Voice Synthesizer called Vocaloid is famous software technology. For represented example HATSUNE MIKU, that software made Google theme…

Vocaloid{.markup–anchor .markup–figure-anchor} software by YAMAHA.

Voice Synthesizer called Vocaloid is famous software technology. For represented example HATSUNE MIKU, that software made Google theme song, such as famous singer Lady Gaga. That tune ‘Tell your world’ played almost 5 million times.

Google Chrome Theme song [Tell your world]

In fact, that HATSUNE MIKU and any Vocaloid are just voice synthesizing software, like other Synthesizer play by musician such as Daft punk. Apart from other software, Vocaloid was a singing a song with lyric. That cause big movement in Japan, a lot of DIY tune makers born in Japan, and over thousands professional quality music video shared in Japanese video sharing service. Indeed, you can see that creative collaboration ecosystem in these Vocaloid movements, likewise imagine open source movement. Actual HATSUNE MIKU is not an open source, technology by YAMAHA, Voice source by Voice actor Saki Fugita, product of Cripton future media. But similar software UTAU is open source, and these Vocaloid songs, making a trough of the process are very similarly culture as open source community.
**Who made these high quality music videos? Why that creative ecosystem appears in the Japanese video sharing service?
**This essay will try to express that.

Computer music by amateur musician and the hobbyist is not new things, you can see hobby computer music history before 1990. 
But typical computer musics before the Vocaloild, these songs are instrumental music, such as DJ and electro style, No singing and lyric.

Famous computer music ‘Extra’ by Ken Ishii.

Almost popular music need singing with lyrics, you can find tune in hit chart, Pitbull, Coldplay, OK GO, so every popular music have singing. Vocaloid softwares cause popular music bring to the Computer music, then the hobbyist can make popular music from them only the laptop, without physical singers and band.
Hence The laptop song makers are able to make popular music tune by Vocaloid. Additionally that Vocaloid software has character and appearance, like real Singer.
The early days, that the character and appearance are only one picture. However, that picture combined songs and lyrics, these became a story. Next, That stories’ cause imagines people, especially other creators, such as a drawer, Movie makers, bloggers. Finally, The song makers and other creators start collaboration for making movie clip together. That is an ecosystem.

What is Ecosystem? Why an Ecosystem is important?

That movie structure includes beautiful movie, picture and appearance. These things by DIY but not only track maker, collaboration by three different people. Produced and music by KUROUSA-P, Illustrated by ITTOMARU, movie by MIENOHITO. They are individual hobbyist meet on the Net. You can see a lot of collaboration in Vocaloid scene, for example, that SENBON SAKURA is 24st song from KUROUSA-P.
Typical Vocaroid song makers called ‘P’. P means Producer. He makes a song and lyric, and producing his song, also a collaboration with illustrator and movie maker to build the songs vision of the world.

SENBON SAKURA most popular song in 2011

This DIY song SENBON SAKURA played million times in only 42 days, at 2011. That means so many people enjoy Vocaloid songs. In case of Karaoke in Japan in 2011, almost every hit tunes are by Vocaloid.

These audiences in Video sharing service, some people are able to create another song and pictures, videos. Them added on a more and more story for the original Vocaloid character. Then, HATSUNE MIKU getting a lot of stories of the songs and pictures, start from only one picture, by collaborative creation.

Collaborative creation

Music select system of democratic collaboration.
Notable Vocaloid songs are almost 1500 songs in video sharing service. These are chosen from so many (uncountable) DIY computer music by the hobbyist song maker.
If you see all the songs, Probably you can find only low quality music, feel boring quickly, such as ATARI Shock.But you can find notable songs.

How to choose that notable songs?
First, Vocaloid mania checks every uploaded song at Video sharing service. That is not so easy, because every day 100–300 per day new song uploaded in 2011 (2009–2012 are Vocaloid songs golden era) And they not only watch the song, but also they add tagging songs and make song lists and publish to the blog every day. People can see Vocaloid hit chart every day.
Second, listed tunes are played by so many Vocaloid listeners, mostly teenager. 
Finally, some song played over 100,000 times, that song called notable. Every person can make and choose any songs, that is so democratic collaboration.

**Why people doing a collaboration for creative?
**Example SENBON SAKURA is 24st songs by Kurousa-P. He did 24 times collaboration with illustrator and movie maker.
Why people doing a collaboration for creative? Of course, The create music process is sometimes fun, additionally big audience in Internet give positive power to the creators. However, that is not only fun, creators spend many time on his laptop, then sometime that effort can’t make anything. These things too hard to call only hobby.

These are Senbon Sakura’s alternative creation in Japanese illustration community. You can find a lot of alternative creation in Japanese online community.

Otherwise, people often help each other for the purpose, indeed for the community. Vocaloid is only software, voice and simple character. Hence the creators add more story for the character. Now every famous Vocaloid has quite an attractive personality, more the every real singer. Meanwhile them Vocaloid personality is made by collaborative creation.

**Shared Personality
**A real singer, such as Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga’s personality is belonging them. You can’t feel own Lady Gaga’s personality. In the case of some musician give the name to them music instrument, Eric Crapton calling his guitar Layla. Otherwise that guitar Layla’s only his one.
Apart from, a Vocaloid is different. They have a personality from collaboration, and that software shared by each creator. Therefore them personality didn’t monopoly by anybody, every creator has own Singer. Vocaloid has both of apparently contradictory, they have shared personality.

Open collaboration ecosystem.

In conclusion, the people surrounding Vocaloid are making ecosystem. They helped each other for growing ecosystem. Additionally centre of ecosystem in attractive personality of Vocalid, that is not only software synthesizer but also character. As well as them character made by collaborative creation.
That structure is a bit similar to open source projects, unless difference between a software and content.
These are not a cathedral and not a bazaar, but another kind of open collaboration ecosystem.

By TAKASU Masakazu/高須正和{.p-author .h-card} on March 4, 2016.

Canonical link Exported from Medium on February 6, 2026.