Tokyo-based SURF Music, the innovative platform bridging the gap between Asian music markets and the West, is making a splash at SXSW 2024 after garnering an Innovation Award finalist nod in 2023. This year they’re not returning as exhibitors – they're taking the stage to discuss the ins and outs of the Japanese music industry, and explain why songwriters and artists in the West should want to break into this vibrant scene.

SURF Music’s Founder and CEO Kenneth Kobori will be appearing on the panel for Demystifying Japan: The World’s Second Largest Music Market on March 11. Kobori will be joined by Tamayu Takayama of Copetin and Elisa Watanabe of Ultra Publishing/Helix Records. The discussion will be moderated by Jonathan Streetman of Rock Paper Scissors.

Add SURF Music's SXSW panel discussion to your schedule and discover:

What makes the Japanese music industry so different from the rest of the world on multiple levels, ranging from a larger cultural context all the way down to rights management.

How J-Pop artists and other Japanese musicians have figured out how to engage their fandoms enough to make the Japanese music industry the second largest in the world.

What compels fans to buy 15+ physical copies of an artist’s CD (still in 2024!).

Why global songwriters, producers, and music creators should want to break into this industry, and how a single karaoke hit could mean a steady paycheck for life.

And what the Japanese industry can do to speed up its expansion into the global music market.