Universal Music Japan opens UMG retail destination in Tokyo, dedicated to serving music super-fans

The Universal Music Store HARAJUKU opened today – Friday October 20^th in Tokyo’s most vibrant, creative and culturally renowned district.

The Store features RS No.9 HARAJUKU – making its debut in Japan, RS No. 9 is the official flagship apparel store of The Rolling Stones and is the second permanent retail home for the brand outside of London.

TOKYO, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Universal Music Japan (UMJ), a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the grand opening of a concept retail store dedicated to supporting music super-fans. The four-floor superstore opened to the public this morning – Friday, October 20, 2023, in the heart of Harajuku, Tokyo – one of the world’s most recognizable destinations for fashion, culture and fandom.

The UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE HARAJUKU is located on Takeshita Street in Harajuku and will serve as a hub for UMG artists and fans from around the world to connect offline. Spanning four curated floors, the store will feature dedicated fan experiences, product launches and retail pop-up shops. It will also offer a platform for artists to express their creative vision and share this with their fans through exciting, original and bespoke programmes of activity.

Launched inside is the RS NO.9 HARAJUKU flagship store,  a brand born from the ‘RS No.9’ store in London, now opening its second global location. In 2020, ‘RS No.9 Carnaby’ opened a street-level store on London’s Carnaby Street, gaining widespread attention from fans of The Rolling Stones worldwide for its apparel, merchandise, and exclusive collaborations, both in-store and online. The new store features the globally recognized “Lips and Tongue” logo of the Rolling Stones and offers a wide range of unique items on display and for sale. “RS NO.9 HARAJUKU” also offers exclusive original Japanese only-merchandise and products, with the opening alongside the release of Hackney Diamonds, The Rolling Stones’ first new studio album in 18 years, which was also released today. For more information: http://rsno9.jp/  

“We’re thrilled to bring the RS No 9 brand to Japan to support our new album,” said the band. “We hope our fans are excited to experience everything the store has to offer.”

Opening the space, Naoshi Fujikura, President and CEO of Universal Music Japan said, “We are excited to welcome the new UNIVERSAL MUSIC HARAJUKU concept store to Tokyo’s world-famous Harajuku district, a gathering point for people, styles and culture from all over the world. This store represents an exciting new venture for UMG, and celebrates the incredible impact and role, that fans play in supporting their favorite artists. In the coming months, the store will offer unique fan experiences for our artists, both domestic and international, creating new commercial opportunities for our artists and business.

Like Harajuku as a district,  Japanese music fans are globally known for their dedicated fandom and this store will only help to strengthen the connection between our artists and their fans, while becoming the go-to destination in Tokyo for all fashion, culture, and music lovers.”

Also attending the launch alongside Naoshi Fujikura was Mr. Hotei, one of Japan’s most famous guitarists, who has previously performed on stage with the Rolling Stones at the Tokyo Dome.

Further artist and fan experiences to feature across the floors will be announced shortly. Japan is the world’s second largest music market (IFPI) and leads the world in physical music sales.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC HARAJUKU Facility Overview:

• Opening Date: October 20, 2023 (Friday)
• Name: UNIVERSAL MUSIC STORE HARAJUKU
• Address: 1-20-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
• Access: 3-minute walk from Harajuku Station on the JR Yamanote Line, 5-minute walk from JR: Harajuku station
• Tokyo Metro: Meiji Jingumae Station/ Chiyoda Line Fukutoshin Line
• Operating Hours: 11:00 -20:00

About Universal Music Group
At Universal Music Group, we exist to shape culture through the power of artistry. UMG is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content. Featuring the most comprehensive catalogue of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. For more information on Universal Music Group visit www.universalmusic.com.

SOURCE Universal Music Group