Music Streaming Revenue Hits High Note in Japan
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The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers announced that in 2021 music royalties rose by 3.6% from the previous year to ¥116.7 billion. This is the second highest level recorded, the highest being in 2019.
Music subscription services and interactive streaming like YouTube were the driving force behind the rise, increasing by 16.0% year-on-year to ¥37.5 billion. Although interactive streaming has been growing since around 2015, during the COVID-19 pandemic the whole of society embraced online activities and digitization became more widespread, which boosted increased use of subscription services and video streaming.
Revenue from performances, including concerts and karaoke, saw a rise of 4.8% to ¥16.2 billion, but this was still far below pre-pandemic levels. Broadcast revenue showed signs of slowing down, falling 6.7% to ¥28.0 billion.
The work that generated the highest royalties through distribution by JASRAC in 2021 for the second consecutive year was “Gurenge” (Red Lotus) by LiSA, which is used as the theme song from the popular TV animation Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. In second place was “Homura” (Flame), again by LiSA, used as the theme song for the film version Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. “Kaikai kitan” (Round-About Fable), the theme song for the TV animation Jujutsu Kaisen took eighth place.
Top 10 Japanese Musical Works by Royalty Distribution
| Song | Artist | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Gurenge” (Red Lotus) | LiSA |
| 2 | “Homura” (Flame) | LiSA |
| 3 | “Dry Flower” | Yuuri |
| 4 | “UFO” | Pink Lady |
| 5 | “Pretender” | Official Hige Dandism |
| 6 | “Yoru ni kakeru” (Racing into the Night) | YOASOBI |
| 7 | “Hadaka no kokoro” (Naked Heart) | Aimyon |
| 8 | “Kaikai kitan” (Round-About Fable) | Eve |
| 9 | “Kaibutsu” (Monster) | YOASOBI |
| 10 | “Tensai Bakabon” (Genius Bakabon) | Idol Four |
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)