Amazon Prime Music launches in Japan

Japan flag canvasAmazon has debuted its Prime Music streaming service in Japan,, the fifth market to receive access to the online retailer’s platform. The service will offer listeners in the country more than 1 million tracks, including music by Japanese artists.

Japan has been the site of much interest from streaming services launches this year, including a launch by Google Play Music and a rumored push from Spotify. The market has long had the reputation of being unfriendly toward the streaming business, instead holding a strong preference for CDs. Streaming revenue has been growing in Japan, but still commands just a very small slice of the domestic music industry.

Anna Washenko