As the Japanese music industry prepares for another challenging year comes the grim – yet not unexpected – physical-shipments data for calendar 2009.

Shipments of CDs and other physical audio product by the Recording Industry Association of Japan’s 49 member companies totaled 214.3 million units last year, down 13% from 2008, for a wholesale value of 249.6 billion yen ($2.7 billion), down 16%, according to data released Jan. 19 by the RIAJ. 

Unlike previous years, shipments of domestic and foreign product declined at close to the same rate. Strong yearend sales by major domestic acts such as male dance/vocal group Exile (Avex) and  female vocalist Ayaka (Warner Music Japan), who at the end of last year took indefinite leave of the music scene, helped boost full-year domestic shipments after disappointing January-September results.

The RIAJ’s members, who account for some 90% of recorded-music sales in Japan, shipped 47.8 million units of foreign product in 2009, down 14%, for a value of 56 billion yen ($616.8 million), a decline of 13%.

Domestic-repertoire shipments fell 13% to 166.5 million units, for a value of 193.6 billion yen ($2.1 billion), down 16%.

Shipments of music videos and DVDs, which in contrast to those for music have generally been healthy, showed slight growth, rising 6% to 599.2 million units, for a value of 66.9 billion yen ($736.4 million), up 2% from 2008.