Japanese Record IndustryHang Nguyen – I32031

Summary

Music Market in Japan

Potential Market

Distribution Channels

Promotions

How to make “Big in Japan”

The Music Market in Japan

Japan is the largest music market in the world with over 25% of world sales.

The population of just the Tokyo Area is 35 million. (Japan Total Pop: 127 million)

Japanese spend more money on music per person than anyone else in the world — almost 3 times more than Americans.

The Music Market in Japan

About 80% of digital music sales in Japan are from traditional mobile phones (keitai) while 20% are from internet downloads (smartphones, tablets and computers).

About 45% of all CD albums released in 2011 in Japan came from a foreign country.

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.

Potential Market

Every year, Japanese spend over a billion dollars 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.

Many hard-working indie bands and their labels that are smart and understand the global music business rely on Japan as a large source of income. When you're making more fans and selling more music, being "Big in Japan" is a good thing!

Distribution in Japan

Distribution means getting your products (digital music and/or CD's) into stores where consumers can buy them.

In 2011, the flagship HMV store in Shibuya, Tokyo closed its doors forever.

Consumers use their mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, computers, and other portable devices to buy CD's, digital content and music subscription services

As a foreign indie label or artist, you can try to get a deal with a Japanese record label/company for distribution or DIY (do-it-yourself)

Digital Distribution

Over 72 billion YEN's worth of digital music sales were made in Japan in 2011.

About 80% were made from traditional mobile phones (keitai) while 20% were internet downloads (smartphones, tablets and computers).

Internet downloads increased by about 25% from the previous year.

There are 2 main formats of digital music content sold in Japan: Chaku-Uta™ / Chaku-Uta™ Full Downloads via the internet to computers, smartphones and other

internet-enabled portable music devices

Physical Distribution

Nowadays, it is almost impossible to get your CD on store shelves in Japan unless you have a major record company pushing your products.

Most indie and foreign CD's will be made available for sale through online shops and special order.

Finding a traditional distributor / licensor in Japan

Music Promotion (Sales Promotion, Marketing)

Advertising Print Advertising - 1 Color to Full Color Ads in Magazines and Free

Papers/Magazines Internet Advertising

Publicity is not advertising. "free” and comes in the form of online and offline articles,

interviews, reviews, news, radio, and TV. no “radio promotion”

Live Shows/Tours Doing a live gig in Japan is NOT a revenue-generating activity, it is

a promotional expense

How to make ‘Big in Japan’

Step 1: Create a Japanese web and mobile site. It is the essential foundation for distribution, promotion and sales of your music in Japan

Step 2: Get distribution in Japan whether it be through a Japanese record label or a DIY (do-it-yourself) method. If your music is not available for sale in Japan, then it is pointless to do promotion and advertising in Japan.

Step 3: Promote your music in Japan. Doing live shows in Japan is a great form of music promotion. It is difficult and expensive to do shows all the time everywhere in the world. So publicity and advertising in print and online media are necessary to reach the millions of music consumers in Japan.

Thank you for your attention