We are the music makers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/japan-record-market-h1-2026-streaming-46-percent-vinyl-up-42 Japan's record market: streaming hits 46% while vinyl jumps 42% https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/japan-record-market-h1-2026-streaming-46-percent-vinyl-up-42 Japan's recorded music market grew to an estimated ¥196.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up 4%, and streaming made up 46% of it. CDs fell 11% to ¥72.0 billion and vinyl rose 42%, but physical formats together still slightly outsold digital. For international indies, Japan remains the one big market where the plastic you press can matter as much as the playlist you land on. Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryjapanriajstreamingphysical-mediacdvinylindependent-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/jasrac-ai-songs-human-parts-article-30-4 Japan's JASRAC won't collect for fully AI-made songs, and wants the training exception in Article 30-4 changed https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/jasrac-ai-songs-human-parts-article-30-4 Japan's biggest music rights society will only manage the human-made parts of a song, and songwriters must say which parts AI made when they register. It is also asking for Article 30-4, which lets AI firms train on works without permission, to give creators a choice. That puts Japan's songwriters further from a say over training than their counterparts in the EU or the UK. Sat, 13 Jun 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsaijapanjasraccopyrightai-training https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/anime-japan-music-export-iris-out-ado Anime is Japan's music export engine: what 'IRIS OUT' and Ado teach artists about sync https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/anime-japan-music-export-iris-out-ado Kenshi Yonezu's anime film theme "IRIS OUT" topped Billboard JAPAN's first-half 2026 chart after reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200, the highest yet for a Japanese-language song. Japan's trade ministry puts the music industry's 2024 overseas income at ¥72.58bn, and most of the money it can trace arrives as streams, not sync fees. The lesson for artists anywhere is that a placement is where discovery starts, and the money comes later. Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryjapanj-popanimesyncstreamingtouring