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Current stories
- Recochoku enters Japan streaming biz
- Streaming picks up pace in Asia
- Japan music sales bounce back
- Metpod quizzes McClure on Spotify and Rdio
- Universal’s Koike adds EMI Japan CEO role
- Rdio, Spotify could boost Japanese market
Welcome to McClureMusic.com, delivering breaking news and in-depth analysis from the Japanese and Asian music industries to music-industry professionals around the world. With his lengthy and in-depth experience in reporting on the music business in Japan and Asia, former Billboard Asia Bureau Chief Steve McClure, knows that business inside-out, including the key players, market-defining trends and the stories behind the facts and figures.
Recochoku enters Japan streaming biz
March 1, 2013
Another player has entered Japan’s music-streaming sweepstakes.
Recochoku, a digital content aggregator owned by major Japanese labels, is launching a smartphone-based streaming service called “RecoChoku Best” in early March. It’s due to become available on PCs this summer.
Smartphone-based music delivery is the fastest-growing segment of the Japanese music industry. Recochoku risked … more
Streaming picks up pace in Asia
January 31, 2013
Streaming services are becoming more than just a trickle in Asia’s music-biz ecosystem, although they’re not yet in full flood.
Deezer is the latest music-streaming service to test the the waters in the region. The French-based company this week announced it’s expanding into 22 more territories, including South Korea, Taiwan, Hong … more
Japan music sales bounce back
January 25, 2013
The Japanese music industry has broken a 14-year losing streak.
Local labels body the Recording Industry of Japan (RIAJ) says its 63 member companies last year shipped audio software worth 227.7 billion yen ($2.5 billion). That’s up 8% from 2011 — and the first time the value of audio shipments has … more
Metpod quizzes McClure on Spotify and Rdio
January 20, 2013
My good pal Kamasami Kong last week gave me cappucino and put me in front of a microphone before asking me probing, intelligent questions about the expected entry of music-streaming services Spotify and Rdio into Japan. My take is that these services, which will likely launch in Japan sometime this … more