BMSG reports on the results of BE:FIRST's "Music x SDGs" initiative in "Masterplan." SKY-HI's comment video also released

■ Reduced plastic usage during CD manufacturing by approximately 10 tons, and increased total sales of the entire work, including CDs and merchandise, by approximately 2 times

BMSG has taken the following initiatives in response to concerns about the Japanese music industry’s business model that relies on CDs.

・Renewal from plastic to paper CD jackets
– Elimination of purchaser benefits that differ depending on the retailer/sales site (= corporate benefits) and randomly included CD benefits

BE:FIRST has reported the results of their sales activities for their concept single “Masterplan” (released on April 24th).

According to the report, during the sales period from release to May 22nd, the amount of plastic used in the CD manufacturing process was reduced by approximately 10 tons, and total sales for the entire work, including CDs and merchandise, approximately doubled (compared to the previous work).

Details of the results of the activities and comments from SKY-HI can also be found in the video titled “Less Waste, More Music[From Proposal to Realization].”

■BE:FIRST “Masterplan” sales activities and results
Regarding the sales of “Masterplan,” details of activities and results were reported from two perspectives: SDGs perspective and music business perspective.

Activities: Replacing the CD jackets that were previously made of plastic with paper jackets.

Result: Reduced the amount of plastic used in CD manufacturing by approximately 10 tons. This is equivalent to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 59 tons (LCA assessment by K&ESG based on the Ministry of the Environment’s emissions intensity database).

Activities: Abolish the purchaser benefits (= corporate benefits) that differed depending on the store/sales site, which could be one of the reasons for purchasing multiple CDs. The CD benefit that randomly included one of seven types will now be sold as merchandise that includes all seven types.

Results: The total sales for the entire work increased by about 2 times compared to the previous work. The abolition of the traditional bonus system caused the number of CDs shipped to decrease by about 70,000, but the sales of goods sold in place of bonuses increased. In addition, by switching from CD sales with bonuses to merchandise sales, which have a higher return rate to artists, it became possible to return more to individual artists.

■BMSG raises issues regarding Japan’s CD business
This initiative started from the “Recommendations for Preventing the Music Industry from Becoming Unsustainable” presented by BMSG in February 2024.

In addition, in the 2024 BMSG CEO PRESENTATION released on the BMSG official YouTube channel in April, SKY-HI himself spoke about his concerns about the Japanese CD business. Compared to the global music market, which has expanded by adapting to changes in business models brought about by the Internet, the sales composition ratio of the Japanese music market has not changed much for decades and continues to depend on the CD business, he also expressed a sense of crisis.