Asian music markets differ from each other at least as much as they differ from the US or Europe. Before spending anything, answer these six questions.
1. Which country, specifically? Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam all behave differently. Choose based on real signals: where your listeners already are, where your genre has a scene, or where you have a partner.
2. Which platforms do listeners actually use? Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube are strong in many countries, but local services lead in others: Melon in South Korea, LINE MUSIC in Japan, JioSaavn in India, and Tencent's QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music in mainland China. Check that your distributor delivers to the services that matter in your target country.
3. Does physical media still matter there? In Japan, CDs and collectible editions remain an important part of how fans support artists. In most other markets, streaming dominates.
4. What needs to be localised? Song titles, bios, captions and ad creative often perform better in the local language. Even a translated lyric video or subtitles can open a door.
5. How do fan communities work? Fandoms in several Asian markets are highly organised. They reward consistency, regular content and genuine interaction, and they notice quickly when something feels forced.
6. Who are the local gatekeepers? Editorial playlist teams, music TV shows, radio, local media and creators all play a role. A local partner who knows them usually saves months of trial and error.
Once you have answers, pick one market and one or two channels and test. More detail on music promotion in Asian markets.