— Latest update: May 2025 —

Although the global music industry has mostly shifted towards the digital era of streaming and downloads, Japan is still catching up with this trend.

The sales of the Compact Disc, or CD, remain dominant in Japan. Japan is the second largest recorded music industry in the world, behind the United States, and its domestically recorded music makes up a majority of this market. Japanese consumers are also known, however, for enjoying Western and other foreign music such as K-pop. Japanese artists often fuse traditional and western music to create hybrid styles such as J-pop and some modern variations of Enka.

Table of Contents

• The Japanese Market
  • Recorded music
  • Digital music
• Exporting Music to Japan
• Inviting Japanese Artists to Europe
• Musical Instruments Market
• Expert Reports
• Annual Report
• Further Reading
• Relevant Organisations and Trade Fairs