07-05-2025
With a new Shibuya studio, Apple Music bets big on Japan
Radio personality Zane Lowe bops his head to a wonky Japanese funk-pop song inside the newly opened Apple Music studio in Tokyo.
'It's like ... 'Pet Sounds' on steroids,' says Mino, a musician, YouTuber and host of Apple Music Japan's 'Tokyo Highway Radio,' describing 'Walking Whiz' by Souki Urakami — one of his picks for a show called 'Record Exchange: Japan.'
Lowe, the longtime DJ and Apple Music host, grooves along to the track with fellow platform personalities Ebro Darden and Kentaro Ochiai. 'I'm taking a lot home with me,' Lowe says with a laugh.
Just outside the studio, a dozen people — engineers, PR staff and a few invited journalists — watch the session unfold on a four-panel monitor. This special recording, which has brought together some of Apple Music's biggest international talents with their Japanese peers, marks the opening of the brand's new Shibuya studio.
The special recording, finding two of the music streaming platform's biggest international personalities cutting it up with their Japanese peers, is partially a celebration of this new Shibuya space officially opening in late April. It's also the latest sign that Japanese music is commanding growing global attention — from both fans and companies.
'Over the past few years, Japanese music has reached new heights on Apple Music worldwide,' says Apple Music co-head Rachel Newman. 'Streams for J-pop outside of Japan have grown at three times the rate of streams overall. Over the past three years, 85 J-pop albums have reached No. 1 on the all-genre album chart in more than 20 countries.'
After years of keeping a lower profile internationally, Japanese music has stepped into the spotlight. In an abrupt turn from as little as five years ago, domestic labels and agencies now embrace the internet as a tool for reaching global listeners, while a growing number of J-pop acts are touring abroad.
The interest flows both ways. As Japanese music gains momentum, international companies are making moves: Singapore's blackx recently partnered with Asobisystem (home to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Atarashii Gakko!), while U.S. promoter Live Nation recently acquired Japanese concert organizer Hayashi International Promotions. Entertainment firm AEG is helping to open a new state-of-the-art arena in Nagoya this summer, with more venues on the way.
Apple Music's newly opened Shibuya studio is the latest sign that Japanese music is commanding growing global attention — from both fans and companies. |
Apple Music
'For us to double down on the music and artistry in Japan is a no-brainer,' says Newman. 'After a global collaboration between Apple Music's creative and technical teams, we're so excited to open the doors of our Tokyo studio. It represents our ongoing commitment to the brilliant music coming out of Japan.'
The new studio is designed to be a creative hub connecting artists with audiences. Beyond serving as a base for Mino and Ochiai's shows, it will host two new artist-led programs: 'Snow World Radio,' hosted by members of pop group Snow Man, and 'Lana's Room,' led by rising rapper Lana.
'Japan has a really unique ecosystem of music — but it's still kind of undiscovered by the world,' Mino says in a post-recording interview with all four show participants. 'We've had the world's second-biggest music market for decades. There's a huge catalog of music that hasn't been found yet.' (Newman notes that streams of Apple-curated playlists — from 1990s love songs to modern city pop — have surged over the past three years.)
'I'm really hoping this studio will be the catapult to showcase that music,' Mino adds.
'There's an enormous amount of creativity in Japanese music,' says Lowe, who adds that he enjoys digging through Tokyo's city pop records. 'It's incredibly inspiring — music unrestrained, creativity unrestrained.'
The recording of 'Record Exchange: Japan' on a Tuesday morning in April offers a preview of what the studio can be. For two hours, the four hosts share formative songs — Lowe highlights New Zealand shoegaze band Bailter Space, Mino recalls a Rolling Stones deep cut he played on repeat as a kid in Chiba — and spotlight local favorites. Darden shouts out hip-hop artist DJ Honda, Ochiai champions Kansai rockers Ulfuls and Lowe plays a track by DJ Krush.
It's a loose, lively conversation — far more relaxed than a typical Japanese entertainment show — and it features moments of genuine discovery. 'Nujabes was fire!' Lowe says at one point, referencing the beloved beatmaker.
Throughout, Lowe and Darden are both reflective and inquisitive. They share their entry points into Japanese music, but seem even more eager to learn where to go next.
'We'll tell you where it started for us,' Lowe says. 'You can now tell us where to go next.'
