Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Music industry in Japan - statistics and facts
Owing to Japan鈥檚 large population, the economic affluence of its consumers, and its strong fan culture, the Japanese music market is one of the largest music markets globally. The sales value of recorded and digital music alone amounted to more than 328 billion Japanese yen in 2024. Recorded audio products continued to make up the biggest share, which is unusual given the dominance of streaming in other major music markets worldwide. One major reason for the preponderance of physical media in Japan is that CDs are often sold as collectibles or feature tie-ins, such as tickets that allow one to vote in idol contests or to personally meet one鈥檚 favorite artist. Japan was relatively slow to embrace streaming services in general, but both video and music streaming have become more widely adopted in recent years.
