Kazuhiro Shimada, a widely respected music executive, has resigned as chief operating officer of Warner Music Japan.
MBW has learned that Tuesday (July 9) will be the Tokyo-based executive’s last day at the company, and an official update is likely to be released soon.
Shimada joined Warner Music Japan in November 2022 from Amazon Music Japan as a director and general manager.
Prior to this, Shimada served as a corporate executive at Universal Music Japan and previously served as Vice President of Strategy at MTV Networks Japan.
Shimada also worked at GAGA Communications, an independent film acquisition, marketing and distribution company.
Partnerships struck by Warner Music Japan in recent months include one Working with LAND, a creative agency based in Jakarta, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Warner Music also recently partnered with Red Light Management to provide more opportunities for Red Light artists in Japan.
Warner expanded its global indie publishing arm ADA into Japan in 2020, where it is currently led by Yoonsung Chu, who joins the company from Activision Blizzard
Japan is the world’s second largest music market after the United States. CDs remain the dominant format in the market, with CD sales revenue reaching 139 billion yen ($860 million) in 2023, an annual increase of 7%, according to RIAJ data.
At the same time, revenue generated from streaming subscriptions in Japan will reach 85 billion yen (US$526 million) by 2023, an annual increase of 12%.
“Streaming adoption is currently growing at a healthy rate,” Shimada said in an interview with MBW at the World Leaders Series in early 2023. [in Japan] We expect this to continue in the coming years”.
Warner Music Japan’s digital revenue is now greater than its physical revenue, he added.
“Physical remains an important revenue driver, but we remain fully focused on becoming a digitally savvy company that leads the way through innovative products and marketing campaigns,” he said.
Shimada confirmed his departure on social media this week, saying: “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the colleagues, business partners, artists and talent managers I have worked with for their continued support.” .
He added: “I plan to take some time off to recharge my batteries and look forward to the next challenge in the near future.”global music business
