AMSTERDAM, September 1, 2021 - SPACE SHOWER FUGA – the joint venture between FUGA andJapanese music and media company Space Shower Networks– has opened for business. Based in Tokyo, newly appointed Director Tamaki Yamashitawill head up a ten strong team setto take digital music distribution in Japan to new heights. First announced in December 2020, the venture will be a key addition to Japan’s rapidly adapting music market, which according to IFPI‘s 2021 Global Music Report, saw streaming increase 38.1% year-on-year.
The partnership adds 15 Japanese DSPs – including Recochoku, music.jp, LINE MUSIC and mora – to FUGA’s considerable network of DSPs across APAC. Based across more than fifty countries, FUGA’s 800 clients now have unparalleled access to distribution, marketing services and local expertise in the world’s second biggest music market via SPACE SHOWER FUGA.
Space Shower clients – including Jazzy Sport, MaryJoy Recordings, PIZZA OF DEATH RECORDS, SDR and SUMMIT – will access a fully localised Japanese version of FUGA’s proprietary tech platform, with specific local features and delivery capabilities for digital distribution and royalty accounting. Notably, the comprehensive integration sees the platform able to seamlessly adapt to the three writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) of theJapanese alphabet. Together with FUGA’s global marketing services and substantial distribution network, its technology will enable Space Shower clients to reach new, worldwide audiences.
SPACE SHOWER FUGA’s founding team of ten comprises both new hires and former employees of Space Shower Networks, working across tech and marketing services for local and international clients. SPACE SHOWER FUGA will also be actively supported at all levels by its parent companies FUGA and Space Shower Networks, with key members of their respective leadership teams sitting on the board, including Yoshito Hayashi (President & CEO, SpaceShower Networks Inc.), Koichi Sato (CEO, SPACE SHOWER FUGA Inc.) Pieter van Rijn (CEO,FUGA), Christiaan Kröner (COO, FUGA).Director Tamaki Yamashita previously played a pivotal role in Space Shower’s digital distribution strategy and also led the development of its global content management platform. She joined the industry in 1994 and first served at Japanese distributor BounDEE before it’s acquisition bySpace Shower Networks in 2011.
Said Yamashita:“We started the JV project before the music industry started to emphasize the importance of global collaborations to overcome the world pandemic.“
We are now ready to provide support to great Japanese music and artists to reach the truly global market through unrivaled collaboration between FUGA's technology and international marketing and Space Shower's local expertise and trust. The service launch is just the beginning, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with FUGA.“
Lastly, I would like to thank all FUGA and Space Shower team members for their irreplaceable contribution and support in this project.”
FUGA CEO Pieter van Rijn added:“The shared respect and cultural understanding between FUGA and Space Shower has allowed us to make an unprecedented move; a newly formed, world-class joint venture company between an international independent distributor and a local distribution partner in Japan. Together we offer a true combination of forward-thinking distribution technology and local industry expertise.“As we take the first steps forward as ‘SPACE SHOWER FUGA’ in Japan I’d like to recognise the invaluable work of Christiaan [Kröner], Kaori[Matsuda], and Tamaki [Yamashita] in galvanizing this partnership.”
