Recording Industry Association of Japan
Encyclopedia
The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) is an industry trade group
composed of Japan
ese corporations involved the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include promotion of music sales, enforcement of copyright law, and research related to the Japanese music industry. It publishes the annual RIAJ Year Book, a statistical summary of each year's music sales, as well as distributing a variety of other data.
Headquartered in Minato
, Tokyo
, the RIAJ has twenty member companies and a smaller number of associate and supporting members; some member companies are the Japanese branches of multinational corporation
s headquartered elsewhere.
The association is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles
in Japan.
¹Member, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
Industry trade group
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
composed of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese corporations involved the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include promotion of music sales, enforcement of copyright law, and research related to the Japanese music industry. It publishes the annual RIAJ Year Book, a statistical summary of each year's music sales, as well as distributing a variety of other data.
Headquartered in Minato
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, the RIAJ has twenty member companies and a smaller number of associate and supporting members; some member companies are the Japanese branches of multinational corporation
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
s headquartered elsewhere.
The association is responsible for certifying gold and platinum albums and singles
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in Japan.
RIAJ Certification
In 1989, the Recording Industry Association of Japan introduced the music recording certification systems. It is awarded based on shipment figures of compact disc or cassette tape which was reported by record labels. In principle, the criteria are limitedly applied to the materials released after January 21, 1989.Certification awards
Currently, all music sales including singles, albums, digital download singles are on the same criteria. Unlike many countries, the highest certification is not called "Diamond" or "Platinum", but "Million".| Thresholds per award | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Platinum | 2× Platinum | 3× Platinum | Million | Multi-Million |
| 100,000 | 250,000 | 500,000 | 750,000 | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000+ |
Old criteria (until June 2003)
Before the unification of criteria and introduction of music videos category in July 2003, a separate scale had been used for certification awards.| Format | Type | Thresholds per award | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Platinum | Million | ||
| Albums | Domestic | 200,000 | 400,000 | 1,000,000 |
| International | 100,000 | 200,000 | ||
| Singles | Domestic | 200,000 | 400,000 | |
| International | 50,000 | 100,000 | ||
Main members
- Avex Group¹
- Avex Entertainment (supporting member)
- Being Inc.
- Dreamusic IncorporatedDreamusic Incorporatedis a Japanese record label also working as a subsidiary of TY Limited Incorporated.Its chairman is Tom Yoda, ex-chairman of Avex Group.-Domestic:* Funky Monkey Babys* Yōichi Aoyama* Yūzō Kayama* Hiroko Nakamura* Ayaka Hirahara* Ryoko Moriyama...
- EMI Music Japan¹
- For Life MusicFor Life Musicis a Japanese record label founded in 1975.-Artists:Its artists include Yōsui Inoue, Abe Fuyumi, Takuro Yoshida, Shigeru Izumiya, Under Graph, Utaibito Hane, Yōsuke Eguchi, Double, Tomoyo Harada, Shinji Harada, Yo Hitoto, Bennie K, Miss Monday, Sayuri Sugawara and Glay.Chihiro Onitsuka left...
- Geneon Universal Entertainment¹
- King Records¹
- Bellwood Records (supporting member)
- King Records International (supporting member)
- Nippon Columbia¹
- Nippon CrownNippon Crownis a Japanese record label originally established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is currently owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho.-Artists:Artists signed to Nippon Crown Music include:* Hanaboy* Kimeru* Metis...
¹ - Pony CanyonPony Canyonis a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
¹ - Sony Music Entertainment JapanSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
¹- Ariola JapanAriola Japan, is a Japanese record label precedently part of BMG Japan and now subsidiary of Sony Music Japan. It is home to both former BMG Japan artists and new artists, including Buck-Tick, The Cro-Magnons, Deen, GO!GO!7188, Kenichi Asai, AZU, Takako Matsu, Misia, Kazumasa Oda, Seamo, Shikao Suga, Sukima...
