Music industry in Japan - statistics and facts

Listening to music is a popular pastime for many people around the world, and Japan is no exception in this regard. Owing to the country’s large population and the economic affluency of consumers, the Japanese music market is one of the largest of its kind. The sales revenue of recorded and digital music alone amounted to more than 283 billion Japanese yen in 2021. Recorded audio music makes up the biggest share of this, with CDs still being a popular commodity when compared to the situation in other countries. One major reason for this is that CDs are often sold with tie-ins, such as tickets that allow one to vote in idol contests or to personally meet one’s favorite artist. Japan was relatively slow to embrace streaming services in general, but both video and music streaming have gained in importance in recent years.

COVID-19 and music streaming services

The Japanese music market was negatively affected by the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. This was particularly apparent in the case of concerts, as the number of concert-goers dropped precipitously during that year, and concert ticket sales fell accordingly. Temporary closures of shops and the tendency of people to spend more time at home led to lower sales of physical media. Digital music, on the other hand, was able to continue its strong growth development, as is shown by the subscription-based music streaming sales revenue. This incremental shift towards digital content can also be seen in other parts of Japan’s media industry. Prior to the pandemic, music streaming took up steam when several international competitors entered the market in the mid-2010s. Apple Music, Google Play Music, and Amazon Prime Music all started offering their services in 2015, with Spotify joining the competition in 2016 and YouTube Music following in 2018. When it comes to domestic services, apps such as LINE Music, AWA, d-Hits, Uta Pass, or RecMusic cater to music fans. During the pandemic, live streaming services such as Gyao! and U-Next also garnered more attention, as it had become difficult to conduct concerts at actual venues due to the risk of virus infections. In 2021, the concert market showed signs of recovery, although it did not yet reach pre-pandemic levels.

Preferences of Japanese consumers

Japan’s music industry is often associated with idol culture, a highly visible subset of the industry that encourages fans to support certain artists by establishing a sense of personal connection between fan and entertainer. Idols come in a variety of formats and in many cases also serve niche audiences. In general, the use of social media has made it easier for fans to feel connected to their favorite artists in recent years, and it is not uncommon for popular musicians to also act as influencers. When it comes to music consumption itself, people in Japan commonly make use of freely available options such as YouTube or television programs in order to listen to songs. Online video streaming websites and TV programs also constitute important sources of information for consumers. While music is often enjoyed while engaging in other activities, it also plays a big part in Japan’s social life, as people like to meet friends at dedicated karaoke establishments. Similar to the live music industry, the karaoke industry, which predominantly relies on karaoke boxes and drinking establishments, was strongly hit by the spread of COVID-19 and related prevention measures. At the same time, the availability of apps that allow people to stream karaoke versions of songs, such as Pokekara, Joysound, or Karaoke@DAM, means that karaoke can now also be enjoyed more flexibly and with a variety of features that were previously not possible.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 31, 2023

Key insights

Sales revenue of recorded and digital music sales
307.4bn JPY
Subscription-based streaming sales revenue of online music
75.6bn JPY
Leading subscription music streaming service
Amazon Prime Music
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