Unveiling the Best in Japanese Music with MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN
Details of the Inaugural Event
The inaugural event of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN is scheduled for May 21 and 22, 2025, at the prestigious Rohm Theatre Kyoto. Day 2 of the event will be broadcast live on a domestic terrestrial TV channel and delay-streamed on YouTube, allowing a global audience to enjoy the festivities. Over 60 categories will be awarded, including the six major ones such as Song of the Year and New Artist of the Year. The details of the 23 divisions in the song category, seven in the international song category, five in the album category, twelve in the artist category, and three in the “Alliance Category” have been meticulously announced, showcasing the diversity and depth of this award.This award aims to celebrate a wide variety of music genres and cultures, with genre divisions honoring J-pop, rock, hip-hop, idol culture, anime and more. Special divisions for revival (resurgent hits), Vocaloid culture, and music videos have also been included, adding to the uniqueness of this award. There will be two awards decided by inviting votes from general music listeners via Spotify, further engaging the music community.
Album and Artist Categories
In the album category, leading with Album of the Year, projects from various genres that add color to music culture awards will be recognized. This includes jazz, classical music, movie music/original soundtracks albums, and video game soundtracks. In the artist category, there will be a prize for artists who have been active in the Japanese music industry for a long time and contributed to its enrichment called MAJ Timeless Echo.The selection methods for the major categories are also quite unique. For Song of the Year, an original, MAJ-specific chart will be created by combining the weekly points of the top 100 tracks on six metrics - radio airplay, CD sales, downloads, streaming, video views, and karaoke - comprising Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 song chart. Two months will be considered a single period, and songs charting in each period will be nominated. Domestic and international songs are eligible for this category.
For Album of the Year, an original, MAJ-specific chart will be created by combining the CD and downloads data comprising Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart, and GfK’s streaming data. Again, two months will be considered a single period, and albums charting in each period will be nominated. Domestic and international albums are eligible for this category.
Other Categories and Voting Methods
There are several other interesting categories and voting methods in MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN. The Top Global Hit From Japan award will be decided by selecting the top 5 songs from the global chart created by extracting Japan-based songs from the global viewing data (streaming, downloads, music videos) compiled by Luminate, excluding the number of views in Japan. Only the highest-ranking song will be considered for acts with multiple songs on the list. Five songs by five acts will be nominated for this award.The Best Song Asia award will be decided from the top 3 songs from the 2024 year-end charts of Asian countries/regions excluding Japan. For the inaugural MAJ, songs from South Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan will be considered.
There are also general voting categories where one best work will be decided from 30 works chosen as nominees through Spotify’s voting function. Additionally, there are two “Listeners’ Choice” awards - Best Global Song of the Year powered by Spotify and Best Song of the Year powered by Spotify - given to the best songs decided by general vote from Spotify users from both within and outside Japan.
Tallying Period and Other Details
The tallying period for most categories is from Monday, Feb. 5, 2024 to Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, excluding some categories. This gives ample time for the music community to engage and participate in the voting process.It is important to note that for certain categories, there are exclusions. For example, in the New Artist of the Year category, artists who have entered the top 20 on the Japan Hot 100 or top 10 of the Japan Hot Albums tallies in the last six months (26 weeks) and those who have logged at least four months (17 weeks) in the last six months on the Heatseekers Songs top 20 are excluded. Groups and projects that include these excluded artists are also excluded. However, artists who perform under completely different names are not excluded.
The details of the awards ceremony and related events will be announced later. It is also important to note that tickets to attend the ceremony will not be open to the public.