ライブ

ライブ – raibu. concert or live show. If you’re with the eventing crowd, live also works since it refers to a live concert. This is an increasingly common type of event with its own subculture and industry with anisong so I can’t elaborate much here but suffice to say, a seiyuu with a musical career will or have already done one.

There are various kinds of concerts and it usually boils down to the type of venue and its capacity: live houses (100 – 400 persons), concert halls (800 – 2000 persons), arenas (10,000 – 30,000 persons), domes and stadiums (~50,000+ persons). Larger venues can accommodate different stage configurations that have different features and capacities. Some concerts are free and take place in open venues and malls. Mini-concerts (ミニライブ; miniraibu) are done as part of a larger event. There are pros and cons, with performers and organizers having a preference and plan for each of them.

No matter the scale, they are heavily involved and expensive endeavors that require cooperation between different people for ticketing, logistics, promotion, and organization on top of the performer being at their best through practice and rehearsals. As such, concert preparation may take a few months and they try multiple ways to recoup their costs, through ticket sales, merchandise, sponsorship, DVD/BD releases, etc.