Top J-Pop Duo YOASOBI's 'Idol' Becomes Only 5th Song in History To Achieve Back-to-Back JASRAC Gold Awards

The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) announced that Sony Music Publishing and Ayase, who wrote and composed the YOASOBI song “Idol,” have again won the Gold Award — the yearly award for the Japanese songs that received the most royalties from JASRAC in 2024.

JASRAC is a copyright management organization in Japan — by far the biggest in fact — responsible for centralizing and streamlining the process for parties to gain permission to use songs, and distributing any revenue generated to those who hold the songwriting/publishing credits (It would be infeasible for every restaurant, mall or karaoke bar, for some examples, to contact YOASOBI or Sony Music Publishing to pay for permission to use “Idol”). This achievement signifies that “Idol” continues to be a highly demanded song in numerous settings in Japan and overseas, including live spaces, buildings, physical sales, film, TV, online distribution, broadcasting, and karaoke. You can check out the top 10 list below.

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Top 10 Japanese Songs With the Highest-Generated Royalties From JASRAC (Gold Award):

1. YOASOBI – “Idol” (Lyrics, Composer: Ayase, Publisher: Sony Music Publishing)
2. Creepy Nuts – “Bling‐Bang‐Bang‐Born” (Lyrics: R-Shitei, Composer: DJ Matsunaga, Publisher: Sony Music Publishing)
3. Ado – “Show” (Lyrics: TOPHAMHAT-KYO, Composer: Giga, TeddyLoid, Publisher: Universal Music Publishing)
4. Hibari Misora – “Kawa no Nagare no You ni” (Lyrics: Yasushi Akimoto, Composer: Akira Mitake, Publisher: Skylark Music Publishing)
5. Idol Four – “Tensai Bakabon” (Lyrics: Tokyo Movie Planning Department, Composer: Takeo Watanabe, Publishing: YTE)
6. Candies – “Toshishita no Otokonoko” (Lyrics: Kazuya Senke, Composer: Yusuke Hoguchi, Publishing: Watanabe Music Publishing)
7. 川瀬幹⽐⻁, 佐藤容⼦ – “M.LEAGUE Official Anthem” (Lyrics: ADEYTO, Composer: Hiroaki Yamashita, Publishing: Melody Punch)
8. N/A – “One Piece BGM” (Lyrics: N/A, Composer: Kohei Tanaka, Publishing: Fuji Pacific Music)
9. Mariya Takeuchi – “Genki wo Dashite” (Lyrics, Composer: Mariya Takeuchi, Publishing: Tenderberry & Harvest)
10. King Gnu – “SPECIALZ” (Lyrics, Composer: Daiki Tsuneta, Publisher: Sony Music Publishing)

Since JASRAC represents authors, songwriters, and composers, the artists and publishing companies credited and bolded in the brackets are the actual award recipients.

You can relisten to YOASOBI’s “Idol” below:

YOASOBI writer and composer, Ayase, commented after the announcement, “I’m very happy to receive this award again after last year. It makes me very happy just to have a song released to the world and have it listened to by so many people, and it makes me very emotional to know that it has continued to be loved for such a long time over the years. It is the greatest honor for a composer and a musician. I will continue to think hard, face music sincerely, and forge ahead on the path I believe in.“

Alongside “Idol,” the only songs in Japanese history to rank #1 back-to-back since the inauguration of the Gold Award in 1988 are:

• “Gurenge” (Lyrics: LiSA, Composer: Kayoko Kusano, Publisher: Sony Music Publishing)
• “Heavy Rotation” (Lyrics: Yasushi Akimoto, Composer: Yo Yamazaki, Publisher: AKS)
• “Sekai ni Hitotsu no Hana” (Lyrics, Composer: Noriyuki Makihara, Publisher: Johnny’s Publishing)
• “Inochi Kurenai” (Lyrics: Osamu Yoshioka, Composer: Jun Kitahara, Publisher: Crown Music Publishing)

JASRAC also announced that 2024 again marked the highest year for royalty payments with 142.3 billion yen ($975 million) – a 5.3% increase from 2023.

The Gold Award follows YOASOBI recently becoming the first musical act in Japanese history to receive a Double Diamond streaming certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). The duo’s “Yoru ni Kakeru/Into the Night” crossed 1 billion streams in March 2025. YOASOBI was also the first act to receive the Diamond streaming certification, doing so in September 2021.

Source: Kyodo News, JASRAC
Featured Image ©Aka Akasaka x Mengo Yokoyari/Shueisha, “OSHI NO KO” Partners

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