Keisuke Oishi Ryuji Tatsumi/Billboard Japan
Billboard‘s International Power Players list recognizes leaders who are driving the success of the music business in countries outside the United States. Among the leaders selected from various countries in the music industry, Amazon Music’ s Keisuke Oishi was selected for the very first time in 2024. To celebrate this, Billboard Japan spoke with Oishi regarding his emphasis given that being assigned to his present placement in January 2023.
First off, could you inform us a little regarding your job?
Keisuke Oishi: The 2 keywords in my job have actually been “IT” and “media.” Through the harmony of these 2 locations, I have actually been tackling the difficulties of offering numerous advancements to consumers.
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I signed up with Sony Corporation after finishing from college. At Sony, I operated in locations like supply chain monitoring, money, company management, and company method for the PC/IT services. Then in 2014, I transferred to Amazon, where I have actually been associated with the media company since. At Amazon, initial I was accountable for the establishing of electronic video clip games in the retail department. In 2017, I was assigned head of the software application company system in addition to video clipgames And 2 years later on, I took place to be simultaneously in charge of the packaged songs company system, so I have actually been associated with songs given that around 2019. Then, in January 2023, I was assigned Director and General Manager ofAmazon Music Japan
So you have not remained in the songs sector for your entire job.
Oishi: That’s right. But songs has actually constantly been a really integral part of my life, so it was a function I wished to test someday. Amazon, on the various other hand, is a business that positions value on what advancements can be used modern technology while constantly maintaining the consumer initially. That method coincided prior to I obtained associated with songs, and it continues to be the exact same today.
What have you been dealing with given that January 2023?
Oishi: In my present placement, I have 3 crucial jobs that I intend to add to the songs sector, the musicians, and our consumers. The initially is to broaden the base of songs audiences in Japan, and the 2nd is to assist consumers delight in songs in brand-new means. Streaming solutions are for paying attention to songs, yet Amazon Music and Amazon have lots of factors of call that attach consumers and musicians. The 3rd, and I believe this is a difficulty the whole Japanese songs sector is dealing with, is to offer assistance for Japanese and various other Asian musicians as they broaden their reach worldwide.
There are numerous sorts of Amazon Music subscriptions, and you have actually made numerous renovations for those.
Oishi: We are constantly concentrated on producing the most effective experience for all Amazon Music consumers. The degree of streaming songs infiltration is still extremely reduced in Japan contrasted to the United States and EU nations. But, taking a look at it an additional manner in which suggests it still has a great deal of capacity. According to LUMINATE’s information, songs streaming has the highest degree of use amongst Gen Z andMillennials That suggests there’s space for development amongst older generations. This is a difficulty that the whole sector is dealing with. These are individuals that were when truly right into songs, yet as a result of function and way of living modifications, they have actually disengaged. That’s real for my very own generation, so I have actually been considering just how we can make songs a component of these individuals’s lives once more. Our solutions aren’t restricted to songs streaming, yet likewise CD and DVD investing in and video clip streaming. We have a great deal of various touch factors like those, so we remain in an optimal placement to take care of the difficulty.
Secondly, I wish to assist consumers delight in songs in brand-new means. Amazon is a collection of several solutions, and given that in 2015, we have actually been proactively functioning to sustain musicians when they bring out brand-new launches. For circumstances, when a physical launch is selected, we established an unique sub-site and boost our advertising initiatives. When the rate of interest of audiences changes to streaming, we strengthen our promo and advertising and marketing initiatives in manner ins which are just feasible with electronic modern technology, like producing playlists that consist of meetings. We utilize that method for approximately 2 or 3 months, developing links in between musicians and consumers. That’s something I believe we’re distinctly placed to do. This is among the locations we have actually truly improved over the previous year.
Japan is among the nations where both streaming and physical sales are expanding, so it’s a terrific suitable for Amazon.
Oishi:Exactly Another instance of that are our advertising projects which imagine the assistance followers offer to musicians as they pay attention and share songs and adhere to musicians utilizing our application. Users accumulate stamps utilizing a stamp card-like function, and when they accumulate all stamps, they can obtain benefits. This function was made and created by a group in Japan, and now it’s likewise being used in various other nations, in a couple of various means.
And the real-time streaming of Fuji Rock Festival ’24, in July, was a mix of all 3 of the jobs I stated previously.
It was streamed on Prime Video and Twitch, which created a great deal of buzz.
Oishi: I believe the most effective method to delight in a songs event remains in individual. However, there are a great deal of individuals that can not go, for one factor or an additional. I would certainly visualize there are likewise individuals that entered the past yet can not go currently. To connect to individuals like that, we streamed Fuji Rock Festival ’24 reside on Prime Video and Twitch.
In enhancement to the real-time streaming of the occasion, we likewise produced all type of touch factors with consumers, utilizing every type of method– offline, on-line, electronic, physical. For instance, we ran a marketing campaign utilizing Amazon Lockers and we offered initial tees. We attempted to attach consumers to songs and musicians with the Fuji Rock Festival in all type of means.
Also, this year, we streamed Fuji Rock Festival ’24 around the world. Every day, we think of just how we can share fantastic Japanese musicians with the remainder of the globe. One method we created for doing that is to stream the event live, to ensure that maybe checked out by songs followers around the world.
In enhancement to Japanese participants, there were lots of people from various other Asian nations atFuji Rock Which nations were individuals streaming it from?
Oishi: People watched it in the United States, Europe, andLatin America Amazon Music has actually been streaming songs events worldwide, like Vive Latino in Mexico and Primavera Sound inSpain Of those, Fuji Rock Festival ’24, which was real-time streamed on Prime Video and Twitch, was one of the most seen three-day songs event ever before streamed obey Amazon Music.
That’s fantastic to listen to. Are there intends to stream any kind of various other Japanese events?
Oishi: We likewise live streamed DEAD POP CELEBRATION 2024, YON FES, and Kyoto Daisakusen in August.
Last year, we improved our assistance for artist-led events and started streaming watch party-like occasions where audiences view programs in addition to musicians from Amazon Music Studio inTokyo Twitch sustains remark sharing performance, so musicians can connect and communicate with followers. It’s extremely amazing. I think that, in time, these links in between musicians and followers will certainly promote better recognition of Amazon Music.
Speaking of sharing Japanese songs with the remainder of the globe, Billboard Japan introduced the “Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan” graph, which rates Japanese tunes being paid attention to around the world leaving outJapan Being able to imagine what songs is paid attention to is, I believe, incredibly essential for Japanese musicians making invasions overseas.
Oishi: I believe the hit graphes are truly essential for revealing individuals to brand-new songs. When I was a youngster, I matured examining the united state Billboard graphes. I would certainly view Billboard TOP40 on TELEVISION, and I also sent out in postcards when I was little (laughs). When I remained in jr high, I remembered around twenty years of yearly graphes. I have actually neglected a whole lot ever since, yet I was a Billboard superfan, and Billboard graphes were my home window right into international songs. Now, abroad target markets might be finding Japanese songs with the graphes, or with on-demand streaming, or with real-time streaming. I’m certain that if everyone in the songs sector develop these possibilities, we can offer better possibilities for individuals to find Japanese songs.
—This meeting by Seiji Isozaki and Naoko Takashima initially showed up onBillboard Japan
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