Japanese music market dipped in 2017, although digital continues to grow

Music sales in Japan totaled 289 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in 2017, a dip of 3% from the previous year. According to the annual report from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, online music distribution sales rose 8% to 57.3 billion yen ($538 million). Streaming was responsible for 46% of the online market, while downloads took 47%.

Japan is still a country focused on the physical when it comes to music.The country has been seeing shifts in favor of streaming and other online options over recent years, but physical formats continue to provide the lion’s share of money to the industry. CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays generated revenue of 232 billion yen ($2.2 billion) last year, although that marked a dip of 6%. Like many other markets, there has also been a unique take on the vinyl revival happening in Japan.