Japan Premium Music Streaming Jumps by 14.2 Billion Plays in One Year...“On Par with Taiwan or Thailand’s Annual Volume”

2026 Korea Music Data Summit Held

Scene from the 2026 Korea Music Data Summit. Provided by Creators Network.

A forum was held to analyze the Japanese music market through data and explore global strategies.

Music data analytics company Luminate and its Korean partner Creators Network held the "2026 Korea Music Data Summit" on the 6th at Ktown4u in COEX, Seoul.

Under the theme "Resonance: Bridging Beats Across Borders," the summit focused on establishing data-driven global strategies, with a particular emphasis on the Japanese market. Working-level staff from more than 50 Korean entertainment agencies, including HYBE, SM, JYP, and YG Entertainment, attended and shared market data.

Shin Sanghyun, CEO of Creators Network, said, "The increase in premium streaming volume in Japan last year reached 14.2 billion plays," adding, "This means that growth on a scale comparable to the entire annual volume of a single country such as Taiwan or Thailand occurred in just one year in the Japanese market."

He continued, "Japan is still the most important expansion market for K-pop, but there are clear limits to approaching it based only on vague expectations or past experience," stressing, "This summit is intended to provide a reference point for understanding the Japanese market through data rather than intuition, and for linking that understanding to actionable strategies."

Adrian Sarosi, Head of Luminate, examined changes in fan behavior and differences in market structure based on music consumption data. Rupinder Singh, Head of Warner Music Japan, described the structure of the local market and the consumption patterns of superfans, saying, "Japan remains a unique market where streaming, physical albums, and live performances function organically together."

Kim Jungbeom, Chief Data Officer (CDO) of Creators Network, presented case studies on how to interpret data from the Japanese market and translate those insights into executable strategies. Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) Son Uiseong explained how to localize fandoms and connect them to revenue models, focusing on Korea-Japan cross-border artists and music intellectual property (IP).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.