Universal Music Launches New Music Site "Yogaku Sanpomichi" for Seniors
Universal Music Japan has launched "Yogaku Sanpomichi," a new music streaming site designed for the senior demographic, on April 28, 2026. The site offers free, intuitively navigable playlists of Western music from YouTube, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional and modern music consumption for older audiences.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 11:31
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Universal Music LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Naoshi Fujikura / hereinafter, Universal Music) will launch "Yogaku Sanpomichi," a new music streaming site for seniors, on Tuesday, April 28 (Senior Citizens' Day), 2026.
In recent years, the music market has rapidly shifted to streaming and subscription-based services. Meanwhile, for those accustomed to traditional listening styles such as records, CDs, television, and radio, changes in the market environment have created a gap with current music consumption methods. In Japan, people aged 65 and over account for approximately 30% of the population*, while smartphone penetration and YouTube usage rates among those in their 60s and 70s are both high. Given this situation, Universal Music has been developing a service for seniors to enjoy music on their smartphones and is now officially launching the service.
*From the Cabinet Office's "Annual Report on the Aging Society 2025"
"Yogaku Sanpomichi" is a Western music playlist site that can be intuitively operated on smartphones. It offers free, theme-based playlists of legitimately published songs on YouTube. In addition to introducing famous songs from the 1940s to the 1980s by era, the "Listen by Genre" section categorizes music into pops, rock, light music, and more. It features global artists such as Frank Sinatra, Paul Mauriat, The Beatles, ABBA, and The Carpenters, as well as genres familiar to seniors, such as Hawaiian, electric sound, flamenco, and French pop. The "Listen by Mood" section allows users to select playlists according to their current mood or scene, such as "Lively," "Relax," "Sleep," and "Seasonal." These diverse playlists are built upon Universal Music's extensive catalog of Western music.
Song and artist names are unified in Japanese, with careful consideration for readability, including text size. Approximately 130 playlists are available at launch, structured for intuitive selection from three categories: "Era," "Genre," and "Mood," according to the user's purpose.
Moving forward, Universal Music will continue to update playlists and disseminate information, while also considering the development and expansion of the service, including the implementation of events and utilization in facilities.
■ Service Overview
Name: Yogaku Sanpomichi
Launch Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 7:00 AM JST
URL: https://yougakusanpomichi.com
■ Main Features of the Site
・Easy Operation: Intuitive design with large text and buttons.
・Safe Design: Simple, easy-to-navigate interface, excluding advertisements and complex links.
・Free Usage: Based on YouTube viewing, available without cost burden.
■ Comment from Professor Yasuyuki Taki, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University
Professor Yasuyuki Taki, a leading expert in geriatric medicine in Japan and Professor of Clinical Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University / Director of Tohoku University Smart-Aging Interdisciplinary Research Center, has endorsed the significance of the "Yogaku Sanpomichi" project and contributed a column to the site.
"Listening to nostalgic music has a positive effect on the brain. Music and the feeling of 'nostalgia' are said to stimulate the brain's reward system, secreting dopamine related to feelings of happiness. This is expected to maintain brain health throughout life. Music from one's highly sensitive teenage years, in particular, evokes memories and connections with people from that time, creating opportunities for conversation. It can be said to be an easy and effective health method that anyone can enjoy and practice."
[From the column "The Effects of Nostalgic Music on the Brain"]
In recent years, the music market has rapidly shifted to streaming and subscription-based services. Meanwhile, for those accustomed to traditional listening styles such as records, CDs, television, and radio, changes in the market environment have created a gap with current music consumption methods. In Japan, people aged 65 and over account for approximately 30% of the population*, while smartphone penetration and YouTube usage rates among those in their 60s and 70s are both high. Given this situation, Universal Music has been developing a service for seniors to enjoy music on their smartphones and is now officially launching the service.
*From the Cabinet Office's "Annual Report on the Aging Society 2025"
"Yogaku Sanpomichi" is a Western music playlist site that can be intuitively operated on smartphones. It offers free, theme-based playlists of legitimately published songs on YouTube. In addition to introducing famous songs from the 1940s to the 1980s by era, the "Listen by Genre" section categorizes music into pops, rock, light music, and more. It features global artists such as Frank Sinatra, Paul Mauriat, The Beatles, ABBA, and The Carpenters, as well as genres familiar to seniors, such as Hawaiian, electric sound, flamenco, and French pop. The "Listen by Mood" section allows users to select playlists according to their current mood or scene, such as "Lively," "Relax," "Sleep," and "Seasonal." These diverse playlists are built upon Universal Music's extensive catalog of Western music.
Song and artist names are unified in Japanese, with careful consideration for readability, including text size. Approximately 130 playlists are available at launch, structured for intuitive selection from three categories: "Era," "Genre," and "Mood," according to the user's purpose.
Moving forward, Universal Music will continue to update playlists and disseminate information, while also considering the development and expansion of the service, including the implementation of events and utilization in facilities.
■ Service Overview
Name: Yogaku Sanpomichi
Launch Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 7:00 AM JST
URL: https://yougakusanpomichi.com
■ Main Features of the Site
・Easy Operation: Intuitive design with large text and buttons.
・Safe Design: Simple, easy-to-navigate interface, excluding advertisements and complex links.
・Free Usage: Based on YouTube viewing, available without cost burden.
■ Comment from Professor Yasuyuki Taki, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University
Professor Yasuyuki Taki, a leading expert in geriatric medicine in Japan and Professor of Clinical Geriatric Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University / Director of Tohoku University Smart-Aging Interdisciplinary Research Center, has endorsed the significance of the "Yogaku Sanpomichi" project and contributed a column to the site.
"Listening to nostalgic music has a positive effect on the brain. Music and the feeling of 'nostalgia' are said to stimulate the brain's reward system, secreting dopamine related to feelings of happiness. This is expected to maintain brain health throughout life. Music from one's highly sensitive teenage years, in particular, evokes memories and connections with people from that time, creating opportunities for conversation. It can be said to be an easy and effective health method that anyone can enjoy and practice."
[From the column "The Effects of Nostalgic Music on the Brain"]