Warner Music Japan is entering the anime music business through a strategic partnership with NBC Universal Entertainment Japan, targeting the growing global appetite for Japanese animation soundtracks.
The deal, announced today in Tokyo, gives Warner Music distribution rights to NBC Universal Japan’s catalog of more than 9,000 songs, which will be available on digital platforms worldwide beginning in 2025. The partnership also includes production and promotion of new releases from NBC Universal Japan artists.
Warner Music will handle physical sales of CDs and other packaged products from the catalog. The company is establishing a dedicated anime business division, bringing in industry veterans Koichiro Natsume, former representative director of Aniplex, and Hiroyasu Shinohara, former senior executive officer of TMS Entertainment, as external advisors.
The collaboration aims to create new music tie-up opportunities for anime productions, with Warner Music artists potentially providing opening and ending theme songs for NBC Universal Japan’s anime titles.
Warner Music’s CEO Takeshi Okada noted that streaming platforms and social media have accelerated anime’s global popularity, opening new opportunities for Japanese artists and their music to reach international audiences.
