Apple Opens New Music Studio in Tokyo
Apple has inaugurated the new Apple Music Studio in Tokyo, marking its first facility in Asia and the seventh globally.
Launched on Monday (April 21), this new production center joins existing Apple Music locations in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London, Paris, and Berlin.
Supporting Artists and Connecting with Fans
Apple Music states that the studios offer artists a platform to showcase their work and engage more directly with their fans. This initiative comes as streaming services increasingly seek innovative ways to foster exclusive connections between artists and their audience.
According to IFPI Field, Japan remains the second largest recorded music market worldwide.
Commenting on the launch, Rachel Newman, the head of content and editorial at Apple Music, mentioned to MBW, “Japan has an incredibly vibrant and thriving music community, and we’re seeing so much of this growth reflected on our platform, as listeners worldwide discover these artists and fall in love with their music.”
The Tokyo studio will serve as a production hub for Apple Music’s Japanese radio programs and will facilitate video recordings for live sessions, documentaries, and artist interviews.
To celebrate the studio’s opening, Apple Music is launching Snow World Radio, a new program hosted by the J-Pop group Snow Man. This nine-member group will discuss their musical influences and share behind-the-scenes insights from their upcoming stadium concerts at the National Stadium and Nissan Stadium this year.
“We are excited to do something new and challenge ourselves. Snow Radio is our opportunity to share what we believe is the best in music,” stated Snow Man member Daisuke Sakuma.
Fellow member Raul added, “We can’t wait to talk about our favorite tracks and provide our fans with insights about the group that they haven’t had before.”
Additionally, Apple Music radio hosts Mino and Kentaro “Ochiken” Ochiai will be based in the new location, with global figures like Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden joining the launch celebrations.
Mino, a Japanese musician and video creator, hosts Tokyo Highway Radio, while Kentaro Ochiai is a well-known Japanese radio DJ, currently conducting local radio shows on Japanese FM and his Apple Music show featuring the latest J-Pop hits and exclusive artist interviews.
“We want to emphasize the cultural and global influence of genres such as J-Pop and J-Hip-Hop, and provide artists with a special home in Tokyo.”
Rachel Newman, Apple
Apple Music is also debuting another original program from the Tokyo studio called I Listen, where artists share the songs that have influenced them, along with personal stories and thoughts. The initial episodes will feature talents such as viral artist Marsi, singer-songwriter Ay Tomioka, and rapper Bonbero.
The establishment of Apple Tokyo Studio coincides with a rising international interest in Japanese music. Apple Music reported that J-Pop streams outside of Japan have increased threefold over the past three years.
According to Luminate‘s 2023 report, Japanese language music has seen its market share of the top 10,000 most streamed tracks globally rise from 1.3% in 2022 to 2.1% in 2023.
“We aim to highlight the cultural and global influence of genres like J-Pop and J-Hip-Hop and provide artists with a space in Tokyo to share their music, tell their stories, and engage with their fans meaningfully,” added Newman.
Apple Music is continually developing new features and offerings to attract more users. Last month, the platform integrated with DJ applications, allowing subscribers to build and mix sets directly from a catalog of over 100 million songs.
The platform also introduced an ad-supported subscription tier for just $2.99 for the first six months in February in an effort to increase subscriber numbers.
Apple Music expands global footprint with new Tokyo radio studio
