Rhapsody and Sony Music Entertainment Japan have officially launched their mora qualitas streaming service in Japan. The platform, initially unveiled in December 2018, offers high-resolution music from the Sony catalog, as well as libraries from other labels and distributors. Continue Reading
Japan has been an outlier when it comes to the global music trends. The country still remains anchored by CD sales, although streaming continues to grow its share of revenue. The Recording Industry Association of Japan released its second-quarter digital music sales, and all forms of streaming posted triple-digital increases over the first half of 2019. Continue Reading
Apple’s HomePod has not been a fast mover. It has been slow to make inroads with U.S. consumers, and it has also been gradual with reaching new markets. The latest development will bring the smart speaker to Japan, although later than originally expected. Continue Reading
Merlin, the independent label group and music rights agency, announced new leadership for its operations in Japan. Akira Nomoto has been named general manager of Merlin Japan. Kaoruko Hill has been promoted to an expanded role of head of member services and operations. Continue Reading
Merlin, the indie label group and digital rights agency, is marking the second anniversary of launching its office in Japan with some new data. The company announced that distributions to Japanese members have grown by 200% from the first half of 2017 and the first half of 2018. Continue Reading
Streaming music remains a small portion of revenue for Japan’s music industry, and skepticism from artists could be a reason. Many popular performers in Japan are opting to keep their new albums off streaming services at launch, at least domestically. Continue Reading
Smart speakers are a newer product segment in Japan, but the devices have gained awareness quickly in that market. Recent data shared by Voicebot from Marketing Research Camp showed that rates of smart speaker ownership among ages 15-69 in Japan rose from 4.5% in late 2017 to 5.7% in February 2018. Continue Reading
Audioburst announced a new investment that will see it making moves into Japan. The company specializes in analyzing spoken word content through AI and natural language processing. Continue Reading
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). Continue Reading
Deezer is making its debut in Japan. The streaming service is rolling out its Hi-Fi tier, which offers high-resolution, CD-quality audio files to listeners, beginning December 8. The subscription will cost 1,960 yen ($17) a month. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Japan and the vinyl trend; more on Spotify playlists; how much do podcasting pros actually make? Continue Reading
Napster has entered a partnership with Japanese company Rakuten. Under this deal, Napster will provide song playback, curated playlists, and its 20 million-track library to Rakuten Music. Rakuten Music launched in August 2016, adding a streaming music component to the holdings of the ecommerce business. Continue Reading