Tag: Tokyo

Check Out SEVENTEEN and Spotify’s CARAT Station Pop-ups in Seoul and New York City

October 28, 2024

Since bursting onto the K-Pop scene in 2015, SEVENTEEN has transcended to global superstardom. Today, more than 30 million user-generated playlists on Spotify feature at least one track from the group. To amp up the excitement for their [RIGHT HERE] world tour, which kicked off in South Korea earlier this month, Spotify has teamed up with SEVENTEEN to bring fans the ultimate pre-concert experience.

From playlist curation to outfit planning, we know the lead-up to a concert is when fan anticipation is at its highest. In honor of SEVENTEEN’s fandom, known as CARATs, Spotify is building exclusive pop-ups ahead of live shows in Seoul, New York City, and Tokyo, where visitors can explore a fantastical train station dedicated to the K-Pop superstars.

“At Spotify, we are committed to supporting Korean artists and enhancing their connections with listeners,” said Jungjoo Park, Head of Music at Spotify Korea. “Our collaboration with SEVENTEEN to bring fans CARAT Station exemplifies our dedication through the creation of unique experiences that celebrate their artistry and special bonds with CARATs.”

Our first stop was Seoul in early October. This past weekend, we brought CARAT Station to New York City. Fans in Tokyo, stay tuned—CARAT Station is heading your way next!

“Spotify’s Music teams in Korea, the U.S., and Japan worked in lockstep to create unique events in each city that feel both authentic to that particular place and connected to the larger CARAT fandom. That’s why you’ll see common threads throughout each experience, but unique elements as well,” said Lucy Davidson, Lead Label Partnerships at Spotify. “When we build an experience in partnership with an artist, we aim not only to bring fans further into their creative world but also to offer something one-of-a-kind that only Spotify can.”

Relive our CARAT Station experiences and see photos from each city below.

CARAT Station Seoul

From October 5 through 11, CARATs in Seoul were invited to step inside the whimsical world of SEVENTEEN. Visitors brought amazing energy as they explored the metro station-themed pop-up in the city’s Gwangjin District, including special photo ops, exclusive merch, and surprise fan chant sessions.

“The subway-themed space displaying our fan chant guide videos left the biggest impression on us,” said SEVENTEEN. “The entire CARAT Station was beautifully decorated and filled with various fun elements that we believe made the time here truly enjoyable. We’re excited for even more visitors to experience this treat. Please have lots of fun and enjoy CARAT Station!”

Up Close at Spotify’s ‘Tokyo Super Hits Live 2020’ Virtual Concert

December 4, 2020

Photo credit: THINGS

From RapCaviar to iViva Latino! and A1, Spotify’s flagship playlists help listeners around the world fall in love with new artists from across genres. These playlists—and the live events that come out of them—have helped artists both broaden their bases and connect more closely with fans old and new. Recently, our Tokyo Super Hits! playlist has paved the way for J-pop, delivering the great works of Japanese pop artists to global audiences. 

Last week we brought Tokyo Super Hits! to even more listeners through Tokyo Super Hits Live 2020, a virtual livestreamed concert for J-pop fans around the world. Hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia tuned in for a three-hour livestream of performances and commentary from some of the biggest names in J-pop.

The seven artists who performed at the event included established creators like ARASHI, Perfume, End of the World, and [Alexandros], and emerging Early Noise artists like Vicke Blanka, Vaundy, and Macaroni Empitsu. During their sets, each act was surrounded by onstage effects such as LED panels, confetti, fireworks, laser beams, and rotating mirrors to create a feast for viewers’ eyes as well as ears. 

That evening, the event became the number one trending hashtag (#TokyoSuperHits) on Twitter in Japan and kept its position throughout the event as fans watched from their computers and smartphones and millions checked out the microsite.

Check out some close-up shots of Tokyo Super Hits Live 2020.

Stream Your Favorite TV and Movie Anime Songs with Spotify’s New Japanese Anime Hub

November 14, 2019

For years, anime television shows and movies like Attack on Titan and NARUTO have been making their way from Japan to TVs around the globe. Over time, the Japanese animation style has become known not only for its visual aesthetic, but also for the rich audio experience behind the medium. And for some, the music is just as important to the culture of anime as the animation itself.

These days, thanks in part to the availability of anime on Spotify in over 20 Spotify playlists, the music behind anime hits is experiencing its own surge in streaming. What’s more, the classical, J-Rock, and J-Pop musicians behind some of the genre’s beloved theme songs have also seen an increase in their stream counts.

To continue to raise the volume on the genre, we recently launched our new Anime Hub. Now fans in Japan, the U.S., Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, India, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the 13 regions in MENA can find and stream anime music more quickly and easily than ever.

Since the hub launched on October 8, fans in the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico have streamed anime music the most, with about 25,000 daily active users streaming playlists inspired by Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, and Tokyo Ghoul. Plus, four new playlists—Genesis of Aquarion, Kantai Collection, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, and CARDCAPTOR SAKURA—have recently come to Spotify from Victor Entertainment’s Flying Dog label, known for its rich categories of anime-related music. This adds over 1,300 anime-related tracks to Spotify, including theme songs and an original soundtrack album for Genesis of Aquarion mainly composed by Yoko Kanno.

Spotify Stages Overnight Concert for Fans at Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival

August 21, 2019

This past weekend, thousands of music lovers flocked to the 20th annual Summer Sonic music festival, which spanned three days and multistage venues in Tokyo and Osaka. The highlight was a special showcase, Spotify on Stage in MIDNIGHT SONIC, which featured seven artists representing multiple music scenes and countries. These groups—including R3HAB, MGMT, SEKAI NO OWARI, and NCT 127—performed from midnight into the wee hours of Saturday morning.

Despite an initially gloomy forecast, the skies cleared for a weekend that featured homegrown talent and international acts alike. Among those who took to the six stages in Tokyo and four in Osaka were BLACKPINK, The 1975, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Chainsmokers, and Rita Ora, to name just a few.

Check out the photo gallery below for some of the most exciting Summer Sonic moments across the three-day festival—one whose diverse line-up helped foster artist and genre discovery.