The music industry has moved forward in leaps and bounds over the last few decades. From the older days of vinyls to cassette tapes, CDs and finally, the current age of digital music and streaming. However, at some point Japan stopped following the journey of other countries and remained in the time of CDs. It may seem surprising that a country so famed for its constant new technology and innovation has stuck with an older, less convenient form of technology but when examining the Japanese psyche, the influence of Tower Records and the state of digital streaming in Japan, it all starts to make sense. But as the industry and technology keeps developing, is it time for Japan to catch up and move with the times?
Tokyo Tower Records building in Shibuya Japan
CDs have remained popular in Japan for a number of reasons. One of these is the unique Japanese fan experience. It is a common phenomenon for Japanese fans to be very intense about a person, character, TV show etc that they like. There are many people whose hobby revolves around a musical figure and collecting every piece of merchandise they create. Even for more casual fans, owning a CD from one’s favourite artist is considered not only supporting the artist, but creating a physical connection to the artist. Japan also has a strong connection to the reliability and enjoyment of physical objects as opposed to digital. This explains the reliance on fax machines and physical cash, rather than email and digital wallets.
CDs in Japan also often offer generous bonuses on purchase. These can include exclusive merchandise items and lottery entries for concert tickets. (The concert ticketing system in Japan often works as a lottery where the opportunity to buy a ticket is drawn at random from entries, rather than a ‘first to buy’ system). In the modern day and age, many fans will actually buy a digital copy and a physical CD copy of their favourite artist’s releases – digital for convenience and physical for the connection of an ownable item or for interest in the cover art and insert booklet.
Another key aspect of CD culture in Japan is the large influence of Tower Records. While Tower Records is long gone in most other countries, it is still thriving in Japan with its 9-storey building in Shibuya holding the title of the largest music retail shop in the world. The ongoing strength of Tower Records Japan is at least partly a story of luck, with the Japan branch of the worldwide conglomerate going independent just a few years before the main brand declared bankruptcy. Making use of the Japanese love for collecting, Tower Records reigns supreme with its huge range of not only CDs and vinyls, but also various music merchandise, and is still going strong to this day.
In many other countries digital sales and music streaming services have long outstripped CD sales. iTunes, Spotify and various other services have a hold on the market and CD shops struggle to compete. However, in Japan digital music has been slow to catch on. This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, digital music providers were slow to introduce their services in Japan. This is largely due to licensing agreements and the difficulty in navigating these agreements with the many Japanese music companies. This meant popular services like Spotify were released well after they had gained popularity in Western countries. The long wait had allowed CDs to gain an even stronger hold on the market and made it more difficult to convince music lovers to change medium. Even before streaming services, downloading music was unpopular as many people don’t have a PC at home and downloading large files to a phone was inconvenient, especially at a time when phones had a lot less memory space.
While digital music has had a slow and difficult start in Japan, in recent years it has slowly been increasing in popularity. The last 5 years have shown a slow rise in digital music sales and a slow decrease in CD sales. The people of Japan have started to see the convenience of streaming or downloading music and are beginning to enjoy services which provide this convenience, especially among a generation where technology rules. Whether the death of CDs that occurred in other countries will also begin in Japan is still an unknown. However, with the strong physical connection that a CD provides for Japanese people, the value of collecting in the Japanese mindset and the fan bonuses often provided, it is unlikely that CDs will ever truly become extinct in Japanese society.
In a modern world where digital streaming and downloading of music has become the norm Japanese CD culture is quite unique. A number of factors have contributed to CDs ongoing reign. These include the general Japanese way of thinking, commitment to a well-liked artist and how this is displayed, difficulty in the introduction of digital services and the influence of companies like Tower Records. Just as Japan remains unique in a variety of cultural aspects, this is also true of CDs, a true symbol of Japanese music culture.
