Land of the rise in fun: Why booming Japan is such a tough market to crack

Japan is dominated by domestic acts. But the addition of new venues post-2020 could provide opportunities for international artists in the world's second-biggest market

Feature By Adam Woods | 12 August 2019

Summer Sonic in Japan
‘Big in Japan’ was a term, in the 80s and 90s, for modestly successful American and European acts that found slightly unlikely mega-stardom in the Land of the Rising Sun.It wasn’t an insult, exactly – who wouldn’t want to be big in Japan? – but it was often used sneeringly, whether directed at Mr Big, the early-90s rock supergroup who still hop up into the big leagues every time they touch down at Narita International Airport, or Scatman John, whose 1994 record Scatman’s World is, remarkably, Japan’s 17th biggest-selling international album of all time.But the days when Japan might have been seen as an easily impressed

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