Was denied artist visa, am I banned now?

Hi folks. I come here today with what is probably a super specific problem, but I don't really know where else to turn, so here we go.

I sing in a rock band based in Europe. In the spring of 2018, we got in touch with a Japanese record label who wanted to start working with us and potentially sign us to their label. Before that though, they would need to see us perform live. They then decided to put us on the bill for a show in Tokyo alongside a couple of their other bands. For us to play this show, however, they needed to apply for artist visa for my band members and me. And so they did.

Two weeks before we were supposed to fly over, we get word that the artist visa has been denied. Apparently there were two reasons for this:

1. The record company needed to exist for two years to be able to hand out international artist visa, which they hadn't yet
2. One, or several band members, had "performed in Japan on a tourist visa before"

Because of this, we were canceled from the show and the record label CEO decided to drop all contact with us (probably because we made his company look bad). At this point, I knew for a fact that one of my band mates had done a DJ session at a bar in Tokyo on his tourist visa and had gotten in trouble for it. However with our flights booked already, me and my girlfriend decide to fly in during those dates anyway. Upon landing in Japan, the immigration man pulls me aside to a separate room where he tells me that "Hey I see you applied for a visa and got denied, why did you come here anyway? We know you've been a DJ on a tourist visa before". I explain that our tickets were booked and we're just gonna do tourism, and that the DJ'ing was not done by me but by my band member. He then explains that "if you perform on a tourist visa again you're banned from Japan". After this, we get let into the country with normal visa stamps anyway.

Fast forward to present day. I'm currently applying to study Japanese on a 2-year course at a language school in Japan starting later this year.

THE PROBLEM: The school wants to know if you've been denied visa before. I told them this story and they then said that they needed to see the application forms submitted by the record label CEO, and preferably a letter from the CEO explaining the situation. However, the label and the CEO have made it very clear that they do not want to communicate with us in any way and I'm been totally unsuccessful in getting a reply out of him about this.

Right now, however, it looks like the school can't move on with my application until I receive these papers from the record label, which I won't receive no matter what I try.

So, does this mean I can never study in Japan?
Will I get denied a working visa too, because the record label won't co-operate?
Also, TECHNICALLY I wasn't the one getting my artist visa denied, the label got denied applying for me and my band members... so am I really to blame for this?

If the same label were denied trying to apply for artist visa for Metallica, would Metallica's members never be able to study Japanese in Tokyo either?

Again, I know that this is a very complicated situation, but I'm really out of ideas and options of what to do. My girlfriend and I are planning to move together, and right now it looks like her application will get approved and my won't.

Any advice is super welcome. Thanks.

Also, TECHNICALLY I wasn't the one getting my artist visa denied, the label got denied applying for me and my band members...

No, that's not how it works. It's always a person (you) that applies for a visa, even when that application is made on their behalf by a third-party such as a potential employer. Yes, it is your visa application that got denied.

As for whether you can apply for a visa again in the future, it probably depends on the type ov visa. Student visas for language schools are handled in an extremely strict manner because they are so commonly abused. You might have an easier time with a work visa.

You can apply again after 6 months usually.
But you cannot work on a tourist visa (earn money or other compensations) if you decide to go to Japan.
If you do so you are doing illegal work

Applying after six months is after a denial and applying for the same visa I believe.

It is the school who is asking you for the papers, correct? They must be concerned that your application might be denied if they don't provide the proof about your previous situation and show that that was in the past but this time it is for a completely different situation and that there is no risk of you ever attempting anything like what was done (by someone else though) before.

Is there any way you can hire an immigration lawyer or a scrivener to contact the record label CEO on your behalf?

Others broke the law as a "group", so you - personally - were denied a visa. The circumstances and requirements are quite strict.
As a group you were denied - so that applies to you as an individual - it might suck, but you are tarred by your band-mate "friend".
You might apply again in six months, or better, in another five years. Why would a language school invite trouble with the authorities - they wouldn't.

As for other famous "artists" - I suggest you check Paul McCartney - he was arrested and deported. As someone actually famous, he was treated lightly.