Tamaki Yamashita has been appointed Director of SPACE SHOWER FUGA – the joint venture between Amsterdam-based B2B tech and services company FUGA, and Japanese music and media company Space Shower Networks – which has officially opened for business this week.
Based in Tokyo, newly appointed Yamashita will head up a 10-strong team, having previously played a key role in Space Shower’s digital distribution strategy.
Yamashita also led the development of the firm’s global content management platform.
She joined the industry in 1994 and first served at Japanese distributor BounDEE before its acquisition by Space Shower Networks in 2011.
Established in 1989, Space Shower works with independent music creators providing sales, distribution and marketing support.
First announced in December 2020, the firm’s joint venture with FUGA adds 15 Japanese DSPs – including Recochoku, music.jp, LINE MUSIC and mora – to FUGA’s network of DSPs across APAC.
Although not part of the joint venture arrangement, Space Shower also runs Space Shower TV, one of the biggest music channels in Japan, in addition to its involvement in film production, music event production and organisation, live venue management, and artist and label management.
SPACE SHOWER FUGA’s founding team of ten comprises both new hires and former employees of Space Shower Networks, working across tech and marketing services for local and international clients.
SPACE SHOWER FUGA will also be actively supported at all levels by its parent companies FUGA and Space Shower Networks, with key members of their respective leadership teams sitting on the board, including Yoshito Hayashi (President & CEO, Space Shower Networks Inc.), Koichi Sato (CEO, SPACE SHOWER FUGA Inc.) Pieter van Rijn (CEO, FUGA), Christiaan Kröner (COO, FUGA).
Space Shower clients include Jazzy Sport, Mary Joy Recordings, PIZZA OF DEATH RECORDS, SDR and SUMMIT.
The localised Japanese version of FUGA’s proprietary tech platform supports three writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) of the Japanese alphabet.
“The service launch is just the beginning, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with FUGA.”
Tamaki Yamashita, Space Shower FUGA
“The service launch is just the beginning, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with FUGA.
Said Yamashita: “We started the JV project before the music industry started to emphasize the importance of global collaborations to overcome the world pandemic.
“We are now ready to provide support to great Japanese music and artists to reach the truly global market through unrivaled collaboration between FUGA’s technology and international marketing and Space Shower’s local expertise and trust. The service launch is just the beginning, and we look forward to strengthening our partnership with FUGA.
“Lastly, I would like to thank all FUGA and Space Shower team members for their irreplaceable contribution and support in this project.”
“The shared respect and cultural understanding between FUGA and Space Shower has allowed us to make an unprecedented move.”
Pieter van Rijn, FUGA
FUGA CEO Pieter van Rijn added: “The shared respect and cultural understanding between FUGA and Space Shower has allowed us to make an unprecedented move; a newly formed, world-class joint venture company between an international independent distributor and a local distribution partner in Japan.
“Together we offer a true combination of forward-thinking distribution technology and local industry expertise.
“As we take the first steps forward as ‘SPACE SHOWER FUGA’ in Japan I’d like to recognise the invaluable work of Christiaan [Kröner], Kaori [Matsuda], and Tamaki [Yamashita] in galvanizing this partnership.”Music Business Worldwide
