Doujin music (同人音楽,dōjin ongaku), also calledotokei doujin (音系同人) in Japan, is a sub-category ofdoujin activity. Doujin are non-official self-publishedJapanese works which can be based on official products or completely original creations. Such products are sold online on specialized sites, on the authors' own sites, and at conventions such asComiket and the audio-focusedM3.
Doujin music is not a musical genre in itself, but instead a term used for independently produced and self-published music.[1] Doujin music may entail fan arrangements and remixes fromanime andvideo games, or wholly original works in a variety of genres.[2]Electronic music makes up around a third of all doujin music,[3] though other genres such asrock[4] andjazz can also be found.Vocaloid andutaite albums are often sold at doujin events.[1][2] A large portion of doujin music is dedicated to the doujin game franchiseTouhou Project.[5][6]
Doujin music is produced by circles, which can range from being individuals to small groups.[3] Circles often put out around two to four albums per year depending on their size, typically selling CDs through events likeComiket andMusic Media-Mix Market, both of which are held on a semiannual basis.[2][7] Events dedicated to specific franchises are also held, such as the Hakurei Shrine Retaisai forTouhou Project[7] and The Vocaloid Master forVocaloid music respectively.[8] Doujin music is also commonly sold in shops withinAkihabara.[9] Albums are sometimes promoted with dedicated sites, with some using specialized templates forTumblr.[10]
^abNakabayashi, Akira (2016-11-11)."CD不況の今、音楽を買いたい人が集まるイベント「M3」って何?" [What is "M3"? It's an event that brings together people who want to buy music amid the current CD recession.].AV Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-09-27.
^Yamamoto, Kohei (2022-10-30)."キングクリムゾン、ＥＬＰだけじゃない 同人プログレの〝布教〟に尽力する男がいる" [Not just King Crimson and ELP, there's a man who's dedicated to spreading the word about doujin progressive rock].Yorozoo (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-09-27.
^ab"音楽業界を征服？ 知ってるようで知らない同人音楽の世界にダイブする vol.1"t+pazolite"" [Conquering the music industry? Diving into the world of doujin music that you may think you know but don't know vol.1 "t+pazolite"].ORICON NEWS. 2019-10-17. Retrieved2025-09-27.
^abShiraishi, Kosuke (2022-02-14)."kz(livetune)×REDALiCE×まろん（IOSYS）が語り合う"東方音楽とクラブミュージック"" [kz (livetune) × REDALiCE × Maron (IOSYS) talk about "Touhou Music and Club Music"].Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック (in Japanese). Retrieved2025-09-27.
^Beil, Benjamin (2025). "Akihabara". In Beil, Benjamin; Freyermuth, Gundolf S.; Hamm, Isabelle; Ossa, Vanessa (eds.).Gaming the Metaverse. Bild und Bit. Studien zur digitalen Medienkultur. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: transcript Verlag transcript Verlag [Imprint].ISBN978-3-8394-7462-4.
^"Tumblrで同人音楽CD特設サイトが簡単に作れるレスポンシブなテンプレート「Tokusetsu」" ["Tokusetsu" is a responsive template that makes it easy to create a doujin music CD special website on Tumblr.].GIGAZINE (in Japanese). 2013-02-12. Retrieved2025-09-27.
