=====================================================================<br> J@pan Inc Magazine Presents:<br> M U S I C M E D I A W A T C H<br> Commentary on Japan's music technology news<br>=====================================================================
<br><br> Issue No. 116<br> Tuesday, December 13, 2007<br> Tokyo<br><br> ----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>CONTENTS<br><br>++ FEATURE: Mobile Music - A Look Back At 2007<br><br>++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS:
<br><br> ** Rainbow Partners to offer music search engine with AMG database<br> ** Amie Street Japan launches new music service with variable pricing<br> ** Nifty to shut down music download service<br> ** EMI Japan offers free Utada Hikaru chaku-uta
<br> ** Khronos Group releases new API for mobile sound<br><br><br>++ FEATURE: Mobile Music - A Look Back At 2007<br><br>Last week, the Japanese edition of Newsweek featured on its cover<br>a sword-swinging silhouetted samurai with iPod, underneath the
<br>caption 'How Japan Lost Its Groove.' The feature story, "Why <br>Apple Isn't Japanese," takes a close look at the recent travails <br>of Sony and NTT DoCoMo, zooming in on the missed chances and
<br>mis-steps made by these Japanese behemoths of mobile and music <br>technology. <br><br>Looking back on the past year, the theme of the Newsweek article <br>could just as well apply to Japan's mobile music content
<br>providers, most of whom were pretty quiet throughout 2007. After <br>seven straight years of phenomenal growth, the companies that <br>pioneered ringtones and mobile music began slowing down last <br>year, and for the most part spent this past year in restructuring
<br>efforts.<br><br>Yamaha and Faith, the two main players in the Japanese domestic <br>market for mobile music content, have completely closed their <br>overseas operations for mobile content and dramatically scaled <br>
back domestic production this year. Both companies - along with <br>other mobile content providers such as For-side, Vibe, and <br>Hudson, have thoroughly reorganized, reducing staff and slashing <br>expenses. <br><br>Throughout the year, it seemed everyone in the mobile content
<br>industry was asking the same question: What exactly do we do <br>now? Everybody knows they need to find and develop new ideas, <br>but nobody has a clue how to go about finding them. And with <br>just enough operating budget to maintain their existing services,
<br>there's been little room for any kind of risk-taking or <br>innovation this year. Speaking with software developers in the <br>mobile content sector recently, there is a strong sense of <br>boredom and frustration with the timid approach taken by their
<br>employers.<br><br>And so it is that Japan's mobile music market in 2007 has been <br>remarkable mainly for its failure to produce anything of interest<br>in the way of new services or innovations. In fact, probably the
<br>biggest of the year in Japanese mobile music was the release of <br>the iPhone - in the US. NTT DoCoMo did receive some early <br>attention with the start of their 'Uta-houdai' all-you-can-eat <br>music subscription service, but the service has not been widely
<br>promoted, and so far market reception has been lukewarm at best.<br><br>2007 was also the year that mobile piracy rose to the top of the <br>RIAJ's agenda. A study released early in the year found that 36% <br>of mobile music downloaders are using illegal sites offering free
<br>mastertone and full-song downloads. The industry body is <br>currently lobbying government officials to pass a law that will <br>allow individuals to be prosecuted for downloading unlicensed <br>content. (Currently it is only an offense to upload unlicensed
<br>files.)<br><br>Despite the mobile piracy issues and the overall downturn this <br>year, though, there is still reason to be optimistic about new <br>mobile music content in 2008. Many non-official 'off-portal'
<br>mobile sites are starting to introduce a variety of new Flash <br>applications and Java applis. In particular, mobile sites for <br>music- and instrument-related magazines are looking to mobile<br>as a way to expand their content offerings. Here at Theta Music
<br>Technologies, we are currently working on a few new mobile music <br>software projects that will be released in early 2008, and can <br>attest to the fact that there has been a lot of new activity in <br>just the past few months.
<br><br>So, even though 2007 may have been 'the year of nothing' (to <br>paraphrase one industry insider) for mobile music in Japan, <br>next year will likely be one to watch. <br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------
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<br><br>++ NOTEWORTHY NEWS<br><br>** Rainbow Partners to offer music search engine with AMG <br>database<br>In brief: Tokyo-based Rainbow Partners announced last week that <br>they are developing a new multilingual music search engine that
<br>will use the AMG (All Media Guide) music database. The new <br>database/search engine is tentatively called 'WiSE', and is <br>expected to be licensed as an integrated solution to music <br>content providers and operators of EC sites for music.
<br>Source:<br><a href="http://www.rainbowpartners.com/release/071128.html">http://www.rainbowpartners.com/release/071128.html</a><br><br>** Amie Street Japan launches new music service with variable<br>pricing<br>In brief: On December 5, Amie Street Japan launched a new online
<br>music service selling digital tracks from independent artists. <br>Each track in initially free of charge, and the price then goes <br>up automatically according to the download count. The maximum <br>price for a track is 200 yen (US$1.75). Artists can upload tracks
<br>at no charge, and receive 60% of their total download revenue.<br>Source:<br><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2w7ucq">http://tinyurl.com/2w7ucq</a><br><br>** Nifty to shut down music download service<br>In brief: Nifty Corp. announced last month that in early March
<br>2008, it will shut down its MOOCS online music store. The MOOCS <br>site will reopen next March as a music and artist information <br>site, with no music downloads.<br>Source:<br><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2tqmff">http://tinyurl.com/2tqmff
</a><br><br>** EMI Japan offers free Utada Hikaru chaku-uta<br>In brief: EMI Japan announced last week that in celebration of <br>the 10th anniversary of Utada Hikaru's debut, the company will <br>offer free chaku-uta (mastertone) downloads of Utada's debut song
<br>'Automatic' for four days, from December 7 to 10.<br>Source:<br><a href="http://www.emimusic.jp/mobile/">http://www.emimusic.jp/mobile/</a><br><br>** Khronos Group releases new API for mobile sound<br>In brief: The Khronos Group, which developed the OpenGL standard
<br>API for graphic applications and gaming, recently announced the <br>OpenSL ES Sound Language for mobile music devices. Khronos is <br>currently incorporating feedback from developers, and plans to <br>finalize the specification by the end of this year.
<br>Source:<br><a href="http://www.khronos.org/opensles/">http://www.khronos.org/opensles/</a> <br>Hayden Porter's interview with Nathan Charles of Khronos Group<br><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2sfu4u">http://tinyurl.com/2sfu4u
</a><br><br>----------------------------------------------------------<br>STAFF<br>Written by: Steve Myers (<a href="mailto:steve@thetamusic.com">steve@thetamusic.com</a>)<br>Steve Myers is president and chief enthusiast of Theta Music
<br>Technologies, which specializes in the development of<br>music-related software applications.<br><br>SUBSCRIBE AND UNSUBSCRIBE TO MUSIC MEDIA WATCH:<br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up">http://www.japaninc.com/newsletters/free_sign_up
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webmaster@japaninc.com</a><br>(C) Copyright 2006 Japan Inc Communications KK.<br>All Rights Reserved.<br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>++EVENTS<br>---------------- ICA Event - Jan 16 -----------------------
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