CASE STUDY
Offering Japan's largest fitness music and yoga music online specialty stores
We operate two online stores, Japan’s largest fitness music site, fitness-music.jp and Japan’s largest yoga music site, yogamusic.jp, for fitness and yoga instructors in Japan. These stores offer a wide variety of carefully curated selections of music from specialist labels from around the world, including Italy, Belgium, Germany, the US, etc.
Customized music support for fitness clubs and other fitness facilities
In response to requests from fitness clubs and fitness-related companies, we also offer customized music services creating music products for their original programs and offering volume discount services for bulk purchases.
Music licensing for fitness apps
We license music for circuit training gyms, BGM apps and voice-guided consumer fitness apps.
Exhibitions at workshops and trade shows
We also actively participate in various industry workshops and trade shows related to fitness, yoga, and wellness. We also provide music support, such as providing music for presenters who are in charge of the courses and sessions.
Exhibiting at Japan's largest tradeshow “SPORTEC”
SPORTEC, held in Tokyo, is Asia’s largest tradeshow in the fitness and health industry with over 50,000 visitors and over 900 exhibitors . Attendees gather from all over the world to attend business seminars and events, and experience the massive exhibition of fitness equipment and programs, health supplies, and sports tourism, etc. Every year Bravo has one of the largest and most energetic booths, showcasing and promoting Interactive-music.
“ I always imagined that doing international overseas business would be polite but “aloof”, emotionless… The opposite is true: I don’t know if it is the mixture of the American & Japanese culture, but during the years I almost became member of the Bravo-family. “From a distance” we celebrate each other family events. I send them Belgian chocolates which the Bravo members seems to appreciate very much. Don’t make a mistake: they expect a very high-quality level of products & services, but always on a friendly way ”
Q&A with Roland De Roeck
How did you first become interested in the Japan market?
As producer of “tailor made” fitness music (32count) we were always looking for new markets. However, since our start in 1997 the business of fitness music was booming. As a Belgian company our first focus was developing a distribution network in Europe. (in the EU only, there are already 28 different countries) In November 2011 we received an email from John Boardman introducing Bravo & asking for CD-samples; That mail was a game changer!
What is difficult to do business in Japan, that people might not know is difficult?
I don’t experience difficulties. In general, one could say
•Time difference of 7 hours. If companies on both sides would only work from 9 to 5, there is only 1 hour / day you can expect an immediate reply to a simple question
•Time language: it seems that only few Japanese speak English. All my contacts at Bravo speak English
•My experience is that business communication is polite & friendly, one could say a little “introvert” So be sure to ask all the right questions to avoid that there are missing links regarding your market analysis
What made you decide to do business with Bravo?
In his mail John Boardman wrote:
“Our philosophy is to be a "high-quality-one-stop-shop", offering the very best brands and products, so that Japanese fitness instructors have no reason to go elsewhere when looking for music, videos and other accessories to support their teaching career.”
That statement proved to be 200% true. Bravo is very well integrated in the market of instructors, giving them all kinds of support & products responding to their needs
How has it been to do business with Bravo?
It has been a pleasure
•The communication is very polite & friendly, almost family. Never there are “hard” words, problems (if any) are solved with a smile at the convenience of each party.
•The payments of the invoices are very correct, in those 7 years never one a day to late!
•I’m very satisfied about the cooperation with Bravo’s music producer. He does a quality control on our mixes and advise us so that our catalogue fits 100% to the needs of the Japanese instructors. One could even say he takes our products to a higher quality level.