After Alice Nine left PSC in August, the members relinquished their major status. Saga tweeted to "wait for spring while [we] hibernate", leaving fans to wait until the group's revival on March 1st - the first day of spring. Since spring has come - as promised by the members - Alice Nine are back!
Announced in a rush on Twitter this morning, Alice Nine have revived from their "slumber", with lots of exciting news.
Shortening their name to A9, the band will release a "START UP" EP, Ginga no wo to, later this August. As they step into a new era, the members are questioning current ways of selling and promoting releases, particularly the practice of encouraging fans to purchase multiple copies of the same release to push it further up the charts.
In an effort to reach back to their musical roots and to "redefine the relationship between artists and listeners", fans are being asked to donate to a crowdfunding project to help fund the EP, photoshoot and MV production. The members hope to reach a goal of 5,000,000 JPY before March 31st. Participating fans will receive different items depending on the amount they donate.
There are three tiers:
● Sapphire: 3,000 JPY (30USD) - receive all song data one week before the release date
● Crystal: 8,000 JPY (80USD) - receive high-resolution song data one week before the release date, and full HD data of "plug song" MV
● Diamond: 20,000 JPY (200USD) - receive high-resolution song data one week before release date, and full HD data of two "plug song" MVs (if the goal is reached), recording data of the plug song (vocal or drum tracks only), and a personalized thank you comment video from the members
All supporters will have their names printed in the release booklet, receive a "thank you" mail and can access a limited site to view making-of content for this funding project. A9 will also give all supporters details of how the donated money will be spent.
If the goal of 5,000,000 JPY is reached, A9 will film an extra MV.
The crowdfunding page can be viewed in both Japanese and English for convenience.
A9 are also promoting a new track, Phoenix. The PV can be viewed below or on A9's official YouTube channel.
Make sure to check out A9's new homepage, Twitter and LINE as well for more updates.
