General Incorporated Association Free BGM Association Releases 2025 Annual Report
The Free BGM Association has released its 2025 annual report, detailing the expanding use of free background music (BGM) in organizations and businesses like universities, government agencies, and TV/radio stations. The report also highlights that approximately 70% of composers are cautious about AI music.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 19:33
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 16:47
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 11:30 (474h 43m after Collected)
The General Incorporated Association Free BGM Association (hereinafter, Free BGM Association) released its "2025 Annual Report" on April 1, which summarizes its main activities in fiscal year 2025 and the results of a "Survey on Free BGM Usage and AI" conducted among participating composers.
This report is published on the association's official note, and in fiscal year 2026, we will continue to create an environment where both composers and users can produce and utilize music with peace of mind.
■ Expanding Scope of Free BGM Usage to Organizations and Corporations
A survey of free BGM usage revealed that 98% of the top 50 universities in the employment ranking for 400 famous companies utilize free BGM for public relations content creation, an increase of 4 points from the previous survey. Furthermore, 91.7% of the central 12 ministries and agencies utilize it, indicating expanding use in universities and government offices. (*1)
From this year, we began a survey on the usage status of broadcasters, comprising "TV stations," "radio stations," and "BS/CS/satellite broadcasters." As of December 2025, free BGM is utilized by 124 TV stations, including the five major key stations, 81 radio stations nationwide, and major BS/CS/satellite broadcasting channels. Moreover, the number of free BGM songs used exceeded 14,000 as of December 2025, and the number of programs utilizing them surpassed 900, both showing an increasing trend. (*2)
■ Free BGM Usage Continues to Focus on Video and Gaming This Year
According to a survey of the association's participating composers, the main uses of free BGM, similar to last year, were "videos such as YouTube and TikTok" and "games." On the other hand, some felt that usage in "educational institutions such as schools," "TV broadcasting," and "radio broadcasting" was not as active as last year, but numerous examples of use in educational institution presentations, graduation projects, and TV programs have been confirmed. (*3)
■ Survey on Attitudes Towards AI Music: Approximately 70% of Composers Cautious About Its Use
We surveyed the attitudes and usage status of AI music among the association's participating composers. Regarding AI music, 21% responded that they "consider it a threat," while approximately 60% said they "have concerns but believe coexistence is possible" or "don't care much," with many voices suggesting that individuality and uniqueness of composers and music will become more important in the era of AI. Furthermore, in actual production, approximately 32% partially utilize AI, while about 70% responded that they "hardly use it" or "do not use it / do not want to use it," indicating that a cautious stance is currently the majority. The background to this appears to be not only valuing the joy of creation and growth from composing their own music but also concerns about copyright and rights protection. (*3)
Keywords: Free BGM, BGM, Video, Video Production, Sound Design, Broadcasting, Television, Radio, Games, Events