Qobuz, the high-quality music platform, is expanding into the Japanese market, the second-largest music market in the world, in an important step in its international growth strategy. After a successful launch in 25 countries, Qobuz is now available in 26 countries. The expansion follows the acquisition of the Japanese streaming service e-onkyo music and is intended to strengthen Qobuz’s position as a provider of music in outstanding sound quality.
Japan is a particularly interesting market: despite the growing popularity of streaming, the physical recording market still dominates here. Streaming is on the rise, but with a market share of 29% and growth of 13%, it still has great potential. This particularly appeals to Japanese music lovers, who are known for their preference for the highest sound quality and for whom Qobuz has the perfect offering.
Downloads and more
Qobuz combines high-resolution, lossless audio streaming with a download option and exclusive editorial content. The platform enables a 24-bit music experience, complemented by editorial articles and hand-picked playlists. The addition of the e-onkyo repertoire expands Qobuz’s catalog to over 100 million tracks, including popular Japanese music such as J-Pop.
With this expansion, Qobuz is further developing its offering for audiophiles and providing the Japanese listening audience with a music experience that also appeals to traditional physical media fans.
You can discover Japanese music in the Qobuz playlists here:
Key data (source IFPI 2024):
- Global music streaming market in 2023:
○ Streaming accounted for 67.3% of total music revenue
○ Paid streaming: increase in subscriptions: 11.2% (10.1% in the previous year)
- Japanese music market:
○ Physical sales: 55% of revenues
○ Paid streaming: 28.7% market share
○ Growth in paid streaming: 12.8%
- Comparison of growth in paid streaming:
○ Japan: 12.8%
○ Germany: 8.4%
○ USA: 7%
