Japan now world's biggest physical music market: IFPI
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Japan is now the world’s biggest physical music market, according to the IFPI’s “Recording Industry in Numbers 2009” report.
The report says the trade value of recorded music sold in physical form by the Recording Industry Association of Japan’s 48 member companies in 2008 totaled $3.22 billion, compared to $3.12 billion for the member labels of the Recording Industry Association of America. That was largely due to a 31.2% decline in physical sales in the U.S. last year; in contrast, the Japanese physical market fell just 8% in value terms in 2008, according to the IFPI.
Japan, however, remains the world's No. 2 market when digital sales are taken into account.
