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Business News Labels & Publishers
Japanese record industry reports 15% decline for 2013
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 18 March 2014
Ahead of the publication later today of this year’s annual digital report from the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry, the Japanese record business has released it’s 2013 stats which, after a series of uplifts reported in Europe, aren’t so upbeat.
Both physical and digital revenues slumped last year, the former – still by far the most dominant revenue stream in Japan – down from 310.8 billion yen to 270.4 billion. Digital slumped too, down 23% overall, which makes for depressing reading when elsewhere digital booms (overall, even if download income has peaked) are now compensating for continued physical sale declines.
That said, download services of the kind that have dominated in Europe and the US in recent years did see some good growth in Japan in 2013, the slumps being experienced by the sorts of pre-smartphone mobile music services that were uniquely popular in the Japanese market. And indeed, the Recording Industry Association Of Japan classifies download sales via smartphones as ‘internet’ rather than ‘mobile-based’ music purchases, making the mobile music revenue stream look very much in decline.
Overall the Japanese recorded music market saw revenues fall 15%. A slow release schedule can probably account for some of that steep decline – with labels already reporting a more healthy 2014 – though peculiarities to this market in the shift from physical to digital content is also a major factor. It remains to be seen if the new rise of iTunes-style download services in Japan and the very-much-in-its-infancy-in-this-market streaming sector can help the Japanese record industry recover in the years to come.
