CEIPA Board Member Tatsuya Nomura on J-Pop’s Global Rise

Thousands flocked to downtown Los Angeles last month for Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association’s first-ever Matsuri’25, a concert featuring popular Japanese artists.

The sold-out March concert, put on by the organization known as CEIPA, and held at the Peacock Theatre, included three acts. Ado, a majorly popular singer-songwriter whose personal details, including her identity, are virtually unknown, engaging duo Yoasobi and the energetic four-piece group Atarashii Gakko! All three artists have had a strong presence in the U.S. music market.

Atarashii Gakko! and Yoasobi have both played Coachella with the latter also playing Head in the Clouds. Ado, who performs entirely in shadow through a cage-like box, is preparing to embark on a large scale U.S. tour, having already sold out her July show at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena.

CEIPA held the event to bridge the gap between Japanese artists and U.S. fans, according to a release. The event was particularly timely as the demand for J-Pop grows larger in the U.S. “It’s a gradual growth, but after the pandemic, say 2023, we started looking outside of Japan,” CEIPA board member and Federation of Music Producers Japan president Tatsuya Nomura told The Hollywood Reporter shortly before Matsuri’25 kicked off.

The executive addressed an industry crowd at an intimate gathering before the concert. “Japan was all about selling CDs because you made most profit out of them, but unfortunately [when] COVID hit, the music fans could not go to record shops,” he told THR following his comments.

“In Japan, CDs are sold about 3,000 Yen, which is about $20. If you calculate it, that’s like two dollars per song, but when it comes to streaming service[s], [artists don’t make] that much,” he continued. “How do they make a profit? They have to think bigger, outside of Japan.”

All three acts on Matsuri’25’s lineup have found plenty of success on streaming services including Spotify where Atarashii Gakko! bring in just over a million monthly listeners, Ado brings in over six million and Yoasobi sits at over seven million. Increased global streaming numbers doesn’t necessarily mean a change in music or overall focus.

“If I were to say there’s 100 artists in Japan, only 10 percent are looking outside of Japan to make their product,” Nomura said when asked if he thought global expansion meant a change in overall strategy for Japanese companies and artists. “Ninety percent of those artists are making songs for Japanese market.”

Nomura adds, “Even if they make those songs for Japanese market, there are people outside of Japan who notice.”