2015年12月22日火曜日

The Music Task Force and databases

 The Music Task Force is a task force commissioned under the Strategic Council on Intellectual Property, and is involved in the international expansion of the Japanese music industry. It is the first effort in studying policies with a focus on music. In the midst of the important subject of advancing the overseas expansion of content, it was established for specific discussions, with the music industry as a model case.

 Why music now? The government explains that the high prevalence of overseas expansion in music, coupled with the rising maturity of industry practices, makes music a suitable model. The industry was compelled to digitalize its content way before text and videos did the same, and quickly became globalized. Therefore, the structure of the industry has undergone huge changes. However, the scale of the Japanese music industry is such that it joins the American music industry as one of the two top music industries in the world, and such that overseas expansion has become an independent theme within the industry. Even without support from the government, it plans to handle digitization and globalization by itself. The plans are to use the music industry as a model to accomplish overseas expansion, and use that to influence other content areas.
However, careful attention should be paid not to business assistance, but to the maintenance of the basic foundations of the industry, as mentioned by President Sakomoto of Shochiku during discussions at an assembly. Giving assistance to businesses that rely purely on support from the authorities will bring about an inefficient allocation of resources, and will retain uncompetitive businesses. Growth strategies and the preservation of traditional culture must never be conflated with each other. It is important for the country to think carefully before choosing how to proceed.

 In light of this, the consolidated policies involve numerous facets, such as the establishment of overseas bases, the strengthening of copyright protection, and the nurturing of talent. Among these facets, the one that I am keeping my eye on is the construction of databases. Specifically speaking, the creation of a database that cuts across the entire music industry.
"Even within the country, there already exist providers that offer data from overseas, such as Sync Music, but in order to provide 'seasonal' information to local fan groups, there is a need to provide additional information, such as that about upcoming concerts, television broadcasts, and new album sales." (From written report)
Based on requests by the music industry, our research office manages and operates "Sync Music", and handles information regarding more than 2000 music artists. With this as a base, we plan to move towards new database concepts and support such next-generation infrastructure like this, as part of the government.

We will begin to make our move.

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