"The Japanese Transition to Streaming Music: Corporate Hesitancy and Individual Innovation," a chapter in this book on streaming music, examines the relatively slow adoption of music streaming in Japan, the world's second-largest music market. While streaming accounted for 67% of global music revenues in 2023, it only accounted for 31% of music revenues in Japan. The analysis explores both supply-side factors—including the industry's reluctance to abandon profitable physical sales, hesitancy to provide catalog content, and resistance to transitioning from ownership to access models—and demand-side factors such as Japan's aging demographics, strong attachment to physical media, and distinct listening habits. The study reveals how corporate strategies and cultural practices shaped Japan's unique response to digital transformation, while highlighting emerging opportunities for independent artists and international promotion through platforms like YouTube and streaming services.
