RIAJ Begins Quarterly Publication of "Recorded Music & Digital Sales Estimates" — Toward Whole-Market Visibility

The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) has begun publishing new "Recorded Music & Digital Sales Estimates" to capture the size of the domestic recorded-music market more comprehensively. Full-year 2025 (January–December) is the first installment, with quarterly publication thereafter. A foundation for continuously tracking the whole market is taking shape.

The design captures recorded music (such as CDs) and digital sales in an integrated way, aggregating streaming, subscriptions, and ad revenue as "streaming." By combining music and music video, it reflects a market structure that has shifted toward distribution.

Domestic digital music sales have grown in recent years, with streaming driving market expansion. Visualizing the whole market on a quarterly basis is a useful indicator for businesses to grasp demand trends and make decisions on releases and investment.

An integrated estimate shows a market reality that was hard to capture by viewing CDs and distribution separately. For independent creators and distribution agents, grasping market size and composition is foundational information for release and rights-management strategy.

As distribution becomes mainstream, an indicator spanning physical and digital serves as a gauge of the domestic market's maturity. Continuous data publication raises transparency across the industry and supports medium- to long-term business planning.

ZEN Editorial notes how better market data supports independent artists' decision-making. Our service likewise emphasizes information grounded in objective market indicators.

Sources: Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) official site, press releases.