“Oshikatsu” is the term used to describe devotion toward a particular celebrity in Japan, and when digital entrepreneur Leni Andronicos encountered it for the first time in February, she knew she wanted to be in on the phenomenon.

“Fans in Japan want to invest in their favorite artists,” says Andronicos, 31, from the lounge of the Aman Hotel in Tokyo. “Just learning more about oshikatsu culture made me realize we need to run into the Japanese market headfirst.”

She’s done that with her new audio platform, Oshi. It’s a Japan-centric take on Logcast, a platform she co-founded in 2020 from Stockholm that allows fans to support artists by paying for voice-based content like audio clips (behind-the-scenes recordings, day-in-the-life reports), the chance to take part in virtual meet-and-greet events, and digital “limited-edition collectibles.” Andronicos says Oshi will host Japanese musicians (including a handful from Warner Music Japan), voice actors and — perhaps most importantly — VTubers (virtual YouTubers).

“Japanese VTuber agencies are desperately trying to expand overseas as the speed of growth is not as fast in Japan as it is in Europe and the United States,” Andronicos says, pointing to the domestic market maxing out. She notes that Market Research anticipates the global market for VTubers to reach $17.4 billion (roughly ¥2.3 trillion) by 2028. To that end, major tech entertainment companies such as Cover Corp. (behind VTuber talent agency Hololive) and Anycolor Inc. (Nijisanji) have introduced more English-speaking talent to their rosters and are also planning live shows outside of Japan.

Oshi is one of the first international start-up attempts connecting with the booming VTuber market, which itself is the latest evolution of Japan’s fan-to-creator economy. Andronicos hopes Oshi can help creators — of the avatar and human type — earn additional revenue via devoted supporters, and then help introduce them on the global stage.

“The market potential for Japanese voice actors and VTubers to reach a global audience is immense,” she says, adding that while anime and other Japanese pop cultural exports have a large international reach, the creatives involved with them don’t have many ways to earn extra revenue digitally.

“With our global network of distribution partners like Spotify, TikTok and Polygon, we can offer the Japanese creators a new global audience (that was) previously untapped and unmonetized.” she says.

The team at Oshi has spent the past few months developing relationships with both traditional entertainment companies as well as new-era VTuber agencies, and they’ll be setting up an office in the near future in Shibuya.

Andronicos grew up in Brisbane, Australia, in the 1990s, a decade that provided a last hurrah for traditional music fandom before the arrival of the internet. She speaks about being a fan of Spice Girls, Britney Spears, 50 Cent and other Western acts, remembering the days when the only way to support an artist was through buying CDs or concert tickets — if the acts she wanted to see even made it out to Australia, that is. For Andronicos, the streaming era disrupted connectivity with artists.

“​​While streaming platforms have taken over the music, making it disposable and often available for free, we see an exciting opportunity to create a new era of content that goes beyond just the music,” she says. “Spoken audio can offer fans a deeper and more meaningful connection to their favorite artists.”

Digital realities aren’t that simplistic — fans can still show their love for an artist by streaming and sharing songs online, even if the labels behind them wish they opened their wallets instead — but Andronicos believes there are ways for supporters and artists to mutually benefit from showing their loyalty.

Japan’s fandom economy has long been gawked at in stories about idol culture and the continued emphasis on CD sales, but in recent years these approaches have become a model of potential revenue overseas (see K-pop group Seventeen’s recent single, with every CD including over 400 photocards for diehard fans to collect). Andronicos thinks the Japanese fan experience should spread even further, with Oshi playing a part in helping artists give fans a deeper look into the creative process, fostering a deeper connection.

“I think VTubers were like a rebellion against what we’ve lost in the music industry,” she says. “Fans are spending hours watching a livestream from a VTuber — talking about their life, talking about their feelings, expressing themselves authentically. Why is that? Because it is closer to the ebbs and flows of a real conversation.”