.

If someone looks through my iPod and comes to the conclusion: "Wow, you must think Japanese music is really good, huh?" I'd say they're off the mark. For whatever reason, I've been led down a "path" of discovering great Japanese bands...and because of the internet, it's easy to explore and keep a constant stream of [b]J-TUNES[/b] in my rotation.

Being a music buff doesn't make one's opinion any more valid. Music isn't like economics or mathematics. It's even far different than painting, which is typically the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "art." You don't need a solid foundation of knowledge before you can develop a valid opinion.

That said, your research is immediately flawed because it begins with originality and innovation, which is not only difficult to measure in itself, but must be compared on an individual basis, rather than aggregating genres, countries of origination, etc.

Secondly, most of the "shit" music that originates in Japan stays in Japan. We will have a skewed interpretation of Japanese music because our exposure to it is based off of the suggestions of people with similar taste, etc. In other words, such music is not directly marketed to us, and we only have a secondary exposure to it.

Take classic rock, for example. A lot of people have developed the opinion that all music from the 60's, 70's, and early 80's was good. This couldn't be farther from the truth. However, much like national borders, time has a way of weeding out what we don't want to hear, and keeping what we do. On the flip side, one of the reasons why many people believe popular music today "sucks" is that it has not undergone filtering to such an extreme degree. Even now many people's opinions of "good music" from the 80's and 90's are entirely different than what was actually popular back then.

I swear I have never had such a volatile place to state your opinion. But it shows people have conviction!

its not a racist question. it's not a question of "you on teh bandwgun er not?". And I'm not asking with a bias.

I'm just asking people who actually listen to more japanese music and american music their opinions on what they believe is more innovative.

Personally I want to say japanese pop has more originality. ((Aha! there it is! now he MUST be asking with a bias! I'll show him!)) But that's just because, as stated I have heard more quality popular pop from japan then I have from the states. I also knew that japanese music is historically more rooted in pop music so they might put more emphasis on quality of it then we do here. I wanted to know if people here may have more knowledge on the matter.

and sheer. Yes, I know. I realized that before I asked. I still felt like asking. I'm keeping all that in mind.

Consider also that those who see the merits in American pop are typically not the same people who see the merits in Japanese pop. You're really asking a skewed audience on a pillows music forum, as you'll only really find people who (a) hate pop altogether, or (b) prefer Japanese pop on this forum.

I've also considered that. You guys arent the only people I'm asking. You guys are only one of my sources of opinions.

First off, you're gonna need to define "innovation". You seem to equate "innovative" with "quality", and I don't really think that works out. One could call many noise-rock bands "innovative", you could call the industrial/metal/punk band Mad Capsule Markets "innovative" and still cringe at their sound (which I do). Then again, you could call the Monkey Majik/Yoshida Brothers song "Change" which features pop, rap, and two shamisens "innovative" and totally dig it..which I do.

So. What is innovation to you? Or maybe you want to change your word altogether.

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnwaS4TDyDk

[quote="GoldenRhino"]edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnwaS4TDyDk[/quote]

Yoshida Brothers =

JAM ftw.

That is all.

I'd say American pop. You said pop of all types, didn't you? Not just Brittney shit, amirite? Well, I listen to a bit of indie pop, like The Decemberists (I believe they're considered Dream Pop?) and the Pipettes (They're this female, somewhat 60's-ish pop band.) Plus, older American pop is pretty effing awesome. Not all of it, of course, but a lot of it. That's why the oldies stations are pretty much the only thing bearable nowadays. I'd rather listen to You Can't Hurry Love a thousand times than Tom Sawyer ten times.