Can you work for free?
Second round of Cool Japan promoting conference was held on April 3rd 2013. Mr. Yasushi Akimoto, producer of AKB48, said that creators in Japan should participate in their project to spread the advantage of Japanese culture to all over the world, even for free.
The Japan Times: Cool Japan campaign needs to sweeten the pot: Taiwanese critic
This statement of Mr. Akimoto raised an argument. Some artists are criticizing him strongly, said that he had humiliated the works of creators. The fact that Mr. Akimoto himself is a billionaire might cause emotional repulsion, I guess.
Some others agreed with him. According to them, for artists it is preferable to get a chance to publish their works on a highlighted stage and it is worthier than money.
I think both sides are rational. The answer is different for what the creator wants to get.
But this issue is more complicated in Japan.
First, in Japan many artists cannot earn enough money by their own profession. In other countries it can be not so different. Especially Japanese are very weak in monetizing. Moreover, the service industry is looked down on in Japan. Japanese workers have the best hospitality in the world I think, but Japanese customers are strongly demanding for service.
Then, I am afraid that the creators will not be respected enough when creators are willing to work for free as Mr. Akimoto claims.
Second, though it is paradoxical, the business model of creators is changing. It is possible that creators will make works for free to get money from some patrons. Freemium model mentioned by Mr. Chris Anderson is now widely spread in web service mainly. Reputation and confidence are more valuable than some money in all fields. However the culture of donation is not so popular in Japan.
If I were a creator, would I participate in this project for free? Will you?
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