Chinese music streaming giant NetEase Cloud Music (NCM) has teamed up with Japanese music distributor SPACE SHOWER FUGA to expand its library of Japanese music. The partnership will bring a wider range of Japanese music to NCM’s user base in China.
SPACE SHOWER FUGA is known for its promotion and distribution of a variety of music genres and independent artists, including the theme song for Nobunaga Concerto, the opening track for Utawarerumono: The False Faces, and the ending song for The Case of Hana & Alice by Shunji Iwai.
The company was established in 2021 as a joint venture between Space Shower Networks, a Japanese music entertainment company, and Downtown Music Holdings-owned digital music distribution company FUGA. SPACE SHOWER FUGA combines Space Shower’s knowledge, experience and network in the Japanese market with FUGA’s distribution, analytics, royalty calculation systems and its global network.
This partnership, announced by NCM on December 6, is expected to benefit both SPACE SHOWER FUGA and NetEase Cloud Music. SPACE SHOWER FUGA will gain access to NCM’s large user base, while NCM will be able to offer its users an even wider selection of Japanese music.
In the first half of 2023, NCM had 41.8 million paying music streaming subscribers, up 11% YoY. During the same time, it hosted over 200 million monthly active users.
Prior to the announcement of the partnership, SPACE SHOWER FUGA on November 30 disclosed that it had started deploying its music on NCM in China.
“We will continue to focus on the growth and development of Japanese songs and artists not only in China but also overseas.”
Space Shower FuGA
“We will continue to focus on the growth and development of Japanese songs and artists not only in China but also overseas,” SPACE SHOWER FUGA said.
The development marks NetEase Cloud Music’s latest venture with upstream Japanese copyright holders. Last year, it signed a digital music distribution licensing agreement with Pony Canyon, an anime and music production firm headquartered in Tokyo. Pony Canyon’s catalog includes prominent J-pop artists such as Official HIGE DANdism, GARNiDELiA, Kana Hanazawa, Maaya Uchida, aiko, and luz, among others.
NCM also formed an alliance with firms such as Studio Ghibli and music company Avex Group, often referred to as Japan’s fourth major.
Launched by Chinese tech company NetEase in 2013, NCM says it provides precise and personalized recommendations to its user community. The company says it is focused on discovering and promoting emerging musicians.
The company also continues to strike deals with other global artists and firms. Earlier this year, it renewed its deal with Taiwan-based independent record label Rock Records to distribute the latter company’s music catalog in China.
Additionally, NCM has extended its music copyright cooperation with a number of top entertainment companies including South Korea’s SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment.
Vivian Wei, Vice President of Copyrights at NetEase Cloud Music, recently told MBW in an interview that the company is looking to “be the bridge to bring more top artists from the Western world to China.”
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