Sony’s independent music distribution and artist and label services company The Orchard is expanding into Japan, the second-largest music market in the world.
The fully-staffed base of operations in Japan will be led by Yuuki Kaneko, The Orchard’s vice president, Japan, who previously worked on the music team at Amazon Japan and for Tower Records Japan.
The Orchard Japan will offer music distribution and a suite of services to Japanese labels, management companies and artists, giving them access to both local and global opportunities. It also will provide international independent repertoire, extensive digital and physical service offerings for access to the Japanese music market.
Brad Navin, CEO of The Orchard, said: “We are excited to enter the Japanese market and have Yuuki and the Tokyo team working with independent labels and artists to embrace the opportunities offered by Japan’s ongoing shift to streaming. Yuuki’s substantial knowledge of both the digital and physical business within Japan will help us deliver on our goal of having local support in every key part of the world, led by people who have a firm grasp on the region’s strengths and deeply understand the music culture and industry. This expansion gives even greater reach to our global market solution for discovering music, reaching untapped audiences and advancing consumption.”
Kaneko added: “I am honored to lead the company’s efforts in showcasing Japanese artists and labels worldwide. The Orchard Japan is in a position to bring the Japanese music community to new heights on a global scale, using transparent analytics from our proprietary technology to grow and develop The Orchard’s international roster within the territory.”
The Orchard currently operates a global network of more than 40 offices in cities including Taipei, Seoul, Warsaw, Madrid, Nashville, Sydney, Moscow, Copenhagen, Milan and Barcelona among others.