Warner Music Japan Makes Major Move Into Anime Music Through NBCUniversal Partnership
Warner Music Japan (WMJ) has partnered with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan to make a significant expansion into the anime music industry. The company has created a dedicated Anime Business Division to spearhead this initiative.
Man wearing dark blue suit
Key developments of the partnership include:
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Appointment of two notable external advisors:
- Koichiro Natsume (former head of Aniplex)
- Hiroyasu Shinohara (former TMS Entertainment executive)
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Distribution plans:
- ADA (Warner Music's distribution arm) will handle over 9,000 NBCUniversal Japan catalog works
- Both physical and digital distribution will begin in early 2024
- Warner Music Japan will manage production and promotion of new releases
The partnership comes at a strategic time, with the global anime market showing significant growth potential. Industry forecasts suggest the market could reach $50 billion by 2033, representing a 77% increase.
Recent industry developments highlight the growing importance of anime music:
- Spotify reported a 395% increase in global anime music streams since 2021
- Universal Music's Virgin Music Group secured a digital distribution deal with Frontier Works
- Spotify launched an dedicated anime hub in partnership with Crunchyroll
Takeshi Okada, WMJ's CEO, emphasized the opportunity to deliver Japanese music globally through anime, noting the explosive growth in anime popularity both domestically and internationally, particularly on social media and streaming platforms.
The partnership aims to leverage Warner Music's global network to expand NBCUJ's catalog worldwide while creating new opportunities for artists through anime-related collaborations.