If China has closed the door to South Korean drama and music, even through streaming platforms, it has opened the door widely to Japanese music. The platform would be through NetEase Cloud Music in China.
Exclusive License
Yahoo reported that NetEase Cloud Music, a digital music platform in China, signed recently an agreement with Avex Group Holdings, an entertainment group in Japan. The deal forms a strategic partnership that grants NetEase exclusive license in mainland China to copyright of all Japanese songs under Avex’s management.
NetEase gains access to the music of leading Japanese artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, AAA, Every Little Thing, Ai Otsuka and Waggaki Band. Avex owns the largest collection of Japanese music that are copyright-protected in Japan.
According to Aramajapan, Ayumi Hamasaki announced in February the start of her 20-TOUR 2017 which is her largest and most ambitious tour. The tour has 60 dates in Japan. The tour marks her 20th anniversary as a singer and would have its first show on April 8.
6-Year Hiatus
Avex was in China before but had a six-year hiatus because of its failure to deal with rampant music piracy in the internet. The Japanese entertainment company used to have an office in Shanghai after it opened an office in Taiwan in 1998. Because it manages Japan’s leading acts, Avex dominated the country’s record sales for yearsd
It decided to return to China after the country’s regulator, the National Copyright Administration of China, brought order to China’s market which was a flagrant violator of copyright regulations. With the deal, there would be more options that fans of Japanese music in China would have amid complaints that they are dissatisfied with what is currently available.
NetEase Cloud Music has 200 million users and one of the top three online music platforms in China. It has more than 200 million play lists and 400 million reviews generated by users. Data from the platform show a hike in streaming of Japanese songs, especially music associated with Japanese games, comics and anime.