ABSTRACT
Hatsune Miku is Japan's leading virtual idol. She began life as voice synthesizer software released in 2007 by Crypton Future Media, Inc., a company based in Sapporo in northern Japan. Miku's emergence as a crowd-sourced celebrity reveals how participation in media platforms can develop in unexpected ways and that this participation is not driven primarily by economic motivations. Creative communities are spaces where social value takes precedence over economic exchange, and, arguably, it was there that Miku changed from a singing voice instrument into a "vocal character." Miku illuminates how creative communities, often energized by non-economic motivations, can form the basis for the emergence of new businesses and industries. Music journalist Shiba Tomonori describes the effect of Miku as nothing less than "changing the world". A new culture is blossoming, nurturing collaborations across fields. Put simply, this is entrance to an era of "100 million creators".
