Since the mid-2000s, a counterculture has taken place where numerous netlabels, online labels that release their music for free, located in Japan have been formed and garnered a huge amount of publicity which, according to writer Patrick St. Michel, has shaped how popular Japanese music is produced. Japan's netlabel phenomenon was the first time in the history of the nation's music industry where underground musicians could produce their works however they wanted to and have their music noticed by the public; this is an aspect that was previously absent at a time when major labels in the country followed a conservative method where they managed how artists would produce their music. Starting in the 2010s, the netlabel scene has crossed over to the mainstream music landscape and all across the world, with netlabel producers transitioning into working for bigger labels and western producers like Cashmere Cat and Ryan Hemsworth being influenced by the music of Japanese netlabels.
History and notable labels
Background and Minus N
Ryosuke Hidaka estimated that Netlabels began increasing publicity outside Japan around 1999 and 2000. Minus N was the first netlabel to be based in Japan, forming in 2003. While Minus N set the model of distribution of Japan's netlabel community in that every release was issued for free online, it garnered the most attraction from Western territories due to acts from all across the world on the label.
Maltine Records
Maltine Records is one of the most popular imprints in the netlabel scene of Japan. There have been more than 130 releases under the label as of December 2014.
In 2005, high school freshmen Tomohiro Konuta, also known as Tomad, and Syem, his real name not revealed, formed the electronic dance music netlabel Maltine Records as a way to distribute their music. Konuta explained, "During that time, there were a lot of internet labels starting to pop up overseas, and people uploading their music online for free—this influenced me and gave me the idea to start Maltine." With Maltine, the two also released tracks from artists they found on internet bulletin boards and services such as 2chan and Myspace. In the words of journalist Patrick St. Michel, the label gained attention due to "a combination of reoccurring musicians and one-off releases."
Starting in the early 2010s, Maltine has used methods to spread their music around to those who don't have computer internet access; this included making and releasing the compilation album MP3 Killed The CD Star? (2010) on CD and a free iPhone application for listening to music by the netlabel. Maltine has crossed over into the mainstream ever since the 2010s. In 2013, Maltine collaborated with Tokyo Girls' Style for its producers such as tofubeats, Avec Avec and okadada to create remixes of songs by the girl group in what was titled Maltine Girls’ Wave. The Fader described the project as "wonderfully weird fusion of corporate-sponsored pop and quirky internet funk." Maltine's music has served as stylistic influences for the works of Western artists such as Cashmere Cat and Ryan Hemsworth; Hemsworth has featured Maltine's music on the mixes and live sets.
According to St. Michel, almost every track Maltine releases are dance music re-interpretations of J-pop: "None of the songs scattered across Maltine's website resemble AKB48, but rather are a re-imagining of Japanese mainstream pop created for the dance floor rather than an ice-cream commercial." Maltine began releasing breakbeat and gabber tracks before they expanded to releasing music of various styles such as synthpop, house music, drum 'n' bass, techno, ambient music, 2-step, jersey club, indie pop and rap. St. Michel wrote that most Maltine releases are "strange" takes on the way electronic dance and pop music is made; for instance, several music released by the netlabel contain anime and video game samples over "normal" dance instrumentals, thus creating "faster releases imagining a world where Aphex Twin really liked Sailor Moon and decided to incorporate it into his music." A track by Maltine regular contributor Gassyoh is a house song featuring samples from the role-playing video game EarthBound (1994).
Bunkai-Kei Records
Bunkai-Kei Records is an ambient and glitch music netlabel that is also one of the biggest imprints in the Japan netlabel scene. The netlabel had been around a few years before Maltine began, but did not start gaining attention until after the popularity of Maltine. One of their releases is a record by Vocaloid musician kz. Their later works included singing from vocalists such as Tokyo singer Smany, pornographic actress Yura Sakura, and Brooklyn-based singer Abigail Press.