2. Summary
Music Market in Japan
Potential Market
Distribution Channels
Promotions
How to make “Big in Japan”
3. 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.
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9. 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.
10. 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!
11. 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)
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14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. 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.
