How Hiroyuki Miyasako’s “black-marketing” problem brought about changes in the pay of the comedian world

ABEMA and Yoshimoto Kogyo’s official YouTube channel distributed “Ametalk Special Edition: Ameagari Kessetai Breakup Report Meeting” on August 17, and the number of views exceeded 10 million. For Hiroyuki Miyasako (51), this was his first appearance on “Ametalk! For Hiroyuki Miyasako (51), this was his first appearance on “Ametalk!

“However, it was not aired on terrestrial TV but only on the Internet, and the video was deleted on the 18th. It is said in the industry that the reason for this is because TV Asahi took into consideration the wishes of Yoshimoto Kogyo, which still has not forgiven Miyasako.

In February this year, Hiroshi Osaki, 68, chairman of Yoshimoto Kogyo, told this magazine, “I don’t think you have to go back to Yoshimoto. I don’t think you should go back to Yoshimoto. Don’t talk about Yoshimoto until you quit,” he said, declaring his “insulation” from Miyasako.

“It’s no wonder Osaki is angry. Because of the black-marketing problem, more than 1,000 scheduled performances, including those by comedians unrelated to the riot, were cancelled. On top of that, Miyasako accused President Akihiko Okamoto (54) and others of threatening her at the apology conference she held with Ryo Tamura (49) of London Boots No. 1 and No. 2. It is said that due to Miyasako’s actions, Yoshimoto lost social credibility, and many jobs, including commercials, were cancelled.

The “Miyasako shock” also had a good thing. The “Miyasako shock” was also a good thing, because it brought a scalpel to the opaque contract issue.

“In the past, Yoshimoto did not sign contracts with anyone other than the top sellers, and their share of the fee was unclear. After the black-marketing scandal, in order to appeal to the public as a clean company, Yoshimoto signed contracts with all of its comedians and basically split their share with the office. In addition, the company has taken a “comedian first” approach, with 80% of direct sales and YouTube videos, which the comedian edits himself, going to the comedian. The comedians are happy to hear that the company has become a white company, as if the past had been a lie.

The number of managers has also increased. The better treatment of the comedians also means that Yoshimoto’s profits have decreased (smiles).

Two members of Oriental Radio left at the end of last year, and in January this year, Akihiro Nishino (41) of King Kong left Yoshimoto Kogyo after a dispute over allegations of power harassment against his manager.

In a video collaboration with “Onikoshi Tomahawk,” Oriragis’ Atsuhiko Nakata (38) said, “Both Mr. Nishino and I are not good at keeping in line. Both he and Nishino began to focus on YouTube and online salons, which they started individually, and distanced themselves from Yoshimoto. It is said that it was Yoshimoto who told them to cancel the contract.

Following the black-marketing, the young comedians lost their source of income as they were no longer able to do sales and live performances due to the Corona disaster. “The producer of a key station said, “Nakata and Nishino’s way of life was helpful to them.

“Some of them are now using online salons and crowdfunding to make ends meet. The black-marketing problem was a negative for Yoshimoto, but it was a positive for the comedians.

I hope that his partner Toru Hotaruhara, 53, will also use the breakup as a springboard for further growth.

From the September 10, 2021 issue of FRIDAY