Terminology Guide and Company Information

[Lynnette]

This page will cover some different terminology relevant for the story, as well as some of the company's important information.

Some topics might be a bit foreign to someone not familiar with the idol scene in Japan. As such, this thread will be used to cover some of those burning questions.

 

What is an idol?

Spoiler

An idol is, shortly put, an entertainer. Typically in the age-range of 16 to 25, and the most popular ones are female. They typically fall into different categories, depending on their speciality. Some are musicians, typically performing live concerts and selling CDs. They're typically the big earners for agencies, but require a lot of training. They're typically expected to know how to dance, sing, some even have to learn an instrument on top of all of that. Other than that, there's ones that focus more on acting, gravure idols that shoot swimsuit or lingerie pictures for adult magazines, net idols, who are more like internet celebrities, AV idols (Which won't be a major focus for this game) who film more adult videos. Virtual idols are a thing, I'm sure some vtuber-stan will show up sooner rather than later. Voice-idols, typically with some crossover to the more musically inclined, typically show up in anime, both as singers and as character voices. There's many more, but I think these will be the most relevant to this story.

An idol's life is often seen as a very "pure" one. They're seen as role-models, live very tidy lives, though more often than not this is heavily manufactured by their agencies. No dating clauses are very common for instance, and bad habits like smoking or drinking could get an idol thrown out of their agency very quickly if it came out to the public. The production companies often hold very tight control over their idols' lives, restricting their access to family members is a very common sight. Their schedules are often cramped tight, with "backup-jobs" lined up to throw in last second to prevent them from taking time off.

All in all, they're money-cows. As this highly manufactured life is not a mystery to the average consumer, they're often seen as inauthentic, and hence held to lower standards than "proper" actresses or musicians. Their selling factor is typically their parasocial relationship with a financially loyal fanbase. 

Wages have also been low historically. Only top idols would make more than around 200 000 dollars a year, most would make less than one fourth of that. The idols would often be responsible for securing their own transportation, pay costume fees, and lessons in music and dance, from their own pocket. Since most go into it as teenagers with little money, they end up having to take loans to even get started. If their career never takes off, it's very possible to leave the industry with less money than they had when they started.

An idol's shelf-life is usually very short, most being forced to graduate at around 25 years old. With very little job-relevant skills to show for their time in the spotlight, it's not uncommon to see idols defaulting to less savory ways to make their money, for instance pornography, prostitution, or hostess-bars.

 

About HashiPro

Spoiler

Founded in 2017, the company is currently in its fifth year of business. The company is ran out of a four-story building in the Narimasu ward in the northern parts of Tokyo, in a relatively sleepy street. It's still close enough to central Tokyo that it doesn't cause any big issues, while rents are generally cheaper in the area compared to many other wards. The building itself is relatively unassuming, with no branding on the outside other than a small sign by the doorway. The basement is used as a dance-hall, the first floor has a convenience-store. The second floor, and main floor for the agency, is mainly used for offices, and it has a decently sized break-room. The third floor has a large bathroom with several showers, as well as a few small bedrooms in case work runs late, reserved for the idols. There's also a few smaller pods for online work, such as streaming. The fourth and final floor has a small photo-studio that doubles as a mini-set, and some voice-booth used primarily for coaching. 

Though the company made headlines upon its inception in 2017 over its grand goals of offering fairer deals towards their talents, the company didn't break even until 2021. producers, rather than focusing on a single idol or a single group, typically work on more specialized fields. For instance, one might be more centered around marketing deals, others might book gravure shoots. The idols themselves play a role in which directions they should take, although it's not entirely up to them, and a producer might refuse if they don't fit the role at all. To prevent stupid moves for short-term gains, producers do not earn a commission, and are instead salaried.

The company is still running on relatively moderate budgets. Concerts are typically only booked in venues that can hold 1000 or less, more often around the 200 to 500 mark. 

HashiPro does not hire any idols under the age of 15, and around 17 and up is preferred. Currently, the company only hires female idols. (Subject to change if there's a lot of demand)

The idols earn a set salary, decided based on their existing skills when they first enter the company, and it can be re-negotiated first after one year. In addition, the idols can earn commissions based on sales, but only after their salary expenses have been covered by ticket sales and merchandise. In other words, if an idol earned 250 000 yen per month (Around 1700USD) as a starting wage, her events would need to have revenue greater than 250 000 yen for a given month to earn commission on top of her wages. The commission first applies after the 250 000 yen is reached. The commission would typically be around 5-25 percent of the revenue from a given event, depending on the type of event it was.

Travel and accommodations are covered so long as the cheapest housing and transport is used. Should the idol themselves wish to travel in different means, or stay at a more luxurious hotel, they would have to cover the difference. Sudden changes to accommodation where the idol is not at fault are covered by the company. 

 

So what about smut?

Spoiler

Given what site this is posted to, smut will be a natural part of the story. Of course, characters involved should be a bit sneaky about it, maybe don't try hiding behind that lamp next time. Smut between the idols and the staff is the logical idea here, though between idols is totally viable as well. If you're wondering about how to get to it while remaining sneaky - Could be something as simple as sharing a hotel room during a trip, or visiting one another in the other's home. If the offices are empty... Well, hopefully they stay that way for long enough. 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Lynnette