AKB48, KARA & More to Perform as TBS Music Show Sets Record

On July 16, TBS TV will broadcast a live show called “Ongaku no Hi”
(Day of Music) for 7 hours and 40 minutes, making music history as the longest single music show ever televised.

There plans to have around 50 artists perform, including Japan’s biggest music group AKB48 and Kpop girl group KARA. The show’s producers say they want to deliver enough music, regardless of genre, to raise Japan’s spirits after the March Tohoku earthquake. Boy band SMAP’s Nakai Masahiro (38) and TBS announcer Azumi Shinichiro (37) will serve as hosts.
.

So far, TBS has announced the following lineup:

Ishikawa Sayuri
AKB48
Every Little Thing
Ogura Kei
Kayama Yuzo
KARA
Kuraki Mai
Sato Muneyuki
SID
JUJU
Sukima Switch
Tokunaga Hideaki
Dream Morning Musume
Nakagawa Shoko
Hikawa Kiyoshi
FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
flumpool
Becky
Makihara Noriyuki
Minami Kosetsu
Moriyama Ryoko
Rake

At nearly 8 hours of broadcast, "Ongaku no Hi" will surpass even the big year-end music events like NHK’s "Kouhaku Uta Gassen" and Fuji TV’s "FNS Kayousai". Currently, the longest music show is TBS’s end of the year “Countdown TV Special”, which ran for 5 hours and 15 minutes last year.
.

Ongaku no Hi will air July 16 from 7:00 PM to 2:40 AM (JST).

JpopAsia will update you as more artists are announced!