[koumori]

I'm guilty of comparing Japanese artists to Western ones to friends who have no idea who they are, or what the Japanese music market is like at all. It gives them a better idea of their general pop image and popularity - then they get the actual context of their music when I show them clips. But to someone who hasn't ever taken an interest in music beyond their own country, it can be easier to root their understanding into something they're already familiar with as Delicious n Bold said.