The Music Market in Japan
- Japan is the second largest music market in the world in terms of retail value.
- The population of just the Tokyo Metropolitan Area is 38 million. (Japan Total Population: 127 million)
- Japanese spend more money on music per person than anyone else in the world.
- Digital music sales increased by 13% while CD sales continue to decline 10% year by year.
- Downloads decreased by 5% but streams increased by 33% showing the rise in popularity of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- Downloads make up 40% while streams make up 54% of all digital music sales in 2018.
- About 40% of all CD albums sold in Japan is international.
- Alan Walker (Norway), CNCO (Latin America) and Jonas Blue (UK) were the Best 3 New Foreign Artists of the Year in the 2019 Japan Gold Disc Awards for highest sales in Japan.
- There are fans in Japan for all genres of music—from Hawaiian, Bossa Nova, Folk, New Age, and Bluegrass to Metal, Punk, Alt Rock, HipHop, Dance, Reggae, and everything in between. Since the population of Japan is huge compared to most countries, even a small percentage of the population is a lot of people.
* Statistics provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)
Click here to check if your music is available on the main Japanese download and streaming services, and to promote your music to Japanese music fans and industry people.
Access List of Japanese Record Labels, Music Festivals, Show Organizers, 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.
More info about the music market in Japan
Many indie bands and labels that understand the global music business rely on Japan as a source of fans and revenue. When you're making more fans and selling more music, being "Big in Japan" is a good thing!
Click here to create a FREE Japanese web/mobile site (EPK) and start promoting your music in Japan.
See the artists/bands from your country that are actively selling and promoting their music in Japan.
Click here to learn how to set up your Japan Tour whenever travel restrictions are lifted!
