AWA, a subscription-based (flat-rate) music streaming service run by AWA Co., Ltd. (head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Togashi Akimi), has major updates to its iOS and Android apps on Wednesday, July 16th, 2025.
On May 27, 2025, AWA celebrated its 10th anniversary of its launch. Over the past decade, the environment surrounding music has changed dramatically. While music subscription services have become popular, encounters with music through social media and short videos have become commonplace, recommendation technology using AI has also evolved, and the scenes and objectives of users listening to music are becoming more diverse. Amidst these changes, we have rethinked the nature of “experiences of encountering new music.” In today’s world, information is full of information, it is possible for each user to discover music in a way that is natural and in a way that is personal. I believe that this will become more and more important in future music experiences.
Therefore, in this update, we cherish the coincidence and intuition that “I just opened it and found some good songs,” and have fully renewed the Home screen, the top of the app, so that users can “enjoy music more freely.”
The new Home screen has new recommendation elements added, leaving behind the old playback history and existing recommendations. We have significantly increased the number of content displayed, expanding our contact with diverse and unexpected music. In addition, trend information such as editor recommendations and rankings has been consolidated on the newly added “Hot” screen, enhancing the listing and accessibility of seasonal music. In addition, access to profiles, settings, notifications for new song releases, etc. has been organized and integrated at the top of each screen.
■HOME
In the traditional “Home”, users have carefully faced music one-on-one music, while also using vertical displays that allow users to immerse themselves in encounters with music just like they skim through their daily social media feeds. However, in the new “Home”, while cherishing the value of one-on-one encounters, the method has been revamped to display the music side by side for each type of recommendation so that you can search for music more widely and freely. This greatly increases the types and number of content displayed, allowing you to enjoy the joy of searching and the “cancellation discovery” on one screen.
Additionally, new content has been added to encourage smooth access to frequently used music.
Quick Access
We pick up multiple recommendations based on playback history and favorite history and display them at random. If you’re not sure where to start, check this first and expand your chances of finding a song that suits you.
Recently my favorite music
You can also view “Recently Favorite Music” in your library in your home page. We will provide you with the quickest possible experience of playing your favorite songs right away after opening the app.
New Music
Displays a playlist that collects the latest Japanese and Western songs. The lineup of songs reflects current trends, allowing you to quickly access the latest music scene.
■HOT
The “Featured” and “Trends” content that has been previously displayed on each screen has been consolidated into the “Hot” screen, and information has been organized so that you can quickly check the latest releases and popular songs. It has now been possible to thoroughly check out the music you need right now, such as recommended artists and songs by genre and hit song charts, creating an environment where anyone can catch music trends in real time, regardless of their individual preferences.
■ Update introduction video
■AWA delivers future experiences
In recent years, the evolution of AI and data analytics has led to an increasingly accurate recommendation based on user behavioral data. Furthermore, as the consumption of short-length entertainment, including short videos, has accelerated, music is being used more and more in the number of short videos, which is only a few dozen seconds. As a result, songs released decades ago were rediscovered by Gen Z and were once again attracted attention, and it is no longer uncommon to see songs that have never been seen before and classic songs that have spread across generations.
Music is now not just about listening, it has evolved into something to “experience” and “share.” In order to continue to deliver music that has become more accessible and enjoyable from a variety of angles to many people, AWA will continue to work to create new value in line with this changing market and the times.
“Enhance your delve into the “digging experience”
When users become interested in a particular song or artist, we are considering enhancing the experience of immersing themselves in the “swamp” of music by providing the ability to delve deeper into the related artists, influenced artists, maniacal songs from the same genre, as well as the background of the era when the song was released, lyrics and composers.
Improved number of playlist songs
We are considering increasing the maximum number of songs to be added to the playlist and the number of songs to be released.
Expanding social media that can be shared
With the rise of SNS services, we are considering expanding the SNS services and sharing functions that can be used.
Provided by web players
We have been providing PC apps up until now, but we are also considering providing player functions that can be used in browsers and seamless functional integration with the browser version of “Lounge” that is already available.
Annual review content “Get Your Trends”
The data from those who have used it up to now is a major asset for AWA.
Using these, we are preparing annual review content that users can enjoy.
At the milestone of our 10th anniversary, we are considering the appropriate content.
Expanding content that touches on the behind-the-scenes of works and the artist’s way of life
We are considering providing experiential content that not only listen to the music, but also experience the behind-the-scenes of the work and the artist’s way of life, allowing you to immerse yourself in the world of the work and close the distance between you and the artist.
Improved security including identity verification
We are considering introducing multi-factor authentication so that our users can use our services in a safer and more secure environment.
We will continue to make various improvements and evolutions in order to make each customer’s experience better. Please look forward to the future of AWA, which has now entered its 11th year.
■App overview
“AWA” is a subscription-based (flat rate) music streaming service provided by AWA Corporation, a joint investment by CyberAgent Inc. and Avex Entertainment Inc. The service began offering its service in May 2015, with 170 million songs being distributed and approximately 17 million playlists created by celebrities and users. In addition to the “FREE Plan,” which offers all functions for free, except for the “STANDARD Plan” which offers 980 yen (tax included) per month (1,080 yen (tax included) for App Store, Google Play, and convenience store payments), and the “FREE Plan,” which allows you to use all functions for free monthly, except for the “Offline Play” which offers all functions for 480 yen (tax included) per month, and the “Artist Plan,” which offers unlimited listening to certain artists for 270 yen (tax included) per month. “AWA” is compatible with a variety of devices, including smartphones, computers, TVs, car navigation systems, wearable devices, and smart speakers. Since its launch, it has expanded its various plans and functions to suit the user’s needs and viewing environment, including the “LYRIC DIVE,” a function that beautifully animates lyrics in real time to match the song, and the “AWA Lounge,” an online space where users who have added live audio streaming and gifting functions can enjoy the same music in the same space in real time, and has grown into the largest music streaming service in Japan.
Name: “AWA”https://awa.fm/
Recommended environment:
Price: Standard plan (Monthly: 980 yen including tax *App Store, Google Play, and convenience store payments are available for 1,080 yen including tax) / Free plan (Monthly: 480 yen including tax) / Student plan (Monthly: 270 yen including tax *Unlimited listening to one specific artist)
Available: May 27, 2015
■URL
AWA:https://awa.fm/
App Store:https://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/awa-music/id980578855
Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fm.awa.liverpool
Desktop app:https://awa.fm/download/
AWA Lounge Browser Version:https://app.awa.fm/lounge/
Latest AWA news:https://news.awa.fm/
AWA Official X:https://x.com/awa_official
AWA Official LINE:https://lin.ee/21w3f0k
■Company overview
Company name: AWA Co., Ltd. (Read: AWA)
Address: Sumitomo Real Estate Azabu Juban Building, 1-4-1 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative: CEO Togashi Akimi
Business content: Music streaming services, etc.
Established: December 1, 2014
■Contact information
AWA Public Relations Press@awa.fm
