Naoki Shimizu of Creativeman Productions on SUMMER SONIC & The Future of Live Entertainment in Japan: Billboard Global Power Players Interview
Categoria: Musica
Billboard JAPAN interviewed Shimizu in recognition of his first selection on the list.
Por Billboard | 18/06/2026
Billboard ‘s Global Power Players list recognizes the leaders that are driving the success of the music business in countries outside the United States. Naoki Shimizu, President of Creativeman Productions, was selected for the first time from the many leaders of the music industry around the world. Billboard JAPAN interviewed Shimizu in recognition of his selection for the list, about the potential of the festival industry, such as Creativeman’s own SUMMER SONIC, and about how the event promotion business is changing. Related Billboard’s 2026 Global Power Players Revealed 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' Coming to Las Vegas' Sphere Carly Pearce Signs With BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville You were part of the launch of Creativeman Productions in 1990, and you were appointed president in 1997. The way people listen to music has changed a lot in the intervening years. Has the event promotion business also changed? Naoki Shimizu: Back when physical CDs were the primary way people listened to music, you could get a fairly accurate sense of an artist’s drawing power simply by looking at their sales figures. Today, however, music consumption is largely digital, we have to analyze data at a much more granular level. As a result, the indicators we rely on have shifted to things like social media engagement, video views, streaming numbers, and other digital metrics. Another major change is how international artists are introduced to the Japanese market. In the past, promotional visits organized by record labels played a central role. More recently, however, we’ve seen a growing number of emerging artists gain exposure through appearances at music festivals. When people think of your company, a lot of them will picture SUMMER SONIC, which you began in 2000. But you handle a lot of other festivals, too, right? Shimizu: In addition to our annual festivals, we also have irregularly scheduled events, so we’ve got quite a few events in Japan alone. Specifically, there’s the EDM-focused GMO SONIC , the metal and punk-focused LOUD PARK and PUNKSPRING , the New Year’s event rockin’on sonic , and the surf culture-themed GREENROOM FESTIVAL . And in 2024 and 2025 you organized SUMMER SONIC BANGKOK in Thailand, right? Shimizu: Every year, we get approached by people from different countries who are interested in hosting SUMMER SONIC, but none of those conversations had really turned into anything. The promoter in Thailand, though, came to us with a very concrete and detailed proposal. That gave us confidence that it could actually work, and after about a year of preparation, we were able to make SUMMER SONIC Bangkok happen. The strong support from the Thai government, including various subsidies, was also a huge help. To me, the fact that we’re getting interest from so many different countries shows just how much potential there is. Looking ahead, I’d love to try bringing an event to China as well. It’s a huge m