Students Ryan O’Leary, Danel Illarramendi, and Fernanda Gomez from the global entertainment and music business master’s program reflect upon the ninth of the Music Business Seminars, where they had the chance to learn more about the Japanese music industry with guest speaker Benny Rubin.
Japan has established itself as the world’s second largest music market. Despite its evident power, the Japanese market remains predominantly domestic. A dismal 20% of the music consumed in Japan comes from outside markets. To a foreign musician, the cultural and societal differences of Japan can be intriguing and intimidating. Regardless of these inevitable obstacles, countless musicians continue to take their talent to Japan. The evolution of Japan’s music industry has been punctuated by trends of foreigners gaining success and esteem. Launching a successful career in Japan is far more complicated than simply being popular in your home country or having a unique sound. Instead, there are identifiable patterns and methods that are congruent to surviving in Japan. The three demands that must be met by a foreign trying to infiltrate the Japanese music scene are: pre-existing demand, overspill demand, and satiated demand.