When looking back on the year in music, the big question music fans should be asking themselves is, "Who was music being made for in 2014?" Looking at the broader picture, we can find the answers writ large across the Japanese music scene.

Is music for the fans?

Despite the occasional article on how Japanese fans still love to buy CDs, the industry here saw a broad trajectory of decline — sales fell 16.7 percent in 2013, which brought the global figure down 3.9 percent. The ceiling is gradually lowering on the industry's ambitions, forcing companies to grow sideways rather than upward, in an effort to capture new fans by broadening its approach.