Yatsui Ichiro, Shikano Jun and others will appear as judges on "Ikuten" The knockout battle to discover the next super band finally begins tonight!

2016.11.11 Press Releases
TSUTAYA Co., Ltd.

-Bands from all over Japan gather on new show hosted by Piko Taro producer and Daimaou Kosaka-

"Ikuze, Band Tengoku!!" (commonly known as "Ikuten"), a large-scale audition program to discover the next generation of super bands, brought to you by TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / President and COO: Nakanishi Kazuo / hereinafter referred to as "TSUTAYA"), which operates 1,478 TSUTAYA stores nationwide, and BS-TBS Inc. (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / President and CEO: Hoshino Makoto / hereinafter referred to as "BS-TBS"), will finally begin a battle-of-the-bands format with the best bands from all over Japan starting tonight. Additionally, the first episode of last week, which saw a surprise appearance by Aihara Isamu, who co-hosted "Ika-ten" with Miyake Yuji, is now available to watch on YouTube, so please be sure to check it out before tonight's broadcast.

The outcome of the battle will be decided by majority vote of the judges. The judges will be judging from the perspective of "which band is most likely to become a hit," based on a comprehensive assessment of not only their performance in the studio, but also their looks, the band's level of maturity, and their ability to promote themselves in videos. The band that wins three consecutive times will become the "Ikuten King," and from among the previous "Ikuten King" bands born up until March 2017, they will aim to become the "Grand Ikuten King."

The judges include a distinguished group of experts, including music journalist Jun Kano, DJ comedian Ichiro Yatsui, who hosts the "Yatsui Festival" named after himself, and Natalie Music Editor-in-Chief Kazuharu Kato. The judges were so strict that MC Kosaka Daimaou said, "I wanted to do such a tense program," and their comments, filled with love for music, are a must-see. Please pay attention to what these people who are well-versed in the real-time music scene have to say.

The recording site had an exciting atmosphere that was almost like being in a live music venue, and the high-level, heartfelt performances by bands from all over the country created such an atmosphere that even the judges and on-site staff couldn't help but move. Also worth watching is popular model Oishi Mizuki, who will be showing off her lively demeanor despite being the MC for the first time.

The participating bands' growth, which is evident with each performance, is so remarkable that it feels like they have the potential to surpass the legendary audition program "Ikasu Band Tengoku."Will a band that can fill up the Budokan be born from this?! Don't miss the new program "Ikuten," which brings together people who wish for the prosperity of the Japanese music scene.

■ Featured bands broadcast on Friday, November 11th
The first knockout battle is finally here. The featured band on tonight's broadcast is Kagami Tonari, a five-member rock band from Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture. In particular, the stunning performance by drummer Shah:D is a must-see, capturing the attention of everyone who sees it.
Also appearing will be a girl band from Nagoya that made Jun Kano say, "They should debut right now."Don't miss tonight's broadcast, which has heated up the entire studio from the very first episode.

■Comment from TSUTAYA judge Hiroaki Maeda (TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. Live Production Leader)
I had the honor of participating as a TSUTAYA judge this time. This is the first performance battle to be recorded. Normally, when I watch these types of competition shows from a viewer's perspective, I can't help but think, "Isn't it obvious who's going to win from the production alone?"
As someone who was there, I can say that it was truly "serious."There is no prior arrangement, it is unknown which bands will be performing, and who wins depends entirely on the artist's potential.
The artists' performances in such a tense venue were energetic, powerful and amazing. I hope you will come and witness the tension and powerful performance on TV or YouTube.

■About "Ikuze, Band Heaven!!"
Various bands, both self-nominated and recommended by others, including bands representing their respective regions confidently recommended by TSUTAYA's 10 regional companies across the country, bands that applied through the music SNS app nana, and bands recommended by the program, will battle it out every week, and the band that wins three weeks will be crowned the "Ikuten King."
The program will be hosted by Daimaou Kosaka, the popular singer-songwriter behind "Pen Pineapple Apple Pen (PPAP)" and producer of Piko Taro, and Mizuki Oishi, who has appeared in magazines such as "Seventeen" and "ViVi" and is currently an exclusive model for "AneCan" and a regular model for "MORE."
The final "Grand Ikuten King" was decided from among the previous "Ikuten King" bands formed up until March 2017. The band that is crowned "Grand Ikuten King" will receive 1 million T-Points from TSUTAYA and will receive a full support for the band for one year.

■"Ikuze, Band Heaven!!" Program Overview
Second broadcast: Friday, November 11, 2016, 11:30 PM to midnight (the same time on the same day every week thereafter)
After the program on BS-TBS ends, it will be streamed on YouTube.

Materials related to this matter

Yatsui Ichiro, Shikano Jun and others will appear as judges on "Ikuten" The knockout battle to discover the next super band finally begins tonight!

Inquiries regarding this matter
TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. Public Relations Unit TEL: 03-6800-4764