this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
28 points (100.0% liked)
chat
8438 readers
380 users here now
Chat is a text only community for casual conversation, please keep shitposting to the absolute minimum. This is intended to be a separate space from c/chapotraphouse or the daily megathread. Chat does this by being a long-form community where topics will remain from day to day unlike the megathread, and it is distinct from c/chapotraphouse in that we ask you to engage in this community in a genuine way. Please keep shitposting, bits, and irony to a minimum.
As with all communities posts need to abide by the code of conduct, additionally moderators will remove any posts or comments deemed to be inappropriate.
Thank you and happy chatting!
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Hatsune Miku could be considered the very first digital character actor to achieve fame. But she's quite different to vtubers.
Miku is a 100% fabrication. She is a character that uses software called Vocaloid, a voice synthesiser, to sing. They make songs for her using it and then make digital/cgi/animated shorts for the songs. She performs gigs through a 3d projection.
Vtubers on the other hand are human beings using software to appear as animated characters. They do the same job as streamers do but they do it via a character that they perform as to varying degrees of quality. Some amateur vtubers perform mostly as themselves but with an animated avatar, whereas professional companies with fulltime staff have performers staying fully in character. The professional side of this new industry operates similar to the idol industry. They're wage paid contracted performers who leave within a few years because it's ultimately a dead end job with no growth. The industry is completely cutthroat too and performers are treated pretty much exactly the same way idols are treated. I suspect it's actually worse for the vtuber performers because they're not getting famous from it either, they're nobodies when off screen.
I know jack shit about the idol industry. I thought they were like pop stars and could get mega rich and famous?
Mega famous yes.
They make their company mega rich yes, they don't get mega rich though lol. They get used up and tossed out.
Damn, they need a union.
They face a similar issue to games industry workers, it's hard to unionise them because such a huge number of people want to work in the industry. They are hyper exploited because they can be replaced, and they're young and naive so they don't advocate for themselves very well. Any negativity also doesn't fit idol culture and can harm your career.
Idols know they're in direct competition with one another and with other idol groups. They all want to make it big. 99% of them will not and the industry chews them up and spits them out.
Think of idols like the music industry but if the singers were just on a contract with a wage within an "idol company" that is effectively the owner of their future. It's not helped by the age issue and most idols aging out of the work and "graduating" before they reach the kind of age in life where you'd start fighting back. Graduation is a useful tool of hiding whether the idol was let go by not renewing their contract or quit. And of course every single person graduating will always say it's on good terms because if you don't and you cause a fuss well you're never getting a job in the industry again.
The only exception I can really think of are Perfume, who started out as idols but kinda became their own thing and are now in I think their 25th year as a group together