MySpace Japan is making a push to double the number of local artists signed to the site in order to try and promote Japanese music and content internationally, reports Reuters.
"Until now, Japanese artists catered primarily to the home market but the home market is no longer big enough," says MySpace Japan CEO Atsushi Taira. "Demand for Japanese music and games is strong abroad and we are now uniquely positioned to clear barriers posed by language."
The number of artists that have registered with the Japanese version of MySpace has doubled in the last six months to 90,000, he adds.
The news comes only months after MySpace made a big push to expand its music offerings for local users, signing deals with 33 partners in the country. In May, the division reportedly partnered with companies such as EMI Music Japan, AVEX Entertainment and HMV, reports AFP.
The announcement also comes on the back of the MySpace Music launch in the US. In September, MySpace went into business with music labels such as Sony BMG, Universal Music and Warnerallowing MySpace members to stream and download music, grab ringtones and buy concert tickets. These services will be available in Japanese next year, says Taira.
MySpace is the largest foreign social network in Japan, with 1.2m members in July, according to comScore. The News Corp-owned site ranks far above competitors Orkut, which has 638m members and Facebook (538m). However, MySpace still lags behind Japanese social network Mixi, which has 12.74m members.
StrategyEye's related companies: HMV, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, Avex Group Holdings, MySpace, EMI Music Publishing
