Soneium And IRC APP Partner To Transform Fan Engagement At Japan’s Largest Idol & Fashion Festival 

In Brief

Soneium and IRC APP have partnered to bring onchain fan engagement to Japan’s largest idol and fashion festival, IRC 2026.

Soneium, developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, announced a collaboration with IRC APP, the official application for IDOL RUNWAY COLLECTION, supported by TGC

Created by YOAKE entertainment, IRC APP enables fandom activities to be recorded, rewarded, and recognized in a transparent and lasting manner using onchain technology through the REC token. YOAKE entertainment, a recipient of the Soneium Spark initiative, is backed by leading Japanese IP and entertainment companies including TWIN PLANET, ASOBISYSTEM, W TOKYO, Y&N Brothers, and Sony Group

The company organizes IRC, Japan’s largest idol and fashion festival, and continues to innovate fan engagement through the application.

IRC has reached over a million people through venue attendance, broadcast viewership, and media coverage. The application aims to redefine how fandom contributions are tracked and rewarded, creating new opportunities for creative participation in the digital and onchain era.

IRC 2026 marks the third annual edition of one of Japan’s fastest-growing cultural festivals, now elevated by its partnership with TGC, the country’s largest and most influential fashion event. Since 2005, TGC has hosted over 40 large-scale shows, attracting a cumulative audience exceeding five million through live events, regional tours, and nationwide livestreams, providing IRC with a world-class production and cultural platform.

Building on this foundation, IRC 2025 drew around 11,800 attendees to the National Yoyogi Gymnasium First Gymnasium, featuring 107 idols performing in a unique combination of idol culture and high-fashion runway presentation. The event established IRC as one of Japan’s most important idol and fashion hybrid festivals.

On March 15th, 2026, IRC 2026 will return to the Yoyogi National Gymnasium First Gymnasium, hosted by YOAKE entertainment. This edition will feature prominent idol groups including Nogizaka46, =LOVE, FRUITS ZIPPER, CUTIE STREET, and TAKANE NO NADESHIKO, reflecting its cultural impact and broad appeal.

By integrating TGC’s global fashion influence, IRC’s arena-scale production, and Japan’s idol ecosystem, IRC 2026 represents an ambitious convergence of entertainment, fashion, and onchain fan participation, offering a new model for interactive cultural experiences.

IRC APP Brings Global Fan Engagement To Japan’s Largest Idol Festival On Soneium

Across the global entertainment industry, fan engagement has often gone unmeasured and undervalued. IRC APP addresses this issue by focusing on J-Pop, the world’s second-largest music market according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2025, collaborating with leading idol groups and Japan’s largest idol festival to demonstrate how IPFi infrastructure can unlock measurable value from creative communities at scale.

Built on Soneium’s infrastructure, IRC APP connects everyday fan activity to tangible outcomes at IRC. The application uses Account Abstraction (AA) to simplify blockchain access, allowing users to participate immediately through social logins such as LINE, Google, or Apple without needing wallets or technical setup. By linking an X (formerly Twitter) account, users engage with “AI SNS Trends,” an AI-driven analytics system powered by Record Protocol that evaluates publicly available supportive posts for positivity, consistency, and community contribution.

Record Protocol provides a neutral, blockchain- and AI-based infrastructure that makes fandom contributions verifiable and economically relevant. Historically, fans have amplified content, coordinated communities, and generated demand, yet their efforts have rarely been quantifiable

Record Protocol addresses this gap by turning engagement into measurable value.

Fan activity is tracked through IRC Score, which is automatically credited to users’ onchain wallets without gas fees or transaction approvals

Accumulated scores determine membership levels—Regular, Bronze, Silver, or Gold—unlocking benefits such as early ticket access, priority entry, and premium venue invites. Higher membership ranks also grant additional voting tickets, allowing fans to influence real-world aspects of IRC 2026 through onchain “Fan Vote” functions

The system was validated during a January beta, which brought over 60,000 users onchain and demonstrated that mainstream audiences can engage with onchain voting through an accessible design.

By combining social-native onboarding, AI-based fandom analysis, and gasless onchain interaction, IRC APP creates a framework where fan participation translates into meaningful, verifiable impact on the event experience.

IRC 2026 Lineup Integrated With IRC APP On Soneium

YOAKE Entertainment has revealed the first wave of performers for IRC 2026, all of whom will participate through IRC APP on Soneium, allowing fans to engage via AI SNS Trends and earn IRC Score. Additional artists are expected to be announced in the coming months

Nogizaka46, formed in 2011 and produced by Yasushi Akimoto, is a leading female idol group recognized for its polished performances and influence across music, fashion, and media

=LOVE, produced by Rino Sashihara and debuting in 2017, combines expressive vocals, dance, and visuals to set a modern standard for mainstream idol entertainment

FRUITS ZIPPER, a seven-member group launched in 2022 under ASOBISYSTEM’s “NEW KAWAII” concept, reflects Harajuku culture and has gained popularity on social media both in Japan and abroad

CUTIE STREET, an eight-member ensemble debuting in 2024 from ASOBISYSTEM’s KAWAII LAB., brings individual personalities together under the “KAWAII MAKER” concept to deliver contemporary Harajuku style worldwide

TAKANE NO NADESHIKO, formed in 2022 by HoneyWorks, embodies traditional Japanese elegance while appealing to modern idol culture.

Through IRC APP, fans can earn IRC Score automatically by posting positive, supportive content about participating artists on X (formerly Twitter), with scores claimed onchain without requiring blockchain knowledge or fees. The platform transforms everyday social engagement into measurable influence for IRC 2026.

As part of the festival’s participatory approach, the IRC APP will host an Opening Act Audition, inviting fans to nominate idols for the opening performance. Selected nominees will be featured in AI SNS Trends, allowing their fandoms to earn IRC Score, which converts into voting tickets based on Membership rank. The submission period runs from November 28, 2025, to December 13th, 2025, with voting scheduled for January 2026. Further details will be shared via official social channels, encouraging widespread fan participation.

This collaboration represents the largest real-world fandom integration built on Soneium, uniting Japan’s leading idol groups, nationwide fans, and an onchain engagement layer. IRC APP reconceives J-Pop fandom as a measurable network linking digital and physical activity, where daily contributions are recorded transparently. Powered by Soneium, the platform connects fan enthusiasm with creative IPs, forming a foundation where music, culture, and technology converge. While rooted in idol culture, the model is designed to expand into music, anime, fashion, and other creative industries, demonstrating how technology can enhance, rather than replace, fan passion.