A 48-year-old who can't even read sheet music makes his music streaming debut
At 48, I can't even read sheet music, but
I made my streaming debut on music subscription services today, April 1, 2026.
Available on Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music, etc.
It has been released on 23 services!
Back in my student days, 30 years ago,
I played the saxophone without being able to read sheet music
(Long live playing by ear, though it left me a bit hard of hearing).
I don't think the me from back then
could have even imagined who I am today.
When I was twenty, I was desperate and didn't care what happened to me, so I went on a trip on a beat-up bicycle and cried while asking a homeless man I didn't know at Lake Biwa for life advice...
I couldn't even handle day labor, leaving without permission during my lunch break and quitting on the spot, eating a half-frozen bento in a snowy park...
I didn't know what I wanted to be, I was just living back then...
Or rather, I probably never thought
that digital technology would advance this far.
Now, at 48.
I never imagined I would be creating music with AI
and releasing it on music streaming services.
The music released this time is a 5-track mini-album consisting of
the songs I wrote about on note the other dayplus one new song.
And to commemorate the release,I even made merchandise.
The birth of Oage Records
When I was registering for streaming,
I thought, "Since I'm at it, I might as well start a record label (in name only)."
A record label that Maruko belongs to...
Oinari-san...
Inari sushi...
Oage-san...
Oage!
And so,
Oage Records
Here is the Oage Records release commemorative merchandise.
Why I decided to make music
The biggest factor was
the X account suspension incident I've been talking about repeatedly since the start of this year.
I created an account and was suspended twice in one month.
And that was even though I was paying for it. That was quite tough.
Also, regarding Instagram, it was quite a while ago, but ever since thumbnails stopped being square,
I started to feel a bit bored with it.
"Well, where should I present my photos now..."
When I thought that,
what was on the iPhone screen in my hand was YouTube.
I thought, "Ah! This is it!"
However, if I make it a video, it doesn't hold the pacing well.
Just flipping through photos would be silent and boring.
There is royalty-free music available, but I thought, why not try making something original while I'm at it?
But I, let alone compose music, can't even read sheet music.
I have also already
let go of my instruments (alto sax, electric guitar, bass).
That's when I remembered.
"Come to think of it, I heard you can make songs with AI."
Let's try making one.
That's how I got started.
I listened to about 100 songs to make just one.
Change the prompt and create → listen → create again.
Repeating that process.
I play music while working, and while the data is saving,
I change the prompt a little.
Create and listen again.
While repeating things like that,
I chose the ones that gave me goosebumps.
I gathered five of those into a mini-album and decided to release them so they could be easily listened to.
Click here for streaming
These 5 songs are
available on the following music subscription services.
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
and others, for a total of 23 services (some, like LINE MUSIC, are not available).
I would be happy if you could listen to them while working or taking a walk.
This year, I've done so much that people might think I'm going to die next year,
Oh, come to think of it! Better late than never, but I exhibited my photos at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
(A post-event report...)
And, I was selected for the 2026 JPS Exhibition by the Japan Professional Photographers Society, which I entered under my real name.
To those of you thinking, 'Are you really just going to gloss over that? Since you wrote this article on April 1st, isn't this all an April Fool's joke?',
it's actually on the subscription services, so try searching for 'Maruco' or 'Madoromi Mimimi'.
This post got quite long, so I'll save the talk about photography for next time.
What!? You say if I write 'next time,' you'll have to wait another half a year?
No, no, since it will be exhibited at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum and the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, I will definitely write about it! Eventually.
Maruco