Tutorials

AREA SD, Stardust Channel, and more: Fanplus and Plusmember ID

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE FANPLUS NETWORK?

 

The Fanplus network is a collection of websites and content services managed by the distribution company formerly known as EMTG.

The main feature of the Fanplus network is that all content services under its umbrella are accessible with just one set of login credentials. SUPER★DRAGON is a client, so most of SUPER★DRAGON’s online content providers are a part of this network.

 

WHAT IS A PLUSMEMBER ID?

 

A Plusmember ID a unique string of letters and numbers that you are assigned to when you register anywhere within the Fanplus network. To get a Plusmember ID, all you need to do is complete registration process anywhere within the Fanplus network. That’s it!

 

WHAT DO I DO WITH A PLUSMEMBER ID?

 

A Plusmember ID is used to manage your account on the following SUPER★DRAGON content services:

 

• AREA SD (SUPER★DRAGON Official Smartphone App)
• Stardust Channel
• Stardust Bin
• Tixplus

 

You can complete your Plusmember ID registration on any of these services, and there’s no special order in which you need to register. Just remember to use the same ID (and password) to login to each of these services to be sure to reap the rewards of occasional Plusmember benefits and offers!

 

WHAT’S THIS: AREA SD (a.k.a the SUPER★DRAGON Official Smartphone App)

 

SUPER★DRAGON’s official fanclub, called AREA SD, is now run through the official smartphone app. It can be downloaded for Android or iPhone by clicking this link on your smartphone. Registration through AREA SD is controlled completely through the app itself, so downloading the app is required.

The app is free to download to your smartphone. After registration is completed within the app, you are then automatically enrolled as a Free member in the fanclub. This is one tier of fanclub membership, and the other tier, Premium, is a paid membership.

As the name indicates, the Free membership tier does not cost any money, and thus does not require any financial information to be entered into the app. Naturally, features and incentives are more limited than the paid membership tier. Free members cannot spend points, view Premium membership sections, or receive AREA SD member benefits on ticketing and/or the purchase of goods.

Premium membership to AREA SD costs 500 JPY per month and must be paid for with a debit or credit card that can be authorized for automatic monthly payments. Foreign card is accepted. Input of financial information and payment is processed through the SUPER★DRAGON official app, as is future billing information and management for those who re already enrolled. Paid members have full access to ALL of the features and incentives available on the app. A full list of benefits and additional information about fanclub membership can be found on the AREA SD tutorial here.

 

WHAT’S THIS: STARDUST CHANNEL

 

Stardust Channel is a video streaming platform that hosts old television broadcasts, concerts, and various contents of SUPER★DRAGON along with other EBiDAN groups. The type and amount of contents made available varies from group to group. SUPER★DRAGON’s contents include almost all past concert footage which was not released on Blu ray, EBiDAN-related crossover contents, and EBiDAN39&KIDS era television shows and concerts including the SUPER★DRAGON members.

Stardust Channel has no free subscription tier. Subscription to Stardust Channel costs 400 JPY per month and must be paid for with a debit or credit card that can be authorized for automatic monthly payments. Foreign card is accepted. Additional information about a Stardust Channel subscription can be found on the Stardust Channel tutorial here.

 

WHAT’S THIS: STARDUST BIN

 

Stardust Bin is an online shop selling physical merchandise of SUPER★DRAGON, along with the goods of other EBiDAN groups. Concert merchandise and miscellaneous goods that are not CDs and Blu Ray releases are generally sold here. Registration for Stardust Bin is free. Purchasing SUPER★DRAGON merchandise through Stardust Bin requires a shipping proxy service such as Tenso. Foreign card is accepted as payment for merchandise, but Stardust Bin does not ship to addresses outside of Japan at the time of writing.

More information and assistance with using Stardust Bin alongside a shipping proxy service can be found at the Stardust Bin tutorial here.

 

WHAT’S THIS: TIXPLUS

 

Tixplus is an online ticket vendor selling event and concert tickets of SUPER★DRAGON, along with tickets for other musical artists. Registration for Tixplus is free. Foreign card is accepted when paying for tickets.  At the time of writing, SUPER★DRAGON are still hosting and selling tickets through Tixplus for streaming events online. In the future, Tixplus may be used for tickets to physical events and concerts as well.

