2016 in Asian music

Events

 * March 29 – The ISCM World Music Days, 2016, festival opens in Tongyeong, South Korea.
 * April 26 – The ABU Radio Song Festival 2016 takes place in Beijing, China, with fourteen countries participating.
 * May 13 – The Borneo Jazz Festival opens in Miri, Sarawak.
 * June 22 – Pakistani singer Amjad Sabri appears on a morning TV show in Karachi. On his way home, his car is fired on by two motorcyclists, fatally injuring Sabri.  The killing was claimed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban who accused Sabri of blasphemy.
 * September 10 – Ah Ruem Ahn of South Korea wins the 15th International Grieg Piano Competition.
 * September 10–11 – Ultra Singapore took place.
 * October 22 – The ABU TV Song Festival 2016 took place in Bali.
 * December – The Turkvision Song Contest took place in Istanbul, Turkey.

Albums

 * Babymetal – Metal Resistance
 * Band-Maid – Brand New Maid
 * Mohsen Chavoshi – Amire Bi Gazand
 * Momoiro Clover Z – Hakkin no Yoake
 * Exo – Ex'Act
 * GOT7 – Moriagatteyo
 * Ayumi Hamasaki – Made in Japan
 * Shalabee Ibrahim – Hidhaaee Noor
 * Imran Mahmudul – Adhek Tumi (with Bappa Mazumder)
 * Nogizaka46 – Sorezore no Isu
 * Junko Onishi – Tea Times

Classical

 * Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol – Harabat / The Intoxicated'

Opera

 * Du Yun and Royce Vavrek – Angel's Bone

Deaths

 * January 7 – Houshang Ostovar, 88, Iranian composer
 * January 9 – Cielito del Mundo, 80, Filipino singer, actress and politician
 * January 27 – Georgy Firtich, 77, Russian composer and pianist
 * February 9 – Quan Minyu, 12, Chinese singer (DIPG)
 * February 18 – Abdul Rashid Khan, 107, Hindustani musician
 * March 6 – Kalabhavan Mani, 45, Indian actor and singer (liver cirrhosis and methyl alcohol poisoning)
 * March 17 – Trần Lập, 42, Vietnamese rock singer (colorectal cancer)
 * March 18 – Adnan Abu Hassan, 57, Malaysian composer (stroke, diabetes and kidney failure)
 * March 23 – Gegham Grigoryan, Armenian opera singer, 65
 * May 2 – Balwantrai Bhatt, 94, Indian composer and musician
 * May 5 – Isao Tomita, 84, Japanese synthesizer musician, composer and arranger (Snowflakes Are Dancing)
 * June 7 – Amber Gurung, 78, Nepalese composer, singer, and lyricist
 * June 10 – Habib, 63, Iranian singer (heart attack)
 * June 22 – Amjad Sabri, 45, Pakistani qawwali singer (shot)
 * July 7 – Om Prakash Sonik, 77, Indian composer
 * July 30 – Mike Mohede, 33, Indonesian singer
 * November 3 – W. D. Amaradeva, 88, Sri Lankan violinist, singer and composer