Yoasobi’s “Idol” Helps Lift Japan’s Music Royalties to New High

The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers, and Publishers announced that in fiscal 2023 music royalties rose by 6.3% from the previous year to ¥137.2 billion, marking a new record high.

Interactive streaming, such as via music subscription services and YouTube, was the driving force behind the rise, increasing by 9.1% year-on-year to ¥48.7 billion. This area has been growing since around 2015, but the embrace of online activities across society during the COVID-19 pandemic boosted use of subscription services and video streaming. Revenue from performances, including live concerts, also made headway, rising by 13.8% to approximately ¥23.7 billion, mainly because of the higher number of events that were held.

The work that generated the highest royalties through distribution by JASRAC in 2023 was “Idol” by Yoasobi, released in April 2023 which is the opening theme song for the TV animation Oshi no Ko. Its popularity was not limited to only Japan as, on June 10, 2023, it rose to the top of the Billboard Global Excluding US chart, becoming the first song sung in Japanese to do so. It was also the fastest in history to exceed 600 million total streams and views in Japan. Soon after the song was released, it became a megahit, being enjoyed in a wide range of fields, including interactive streaming and karaoke.

In second place was “Kawaikute gomen” (Sorry for Being So Cute) by HoneyWorks. This was mainly due to its accompanying dance video that went viral among Generation Z on social media. It was streamed 100 million times in total, surpassed 150 million views on TikTok, and was also sung frequently at karaoke.

Top 10 Japanese Musical Works by Royalty Distribution

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)