More information and assistance can be found at the Tixplus tutorial here.

 

OTHER FAQ

 

What happened to the EMTG ID system? What is an EMTG ID?

 

On April 1st, 2020, EMTG’s digital contents network changed their name to Fanplus. The credential formerly known as an EMTG ID was thus changed in name to Plusmember ID. There was no change to the system of registration and account status besides the name of the service. The terms EMTG ID and Plusmember ID, therefore, are virtually interchangeable. If you had an EMTG ID before the renaming, you can use the same credentials to log in to any platform as a Plusmember ID.

 

What happened to C.L.S.D? What is C.L.S.D?

 

C.L.S.D was SUPER★DRAGON’s first fanclub system. It was a web-based fanclub with free registration and membership, with various contents of SUPER★DRAGON available to registered members.

On January 31st, 2020, the website of C.L.S.D was taken down and it was announced that the fanclub will no longer be in service. The most likely reason for this is the advent of the SUPER★DRAGON Official App and the app-based freemium fanclub AREA SD. The staff of C.L.S.D have thus announced that all previous membership information has been removed from the C.L.S.D database.

Therefore, If you were a registered C.L.S.D member and you would like to remain a member of SUPER★DRAGON’s official fanclub, you must complete the registration process for AREA SD. Your prior C.L.S.D membership is not valid as AREA SD membership registration.

 

I want to enjoy SUPER★DRAGON contents but I do not have a Japanese credit or debit card! I only have a foreign card! Is that okay?

 

Yes! A debit or credit card issued by a non-Japanese bank is accepted in the SUPER★DRAGON Official App (AREA SD enrollment) as well as on Stardust Channel, Stardust Bin, and Tixplus. The most widely accepted bank cards are Visa or Mastercard. JCB and Diner’s Club are also accepted at a lesser extent. Any card that you have used to shop online with in the past should work.

There may be instances in which your payment did not go through, even if there are adequate funds in your account. This may be because your local bank has safeguards in place to prevent against international identity theft. In order to ensure that your transaction will not be declined, we recommend notifying your local bank that you plan on purchasing goods and/or services from a Japanese website before you try to make a purchase. Please ask if there are any special accommodations your bank can make so that the process of payment goes smoothly.

 

I do not have a debit or credit card. Is there another way I can pay for Plusmember services?

 

For the most part, there is no other way. AREA SD and Stardust Channel operate on a paid monthly subscription, so a method of payment that can be authorized for automatic monthly withdrawal is required. If you are too young for a debit and/or credit card, we recommend asking a parent or guardian for help with making the payment. Feel free to show them this web page if they have any questions!

A prepaid bank card, such as a Visa gift card, does not have the capacity to be authorized for automatic monthly payments. Therefore, prepaid bank cards are not accepted as a method of payment for AREA SD or Stardust Channel. A prepaid bank card may be accepted at Tixplus and/or Stardust Bin, but we at Nine Dragons cannot confirm this ourselves. Please try this method of payment at your own risk.

For those who are residing or travelling in Japan, making cash payments at convenience stores nationwide is possible for payments made to Stardust Bin or Tixplus. It may go without saying, but this method of payment is not valid outside of Japan.

 

If the monthly fee is billed in Japanese Yen, how will this show up on my foreign bank card statement?

 

In most cases, your bank will convert the charge into your local currency at the bank’s rate of conversion. Banks usually offer a competitive rate in comparison to the currency conversion controlled by individual websites. However, there may be additional fees unique to your bank for this type of transaction. Please contact your local bank about associated fees when making payments in foreign currency.

 

If foreign fans really are allowed to join these services, why does the registration process require a Japanese address and/or phone number?

 

There may be times in which the registration process will require a Japanese address and/or phone number. The primary purpose of this information is to deter people from making fraudulent transactions rather than to disadvantage foreign fans who are trying to support their favorite idols! We recommend signing up for a free account at Tenso, which will net you a Japanese address and phone number that you can use when signing up for any Japanese website. The address and phone number is provided free of charge to every account holder and will suffice for basic account creation.

