 February 2016 cover showing the bandMan With A Mission | |
| Editor | Daisuke Koyanagi |
|---|---|
| Categories | Music andCulture |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founder | Yoichi Shibuya |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Company | Rockin'On Inc. |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Website | rockinon |
Rockin'On Japan, often stylized inall caps, is a monthlymagazine that covers theJapanese music scene and various cultural events in Japan, such as art venues and culinary expos.
The magazine was founded in 1972, and focused on providing news that was thoroughly sourced andfact-checked, while also providing content without censorship and on original news stories. This requirement involved only conducting one on one interviews without doing generalized press interviews and announcements. The magazine later, in 1986, split into versions that served Japan domestically, re-titled toRockin'On Japan, and that covered international music content, titledRockin'On. The current owner of the magazine isYoichi Shibuya, who oversaw the expansions of the magazine and the creation of official music festivals sponsored by the magazine itself.[1]
The main festival created by the magazine is namedRock in Japan Festival and sets itself apart by having strict regulations banningmoshing andstage-diving so that the festival is more open to the public and general music crowd.[1] The other large festival created and sponsored by the magazine is named Countdown Japan and the two festivals make up the promotion arm of the magazine's focus on Japanese music. Music production is also sponsored by the magazine due to their creation of a music studio namedJackman Records. The style of music produced and sponsored by the magazine has been commonly referred to asRockin’On-kei and represents a "faintly progressive, watered-down alternative rock arrangements with soaring J-pop vocal melodies, delivered with impressive technical virtuosity".[2]