OTONAMI, an AI Music Pitch Platform Connecting Japanese Artists to Global Music Curators, Officially Launches on May 19

TYCompany LLC (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative: Satoshi Yamashita) will officially launch "OTONAMI" (otonami.io), an AI-matching music pitch platform that directly connects independent Japanese artists with overseas music curators (playlist editors, music bloggers, radio DJs, label scouts, etc.) on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

At launch, more than 20 curators from around the world will participate, including Music Press Asia (Singapore), Tinnitist (Canada), and PYAAR Agency (Poland). As the government sets a goal of achieving 20 trillion yen in overseas sales for the content industry by 2033 and promotes support for the overseas expansion of Japanese artists, OTONAMI aims to complement the overseas distribution routes in the music sector as a privately implemented product.

Structural Challenges in the Streaming Era: Asymmetry Between "Creating" and "Delivering" Music
Now that streaming is the core of the music industry, distributing songs to the world is possible for anyone. However, the means to "deliver that music to the right listeners" remain limited.
For independent Japanese artists, there is a triple hurdle: the language barrier (creating pitches and communicating in English), the lack of networking with overseas media and curators, and the low reply rate of free submission services. Consequently, opportunities for their music to reach beyond the domestic market have been severely restricted.
Infographic visualizing the challenges (language barrier, network barrier, cost barrier)

■ Connection with Government Policy: Implementing Overseas Content Expansion in the "Music Sector"
In December 2025, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on her X (formerly Twitter) account: "The government will strengthen support for overseas expansion so that Japan's talented artists can hold live performances and interact in more countries. We will create a future where Japanese music resonates in diverse markets such as Asia, Europe, and North America." In the same month, during an exchange of views with the content industry held at the Prime Minister's Office, the policy to "expand Japan's wonderful content capabilities worldwide" was presented (from the official announcement of the Prime Minister's Office).
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's 5-year action plan sets a goal to expand the overseas sales of Japan's content industry, which was approximately 5.8 trillion yen in 2023, to 20 trillion yen by 2033. The content industry is positioned as one of the 17 strategic areas in Japan's growth strategy.
OTONAMI is a product that complements specific overseas delivery routes in the music sector from the private sector, responding to the flow of overseas content expansion indicated by these government policies. Alongside anime, manga, and games, it aims to contribute from both a technological and human network perspective to creating a foundation where Japanese indie music is evaluated across borders.

■ 3 Values Provided by OTONAMI
1. AI Matching: When an artist enters a song URL (Spotify / SoundCloud / YouTube, etc.), AI analyzes the genre, audio characteristics, mood, and tempo of the song, and recommends the most suitable global curators based on a compatibility score.
2. AI English Pitch: AI converts song introductions written in Japanese into natural English pitch texts. Even artists who are anxious about communicating in English can send professional pitches to overseas curators.
3. Fair Compensation for Curators (Paid Feedback): In traditional free submission services, low reply rates and templated feedback were significant issues. By paying curators for their feedback, OTONAMI guarantees sincere and practical replies. Artists receive feedback within 7 days.

■ Differences from Existing Services
OTONAMI is fundamentally different from so-called "view-inflating bots" or "providing songs to influencers." It offers human feedback and publication opportunities from real music media operators, playlist editors, and radio DJs.
Comparison chart with existing services (Bot type / Influencer type / Overseas submission type / OTONAMI)

■ Participating Curators at Launch (Key Figures)
Monica Tong / Music Press Asia (Singapore) — Founding Curator #1
Darryl Sterdan / Tinnitist (Canada) — Founding Curator #2
Witold Rosiak / PYAAR Agency (Poland) — Founding Curator
Plus over 20 curators from around the world

■ Founder's Comment (Satoshi Yamashita)
"I myself, as the drummer of ROUTE14band, attended SXSW...