We had always known that Japanese mobile scenario is permanently a step forward. From the implemention of 3G networks , NttDoCoMo mobile services and dazzling phones, Japan is the fastest growing mobile market worldwide. Now it’s showing how far mobile distribution can go.
We’re speaking of mobile music.
Digital distribution is experiencing a huge growth due to mobile capabilities. For the first time mobile distribution is really competing with online distribution, showing big numbers. In Japan mobile music accounted for 92% of all digital music sales, according to RIA of Japan, with revenues of about $641 million. Is from the full-track downloads that’s coming the greatest news: 46% of full-track downloads revenues comes from mobile operations. This numbers are very important to evaluate the state of mobile evolution. If first ringtone was introduced just in 1998 (by Jipii Group), after only a decade mobile has added the possibility to download a real track, complete and high quality. Consumers seems to appreciate the effort, buying half of their digital music from mobile. More statisics is supporting mobile revenues success: the GReeeeN has alredy sold over 1 million full-track downloads of the single “Aiuta”; and Utada Hikaru has sold over7,2 milion digital units, from ringtones to ful-track, of “Flavor of Life”. Worldvide conditions of mobile development are widely different but Japanese experience is a good pointer to the future of other countries.
The Japanese simplicity, at both consumer and industry level, hit again.