 

I’ve accidentally registered for more than one Plusmember ID already, or I did not use the same login credentials for each site on the Fanplus network. What should I do?

 

Fans with multiple Plusmember IDs are strongly encouraged to consolidate their usage of services to one account. The Fanplus network regularly offers benefits to Plusmember IDs who are enrolled in more than one service. For example, Stardust Channel subscribers who are also enrolled in AREA SD will earn an extra 100 SD Points per month for being a Stardust Channel subscriber. This benefit won’t be available to you if you didn’t use the same account to enroll in both!

If you have more than one Plusmember ID and you are not currently paying for any subscriptions, simply discontinue use of all but one Plusmember ID. You can use that ID to log in to every website on the Fanplus network without having to go through the registration process again.

If you have more than one Plusmember ID and you are currently enrolled in paid monthly subscriptions that are spread out across all of the accounts, you should cancel your subscriptions held by any account except your “primary” account. You must then re-enroll in that monthly subscription while logged into your primary account. You will be billed as soon as you enroll in monthly subscription, and you will lose premium benefits as soon as you cancel your subscription. Please keep this in mind. This is why it is a far better idea to only have one Plusmember ID in the first place!

 

 

 

How to support SUPER★DRAGON – SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR OVERSEAS FANS

 

 

 

How to purchase SUPER★DRAGON CD and Blu Ray releases

 

Fans living outside of Japan who would like to buy SUPER★DRAGON’s official CD and/or Blu Ray releases have a wealth of options. We chose to evaluate three factors when we came up with our recommendations of where to purchase SUPER★DRAGON releases: ability to ship internationally (without the use of a proxy shipping service), whether or not sales will be counted on the Oricon sales chart, and whether or not your purchase is likely to come with a special store-exclusive benefit.

The Oricon sales chart is the most universally used method for determining the amount of sales in a time period for released media in Japan. Unfortunately, Oricon only aims to count domestic purchases. Therefore, orders of any physical media that are not shipped to a domestic Japanese address will not be submitted as sales data to Oricon. If you would like to purchase SUPER★DRAGON media in order to support them on the Oricon chart, you must use a proxy shipping service for your order regardless of where you ordered from.

Some stores, usually HMV and Tower Records, offer store-exclusive benefits for customers who order SUPER★DRAGON CD and Blu Ray media. In this case, the benefits have historically been restricted to those who ordered during the pre-order period. Orders placed after general release do not receive these benefits (in most cases). Before you place your order, please make sure that you have confirmed your eligibility to receive the special benefit. We at Nine Dragons will continue to attempt to bring accurate information regarding special benefits to international fans who don’t speak Japanese.

International fans who are buying Japanese physical media for the first time may be confused by the price of Japanese CDs and Blu Ray discs. Our recommended stores sell SUPER★DRAGON releases at sticker price. Unfortunately, physical media is much more expensive in Japan than it is in many other countries! Please confirm the cost of the item before you place your order.

 

 

OUR list of recommended online stores

 

CDJapan

CDJapan’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

CDJapan is a well-established online vendor of Japanese music catering almost exclusively to international fans. CDJapan purchases that ship internationally do not count as an Oricon sale. There is historically no special benefit included with SUPER★DRAGON orders placed through CDJapan.

 

Amazon Japan

Amazon Japan’s SUPER★DRAGON search query page

Online shopping overlord Amazon has an outpost in Japan. Most physical media releases ship worldwide. Amazon Japan purchases that ship internationally do not count as an Oricon sale. Generally, there is no special benefit included with SUPER★DRAGON orders placed through Amazon Japan. Historical instances are rare.

 

HMV

HMV’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

HMV is one of the two biggest media stores in Japan. HMV Japan does ship worldwide exclusively by EMS. HMV purchases that ship internationally do not count as an Oricon sale. Usually, there is a special benefit included with SUPER★DRAGON orders placed through HMV during the pre-order period.

 

Tower Records

Tower Record’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

Tower Records is the other one of the two biggest media stores in Japan. Tower Records, however, does not support any direct international shipping. Orders placed must be made through a Japanese proxy shipping service such as Tenso. As all Tower Records are required to ship domestically, all orders will be counted in data determining Oricon sales. Usually, there is a special benefit included with SUPER★DRAGON orders placed through Tower Records during the pre-order period as well.

