METI Launches "New Music Accelerator" — Backing Overseas Expansion Through Artist-Manager Development

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is advancing the "New Music Accelerator," an artist-and-manager support program. The initiative aims to develop artists and management talent with overseas expansion in view, positioned as part of public-private efforts to revitalize the content industry. Surveys of the Japanese music industry's overseas sales and income are being conducted in parallel.

The "New Music Accelerator" is designed to provide hands-on support for artists with an eye on overseas markets. In tandem, METI has conducted surveys of the music industry's overseas sales, advancing efforts to grasp the industry's current state through data.

In policy terms, under the government's direction to expand overseas markets for the content industry, attention is turning to a bottleneck on the talent side. There is a particular recognition that the depth of the management layer handling overseas negotiation and rights processing shapes the effectiveness of overseas expansion.

Overseas expansion hinges not only on an artist's individual expression but also on the presence of managers who support contracts, rights processing and local negotiation. The development program carries the aim of thickening the layer of such practical talent.

Data-based policy design also serves as a foundation for verifying the cost-effectiveness of support. As the actual state of overseas sales becomes clearer, more precise policy design is expected to become possible.

The ZEN editorial team views the development of management talent — alongside songwriting — as decisive for the effectiveness of overseas expansion. On the independent front too, accumulating know-how in rights processing and overseas negotiation leads to the next step.

Sources: METI, Musicman, KAI-YOU