(supporting member) - DefStar RecordsDefSTAR Records, is a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.-History:*1997 - Takashi Yoshida, the president of Warner Music Japan, founded the label as ....
(supporting member) - Epic Records Japan (supporting member)
- Ki/oon RecordsKi/oon Recordsis a Japanese record label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan.-Artists:Their artists include L'Arc-en-Ciel, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, FLOW, Home Made Kazoku, Puffy AmiYumi, Polysics, Pushim, chatmonchy, Denki Groove, The Babystars, DOES, Guitar Wolf, Miki Furukawa, Nico Touches the Walls, plingmin,...
(supporting member) - SME RecordsSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music ArtistsSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music Associated RecordsSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music DirectSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music DistributionSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music Japan InternationalSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
(supporting member) - Sony Music Records (supporting member)
- Ariola Japan
- Tokuma Japan Communications¹
- Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
¹ - VAP Inc.¹
- Victor EntertainmentVictor Entertainmentis a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
¹- Teichiku RecordsTeichiku RecordsTeichiku Records is a Japanese record label, run by the Teichiku Entertainment company, that specialises in enka, kayōkyoku, and similar music. Teichiku is an abbreviation for , the former name of the company...
¹
- Teichiku Records
- Warner Music GroupWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
¹ - Yamaha Music CommunicationsYamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
- Yoshimoto R&CYoshimoto Kogyois a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate, with its headquarters based in Osaka. It was founded in 1912 as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai talent, producing and promoting the shows they...
Associate members
- Amuse Soft Entertainment
- Exit TunesQuake Inc.Quake Inc. is a Japanese media company for the purposes as the music publisher. The company was originally founded as a printer company in 2001 but it became a music company Quake Records in 2003. In 2005, the company was renamed to Quake Holdings. The company became a subsidiary of Pony Canyon in...
- HATS UnlimitedTaro Hakaseis a Japanese musician who specialises as a violinist.He is best known internationally for playing the violin on Celine Dion's song "To Love You More" which appears on the US edition of her Let's Talk About Love album...
- Johnny and Associates
- J StormJ Stormis a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named ....
- Johnny's Entertainment
- J Storm
- Konami Digital EntertainmentKonamiis a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
- Bandai VisualBandai Visual, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
- LantisLantis (company)is a Japanese company that specializes as a music publisher label for Japanese musicians, anime soundtracks and video game soundtracks. It was established on November 26, 1999, and in May 2006, it was bought by, and became a subsidiary of, Bandai Visual...
- Lantis
- LD&K Records
- Naxos RecordsNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
- Pryaid RecordsPryaid Recordsis a Japanese record label and a division of Polystar, the parent company of Trattoria Records.It also serves as an IFPI member.-References:* * *...
¹ - Space Shower Networks
- Spiritual Beast
- Venus Records
- Village Again Association
Supporting members
- AniplexAniplex, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
(subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment JapanSony Music Entertainment Japanis Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
) - Crown-Tokuma Music (joint venture of Nippon CrownNippon Crownis a Japanese record label originally established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is currently owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho.-Artists:Artists signed to Nippon Crown Music include:* Hanaboy* Kimeru* Metis...
and Tokuma Japan Communications) - Free Board
- Holiday Japan
- Jei One
- NPPDevelop
- T-Toc Records
- TV Asahi MusicTV Asahi, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
- Ward Records
¹Member, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
See also
- List of best-selling albums in Japan
- List of best-selling singles in Japan
- List of 50 Best Selling Artists of All-Time in Japan
- Recording Industry Association of AmericaRecording Industry Association of AmericaThe Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
- Australian Recording Industry AssociationAustralian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
- List of music recording sales certifications
- RIAJ Digital Track ChartRIAJ Digital Track ChartThe is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads ....
- Global music industry market share dataGlobal music industry market share dataNote that this list ranks the markets based on retail value each market generates respectively per year. The retail value generated by each market varies from year to year. The figures are based on IFPI annual reports.-IFPI 2009 data:...