![\"Entertainment](\"https:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Okada-1024x546.jpg\" "\\"Entertainment\\"")
<\/p>\n
Warner Music Japan president and CEO Takeshi Okada, whose company is initiating a \u2018full-scale\u2019 expansion into anime music with an NBCUniversal Japan agreement. Photo Credit: WMG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Entertainment Warner Music Japan (WMJ) has kicked off \u201ca full-scale entry into\u201d the anime music space under a new partnership with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. <\/strong><\/h2>\nWMJ, where Takeshi Okada started<\/a>\u00a0as CEO 10 days back, revealed the sweeping anime-music buildout today. Beginning on the organizational side, Warner Music Japan has established an \u201cAnime Business Division\u201d under the tie-up.<\/p>\nThat newly minted unit has already welcomed as external advisors Koichiro Natsume (previously the head of Sony-owned anime giant Aniplex) and Hiroyasu Shinohara (formerly an exec with Sega\u2019s TMS Entertainment).<\/p>\n
Plus, WMJ, which added<\/a> Kenji Kitatani as chairman in September, is collaborating with the appropriate NBCUniversal subsidiary \u201cto expand and strengthen this team with specialized talent.\u201d<\/p>\nShifting to distribution, Warner Music\u2019s ADA intends to take over physical and digital distribution for north of 9,000 NBCUniversal Japan catalog works early next year. And when it comes to fresh projects, Warner Music Japan will oversee \u201cthe production and promotion of new releases\u201d from NBCUniversal Japan acts \u201cmoving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, Warner Music Japan\u2019s mentioned CEO, Takeshi Okada, touted the perceived opportunity to deliver \u201cJapanese music to the world through anime\u201d thanks to the pact.<\/h4>\n
\u201cThe popularity of Japanese anime is exploding both domestically and internationally with fans increasingly connecting with it on social media and streaming platforms,\u201d Okada proceeded. \u201cThis presents an opportunity for artists to connect with new fans worldwide through music used in anime projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this partnership will not only enable us to help bring NBCUJ\u2019s catalog to the world through our global network, but also give our artists opportunities to further grow their careers by leveraging anime-related collaborations,\u201d the Universal Music Group vet concluded.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, Warner Music is hardly alone in looking to capitalize on the anime sphere\u2019s commercial possibilities. (Though any analysis of a sector\u2019s long-term outlook should be taken with a grain of salt, some recent reports have suggested<\/a> that the global anime market could expand by about 77% to approximately $50 billion by 2033. Different breakdowns have floated larger estimates yet.)<\/p>\nUniversal Music\u2019s Virgin Music Group over the summer scored<\/a> a digital distribution deal with Animate<\/a>-owned Frontier Works, while Spotify in August unveiled<\/a> a partnership with Crunchyroll. Besides launching an \u201canime hub,\u201d Spotify at the time disclosed that global on-platform anime music streams had spiked 395% since 2021.<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n
That newly minted unit has already welcomed as external advisors Koichiro Natsume (previously the head of Sony-owned anime giant Aniplex) and Hiroyasu Shinohara (formerly an exec with Sega\u2019s TMS Entertainment).<\/p>\n
Plus, WMJ, which added<\/a> Kenji Kitatani as chairman in September, is collaborating with the appropriate NBCUniversal subsidiary \u201cto expand and strengthen this team with specialized talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Shifting to distribution, Warner Music\u2019s ADA intends to take over physical and digital distribution for north of 9,000 NBCUniversal Japan catalog works early next year. And when it comes to fresh projects, Warner Music Japan will oversee \u201cthe production and promotion of new releases\u201d from NBCUniversal Japan acts \u201cmoving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe popularity of Japanese anime is exploding both domestically and internationally with fans increasingly connecting with it on social media and streaming platforms,\u201d Okada proceeded. \u201cThis presents an opportunity for artists to connect with new fans worldwide through music used in anime projects.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this partnership will not only enable us to help bring NBCUJ\u2019s catalog to the world through our global network, but also give our artists opportunities to further grow their careers by leveraging anime-related collaborations,\u201d the Universal Music Group vet concluded.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Warner Music is hardly alone in looking to capitalize on the anime sphere\u2019s commercial possibilities. (Though any analysis of a sector\u2019s long-term outlook should be taken with a grain of salt, some recent reports have suggested<\/a> that the global anime market could expand by about 77% to approximately $50 billion by 2033. Different breakdowns have floated larger estimates yet.)<\/p>\n Universal Music\u2019s Virgin Music Group over the summer scored<\/a> a digital distribution deal with Animate<\/a>-owned Frontier Works, while Spotify in August unveiled<\/a> a partnership with Crunchyroll. Besides launching an \u201canime hub,\u201d Spotify at the time disclosed that global on-platform anime music streams had spiked 395% since 2021.<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\nIn a statement, Warner Music Japan\u2019s mentioned CEO, Takeshi Okada, touted the perceived opportunity to deliver \u201cJapanese music to the world through anime\u201d thanks to the pact.<\/h4>\n