What is Artist Power? Seiko Ito talks about new electric power and lifestyle.

As we live in an era after the Great East Japan Earthquake, it may be a kind of obligation to think about electric power. Minna Denryoku, a well-known renewable energy company, has started a new project called "Artist Power. It claims to be able to purchase electricity produced at artists' power plants while ensuring the traceability of the electricity by utilizing blockchain. Moreover, artists and fans are connected by renewable energy electricity, and together they can protect the global environment while having fun. We interviewed Seikou Ito, who is also the chief of Minna Denryoku and is heavily involved in this project. We went behind the scenes of "Earth Day Tokyo 2021," a special Minna Denryoku sponsored event, where he performed as Seiko Ito is the Poet, and asked him about this project.

Photo_Shota Kikuchi

Text_Shinri Kobayashi

Edit_Yosuke Ishii

There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

(Mr. Oishi, the president of Minden, who was present at the meeting, followed up.) At first, the idea of an "electric power resort" was more about having fun, but it has changed to a form of sharing, which I think is appropriate for the current era.

. sometimes we've gotten used to the idea of being virtual. Remote meetings are also virtual in the meeting itself, but the people behind the screen are real. . This is what many people are experiencing nowadays.

. I have to admit that I was excited to hear about this power system that solves the scale, budget, and traceability of power.

Right? . but I think there are still gaps to be improved. Ito's idea of power is like this, but if it is not centralized, ideas will be generated on an individual basis. I have been thinking for the last 10 years that solutions are created by individual circumstances, and I have also realized that there is no such thing as a solution that suits everyone. . Therefore, I want to do things in a more populist way, and I hope that the Ito Seiko system will be a catalyst for many different ways of doing things.

. but how did you come up with such a good idea that solves so many things?

. everything just fell into place. Oh, I just thought of something, but it would be nice to have a "Minna Denryoku TV" thing. It would be nice to have a place where we could broadcast from the tatami room in Minna Denryoku's office and people could come here. It would be like a personal TV station that only subscribers can watch, just like a CS subscription. Even if they don't perform live every time, if they send out their opinions and thoughts about some news, such as, "Mr. Biden said this and I thought this," that is information. I've already asked various artists for this artist power, and I will continue to do so, but if an artist loves to drink, I can show him or her drinking all the time (laughs). Nice, this one . The name is MTV, or "Minna Denryoku TV," so MDTV! (laughter)

PROFILE

being a party to

Born in Tokyo , 1961. After graduating from college, he joined Kodansha and worked as an editor of "Hot Dog Press" and other magazines. Since then, he has worked as a novelist, actor, TV personality, and rapper. He is particularly active in music, and is known as a pioneer of Japanese rap music. His most recent album, "ITP 1," released in March of this year under the name Ito Seiko is the poet, has become a hot topic.
Instagram: @ seikoito