Yamaha Popular Song Contest

The Yamaha Popular Song Contest (ヤマハポピュラーソングコンテスト, Yamaha Popyurā Songu Kontesuto), generally known as Popcon (ポプコン, Popukon), was a Japanese popular music contest which ran from 1969 to 1986. It was sponsored by the Yamaha Music Foundation and was held annually (later, twice a year) at the Yamaha Resort Tsumagoi in Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Japan.

The grand prix winners were to be qualified for the World Popular Song Festival.

History

• 1969: The first competition, as the '69 Composition Concours ('69作曲コンクール, '69 Sakkyoku Konkūru), took place at the Yamaha Resort Nemu no Sato (ヤマハリゾート合歓の郷, Yamaha Rizōto Nemu no Sato) in Shima, Mie, Japan.
• 1972: The contest was renamed Popular Song Contest (ポピュラーソングコンテスト, Popyurā Songu Kontesuto).
• 1973: From this year, the event was held twice a year.
• May 1974: The contest venue was changed to the Yamaha Resort Tsumagoi (ヤマハリゾートつま恋) from this year.
• May 1984: Due to a gas explosion in Tsumagoi the previous year, the Nakano Sun Plaza temporarily hosted the event.
• September 1986: The 32nd competition was held as the final Popcon event.
• 1987: Teens Music Festival (ティーンズミュージックフェスティバル, Tīnzu Myūjikku Fesutibaru) replaced the Popcon.

Notable participants

The following professional singers have won in some division of awards.

• Junko Yagami (1974)
• Miyuki Nakajima (1975)
• Motoharu Sano (1978)
• Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi (1978)
• Frecuencia Mod (1978)
• Chage and Aska (1979)
• Crystal King (1979)
• Aming (1982)
• Tom Cat (1983)
• Akino Arai (1984)

Winners

1st Composition Concours (1969)

At the Nemu no Sato Yamaha Music Hall, on November 23, 1969.

• Grand Prix
  • Jun Mayuzumi^[1]

2nd Composition Concours (1970)

At the Nemu no Sato Indoor Hall, on November 5, 1970^[2]

• Grand Prix
  • Mieko Hirota

3rd Composition Concours (1971)

At the Nemu no Sato Outdoor Hall, on October 9, 1971^[3]

• Grand Prix
  • Hide and Rosanna

4th Popcon (1972)

At the Nemu no Sato Outdoor Hall, on October 8, 1972^[4]

• Grand Prix
  • Chewing Gum, folk duo
• Awards
  • Yōsui Inoue
  • Yumiko Kokonoe

5th Popcon (1973)

At the Nemu no Sato Outdoor Hall, on May 20, 1973^[5]

6th Popcon (1973)

At the Nemu no Sato Outdoor Hall, on October 13, 1973^[6]

• Awards
  • Akiko Kosaka

Popcon Grand Prix '73 (1973)

At the Nemu no Sato Outdoor Hall, on October 14, 1973^[7]

• Grand Prix
  • Kouichi Ise and Manji
  • Akiko Kosaka

7th Popcon (1974)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 5, 1974^[8]

• Grand Prix
  • Kyoko Kosaka
• Top Prizes
  • Akira Yamazaki
  • Yuki Katsuragi

8th Popcon (1974)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 13, 1974^[9]

• Chewing Gum

9th Popcon (1975)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 18, 1975^[10]

• Grand Prix
  • Shichifukujin
• Best Song Award
  • Shigeru Matsuzaki
• Awards
  • Miyuki Nakajima

10th Popcon (1975)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 12, 1975^[11]

• Grand Prix
  • Miyuki Nakajima
• Best Song Award
  • Akira Inaba (composer)

11th Popcon (1976)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 16, 1976^[12]

• Grand Prix
  • Sandii
• Best Son Award
  • Yukio Sasaki

12th Popcon (1976)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 3, 1976^[13]

• Grand Prix
  • White House II

13th Popcon (1977)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 8, 1977^[14]

14th Popcon (1977)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 2, 1977^[15]

• Grand Prix
  • Masanori Sera & Twist

15th Popcon (1978)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 7, 1978^[16]

• Grand Prix
  • U・U
• Best Song Award
  • Motoharu Sano
• Award
  • Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi and Salty dog

16th Popcon (1978)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 1, 1978^[17]

• Grand Prix
  • Hiroshi Madoka
• Best Song Award
  • Yūko Ōtomo
• Highest Award
  • Monroes
• Awards
  • Chage and Aska
  • Crystal King
  • S.E.N.S.

17th Popcon (1979)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 6, 1979^[18]

• Best Song Award
  • Ippei Suzuki
• Awards
  • Chage and Aska
  • C. W. Nicol and his friends
  • Chizuru Matsunaga (Try-Tone)

18th Popcon (1979)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 7, 1979^[19]

• Grand Prix
  • Crystal King
• Best Song Awards
  • Hironori Kaneko
  • Gypsy and Arere no Re (the current Stardust Revue)

19th Popcon (1980)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 11, 1980^[20]

• Grand Prix
  • Tomoya Itami & Side by Side (Tomoya Itami and Tomoji Sogawa)
• Awards
  • Haruhi Aiso
  • Cutie Panchos

20th Popcon (1980)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 5, 1980^[21]

21st Popcon (1981)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 10, 1981^[22]

• Grand Prix
  • Toshihiro Itoh

22nd Popcon (1981)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 4, 1981^[23]

• Grand Prix
  • Aladdin
• Award
  • Yuiko Tsubokura
• Kawakami Prize
  • Megumi Shiina

23rd Popcon (1982)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 16, 1982^[24]

• Grand Prix
  • Aming
• Best Song Award
  • Asqua
• Kawakami Award
  • Carlos Torres & the Sweet Dreams

24th Popcon (1982)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 3, 1982^[25]

25th Popcon (1983)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 15, 1983^[26]

26th Popcon (1983)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 2, 1983^[27]

• Grand Prix
  • Midori Karashima

27th Popcon (1984)

At the Nakano Sun Plaza, on May 13, 1984^[28]

28th Popcon (1984)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 7, 1984^[29]

• Grand Prix
  • Tom Cat
• Best Song Award
  • Sway
• Award
  • Akino Arai

29th Popcon (1985)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 12, 1985^[30]

30th Popcon (1985)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on October 6, 1985^[31]

• Grand Prix
  • Kazuyuki Ozaki & Coastal City
• Best Song Award
  • Rika

31st Popcon (1986)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on May 11, 1986^[32]

• Award
  • Jinnouchi Taizō

32nd Popcon (1986)

At the Tsumagoi Exhibition Hall, on September 29, 1986^[33]

See also

• Yamaha Music Festival

References

1. 第1回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
2. 第2回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
3. 第3回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
4. 第4回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
5. 第5回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
6. 第6回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
7. ポピュラーソングコンテスト '73グランプリ大会 (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
8. 第7回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
9. 第8回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
10. 第9回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
11. 第10回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
12. 第11回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
13. 第12回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
14. 第13回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
15. 第14回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
16. 第15回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
17. 第16回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
18. 第17回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
19. 第18回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
20. 第19回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
21. 第20回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
22. 第21回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
23. 第22回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
24. 第23回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
25. 第24回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
26. 第25回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
27. 第26回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
28. 第27回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
29. 第28回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
30. 第29回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
31. 第30回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
32. 第31回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
33. 第32回 ポピュラーソングコンテスト (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Foundation. Retrieved 2012-04-25.

External links

• Popcon history (in Japanese)