 

How to support SUPER★DRAGON on Youtube

 

SUPER★DRAGON have an official YouTube channel of their own, which you can find here.

Additionally, there are several older SUPER★DRAGON videos hosted on Stardust Promotion’s channel stardustdigital. Since the opening of their own YouTube channel, SUPER★DRAGON no longer uploads content to this channel.

You can help support SUPER★DRAGON by simply watching and enjoying the videos they have uploaded on these two channels. Watching videos on YouTube, and interacting with the video in a positive way, makes their content more visible to casual browsers who can discover SUPER★DRAGON through valuable content recommendations. We have compiled a FULL tutorial that explains exactly how you can best support SUPER★DRAGON while increasing their presence on YouTube here.

 

How to LISTEN TO SUPER★DRAGON music on streaming services

 

SUPER★DRAGON’s music is available on various streaming services, but we chose the following three while considering these factors:

 

• All or most of SUPER★DRAGON’s discography is available
• New SUPER★DRAGON releases are uploaded to the platform on the day of release
• There may be special benefits for SUPER★DRAGON listeners available at times

 

The following three reliably satisfy the above requirements, and, with the exception of LINE mobile, are available worldwide. If you are unable to sign up for paid subscription, we have also included options for free access of each platform below.

 

Apple Music

Apple Music’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

Apple Music is a monthly subscription-based streaming service available worldwide. The cost of monthly subscription may vary according to the country of the registered user. Registration requires an Apple ID. There are generally no SUPER★DRAGON streaming campaigns available.

 

FREE ACCESS: Unregistered visitors can listen to a 30 second snippet of each song in the entire catalogue.

 

Spotify

Spotify’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

Spotify is a monthly subscription-based streaming service available worldwide. The cost of monthly subscription may vary according to the country of the registered user. There are generally no SUPER★DRAGON streaming campaigns available.

 

FREE ACCESS: Spotify is the best choice for free access, because they offer full versions of songs to unregistered visitors. The free plan for Spotify is ad-supported, and you may be limited to song selection or number of “skips.” You cannot listen to only SUPER★DRAGON music on the free plan, but it is a nonetheless strong option for hearing their full-length songs without a paid subscription.

 

LINE Music

LINE Music’s SUPER★DRAGON artist page

LINE Music is a monthly subscription-based streaming service based in Japan. Although the service is technically accessible worldwide, registration is controlled through the verification of a Japanese phone number. Due to this stipulation, this streaming service is generally not available to international fans. If you are in possession of a Japanese phone number, you can enjoy a wide variety of streaming campaigns in which top listeners can enter to win SUPER★DRAGON rewards, among other benefits.

 

FREE ACCESS: Unregistered visitors who log in with their LINE account can listen to the first 30 seconds of each song in the entire catalogue.

 

It may be the case that some fans wish to “stream” SUPER★DRAGON’s music by listening to it in large play quantities, or at a constant rate, in order of boosting their success on the streaming charts of a given platform. In Japan, streaming chart rankings are not very important in comparison to physical sales. This is because physical media is still somewhat favored over online streaming, and, despite the eventual shift to non-physical media, there is currently little infrastructure in place to replace the traditional charting for physical sales.

Unfortunately for international fans, LINE Music is perhaps the most accessible streaming chart in Japan. LINE Music aims to only count domestic streaming data in order to prevent chart manipulation, so, in summary, only domestic fans will be able to boost SUPER★DRAGON on the charts.

We recommend that international fans help SUPER★DRAGON by listening to their music on the streaming platform you have available in your country. They will still earn money from your song plays no matter where it is played! If you would like to help SUPER★DRAGON on the charts, we recommend buying a physical CD or Blu Ray as the best option at this time.

 

 

Some information has been compiled with the help of other fans’ experiences and may not be up to date. Please mention us on twitter @ninedragons_net if any problems arise when following any tutorial, and we will try to help as much as we can.

Let’s all have fun supporting SUPER★DRAGON!