The Music Market in Japan
- Japan is the 2nd largest music market in the world after the USA in terms of sales. (US$3 billion annually)
- The population of just the Tokyo Metropolitan Area is 38 million. (Total Population of Japan: 127 million)
- Japanese spend more money on music per person than anyone else in the world.
- Streams make up more than 75% of all digital music sales in Japan.
- The most popular digital music platforms in Japan are Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, AWA, Line Music, kkbox
- About 30% of all CD's sold in Japan were from foreign artists.
- Surfaces (USA), jawsh 685 (New Zealand) and DaBaby (USA) received the 2021 "Best New International Artist" Japan Gold Disc Award for highest sales in Japan.
- There are fans in Japan for all styles of music—from Hawaiian, Bossa Nova, Folk, New Age, and Bluegrass to Metal, Punk, Alt Rock, HipHop, R&B, EDM, Reggae, and everything in between. See the latest rankings in Japan for foreign music.
* Data provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)
Access List of Japanese Record Labels, Music Festivals, Show Organizers, Distributors, Publishers
Every year, Japanese spend over a billion YEN on music from foreign countries. If you are in the business of making and selling music, then Japan is your main market and should not be ignored.
The goal of this website is to provide resources to help indie bands/artists, managers and record labels sell and promote music in Japan. Please read the various sections and articles in this website to gain insight into doing business effectively in the Japanese music market.
Learn more about the music market in Japan
Many bands/artists and record labels from all over the world rely on Japan as a source of fans and revenue.
Create a FREE Japanese web/mobile site and start promoting your music in Japan.
See the indie artists/bands from your country that are active in Japan.
In the videos below, random people in Tokyo are asked what song they are listening to. Many listen to all kinds of music from around the world!
Learn about performing live in Japan and how to set up your Japan Tour.
