{"id":8632,"date":"2026-07-24T16:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/japan-is-the-worlds-no-2-music-market-and-grew-8-9-its-charts-are-81-local-and-most-of-the-money-is-still-a-cd\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:05:19","slug":"japan-is-the-worlds-no-2-music-market-and-grew-8-9-its-charts-are-81-local-and-most-of-the-money-is-still-a-cd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspacemusic.com\/blog\/japan-is-the-worlds-no-2-music-market-and-grew-8-9-its-charts-are-81-local-and-most-of-the-money-is-still-a-cd\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Is the World’s No. 2 Music Market and Grew 8.9%. Its Charts Are 81% Local, and Most of the Money Is Still a CD."},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan just did something almost no other large music market managed in 2025. It grew fast without letting streaming take over.<\/p>\n

The IFPI, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry that publishes the global recorded-music league table, reported in its Global Music Report 2026 that Japan grew 8.9% in 2025 and held its place as the world’s second-largest market. That growth was not powered by subscriptions the way it was almost everywhere else.<\/p>\n

It was powered, in large part, by a CD.<\/p>\n

The market streaming did not swallow<\/h2>\n

Most major markets are now 70% streaming or higher. Japan is not.<\/p>\n

Through September 2024, streaming accounted for roughly 35% of Japan’s recorded-music revenue while physical formats held the other 65%, according to Billboard’s analysis of RIAJ data. RIAJ is the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the body that reports the country’s official shipment figures.<\/p>\n

The scale of that physical business is hard to overstate. Japan accounts for roughly 56% of all worldwide CD sales volume, and it remains the largest physical market on earth.<\/p>\n

That physical strength is why the IFPI could report global physical revenue rising 8% in 2025, led by a 13.7% jump in vinyl. The report tied that rebound directly to Japan returning to growth. When Japan’s CD numbers move, the global format chart moves with them.<\/p>\n

The charts belong to Japanese artists<\/h2>\n

Japan is also one of the most locally dominated streaming markets in the world.<\/p>\n

Japanese artists make up 81% of the country’s Spotify Top 200, a share higher than Korea, Europe or the United States, per data compiled by Skoove and Music Business Japan. The home audience listens at home.<\/p>\n

Here is what topped it in 2025:<\/p>\n