Universal Music Japan

Last updated

Coordinates: 35°40′14.8692″N139°42′24.33894″E / 35.670797000°N 139.7067608167°E / 35.670797000; 139.7067608167

Contents

Universal Music LLC
Native name
ユニバーサル ミュージック
Romanized name
Yunibāsaru myūjikku
Formerly
  • PolyGram Co., Ltd. (1990–1999)
  • Universal Music Co., Ltd. (1999–2009)
  • Universal Music LLC (2009–present)
Type Subsidiary
Industry
FoundedApril 20, 1990;32 years ago (1990-04-20)
Headquarters1-5-8 Jingumae, Shibuya,
Tokyo
,
Japan
Area served
 East Asia
Key people
Products Music and entertainment
RevenueSee Universal Music Group
Total equity ¥ 295.2 million (US$2.69 million) (2021)
Number of employees
550
Parent Universal Music Group
Divisions List of Universal Music Japan labels
Subsidiaries DRC LLC
Office Augusta  [ ja ] [1]
Universal Music Artists
Universal Music Creative
Universal Music Publishing Japan
Website universal-music.co.jp

Universal Music LLC (Japanese: ユニバーサル ミュージック合同会社, Hepburn: Yunibāsaru myūjikku Gōdō gaisha ), often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in the country regarding music distribution. The company is responsible for marketing and distribution in Japan for Japanese releases under Universal.

In 2021, Universal Japan CEO and President Naoshi Fujikura was included on Billboard's International Power Players list. [2] [3] [4]

History

Early years

The company was founded as PolyGram Co., Ltd. in 1990 with Koike Kazuhiko serving as president and CEO. In 1999, the company was restructured and renamed as Universal Music Co., Ltd.

2009–2013: Renaming to Universal Music LLC

In 2009, the company was renamed as Universal Music LLC. Kazuhiko stepped down as CEO and Keiichi Ishizaka became CEO and president of the company. [5]

2013–2014: Restructure following EMI purchase

In 2011, EMI agreed to sell its recorded music operations to Universal Music Group for £1.2 billion ($1.9 billion) and its music publishing operations to a Sony-led consortium for $2.2 billion. [6] Among the other companies that had competed for the recorded music business was Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $2 billion bid. [7] Universal Music Group completed their acquisition of EMI on September 28, 2012. [8] In 2012, Ishizaka became CEO of EMI Music Japan while Universal Japan was scheduled to hold a corporate swap in response of the merger. [9] EMI Music Japan officially was absorbed into Universal Japan, became defunct as a company with EMI Records Japan as a successor to the EMI Music Japan label. Nine months after the merger, Ishizaka stepped down from his position of CEO from Universal Japan, and became a non-executive chairman. His successor, Naoshi Fujikura was appointed in 2014. [5] In April 2014, Universal Japan was once again restructured. Many of its labels were rebranded and split multiple times, including EMI Records Japan which de-merged into two sublabels EMI Records and Virgin Records of which the latter rebranded as EMI R and then merged with Delicious Deli Records to form Virgin Music. [10] [11]

2015–present: New business model, push for streaming and worldwide distribution

In December 2015, Fujikura announced that Universal Japan "is a new business" and that the company would adopt a new business model to strengthen business. [12] These changes were effective as of January 1, 2016. [12] A new label, Universal-W was established in December 2015 with Japanese company Warlock. [13]

In August 2016, Radwimps released the soundtrack for the 2016 Japanese animated film Your Name . The album was a commercial success in Japan and in a rare feat, charted in the United States in 2017. [14] In December of the same year, Universal Japan acquired Office Augusta  [ ja ], a music management agency (founded in 1992), and made it a fully-owned subsidiary; as a result, the latter's "Augusta Records" label became an affiliated label of Universal Japan. [1]

In 2017, the company announced it would relocate from Minato, Tokyo to the Jingumae Tower Building in Shibuya, Tokyo. The relocation took place from September 15, 2018, to October 9. [15] [16] In December 2017, Universal Japan announced they suspended the contract of Hilcrhyme member DJ Katsu following his arrest of possession of marijuana. He subsequently left the group following his arrest and the group lost their recording contract. [17]

In June 2018, Universal Japan announced an exclusive license agreement with Disney Music Group. [18]

In 2019, Universal Japan suspended the sales of Junnosuke Taguchi's discography and removed his releases from digital stores following his arrest of possession of marijuana. [19]

In 2020, Universal launched the Virgin Music Label and Artist Services. [20] The service provides artists with global solutions and was launched in many Universal subsidiaries, including Universal Japan.

In 2021, Yoshimoto Music signed a distribution deal with Universal Japan for future releases. In July 2021, CEO Fujikura was listed on Billboard's International Power Players list. In an interview with Billboard Japan , Fujikura shared about his measures on increasing streaming revenue and strategies to have Universal Japan artists chart overseas. [4] Universal Japan has since released previous releases of former and current artists under their labels worldwide digitally, including Hikaru Utada, Crystal Kay, Radwimps, Mrs. Green Apple, Che'Nelle and Ai.

In 2022, Universal Japan CEO Fujikura was listed on Billboard's International Power Players list for a second year in a row. Fujikura became the first Japanese executive to appear on the list three times, including his first recognition in 2019. [21] In an interview, Fujikura discussed plans for creating new marketplaces in Japan and developing them overseas, particularly in the United States. [21] In September 2022, Travis Japan signed a record deal with Capitol Records, with distribution and marketing being handled by Universal Japan. [22] In October 2022, following the success of Uta's Songs: One Piece Film Red , Ado signed a record deal with Geffen Records alongside her current record deal with Virgin Music. [23]

In December 2022, Universal Japan announced an organization change, effective on January 1, 2023. Universal J, which was founded in 2002, was split into two labels, UJ and Polydor Records. [24] Imprints from Universal J including Johnny's Universe and Top J Records were transferred to UJ. [24] The company also announced Augusta Records would become an imprint of Universal Sigma. [24]

Labels

Current labels

Former labels

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parlophone</span> German–British record label

Parlophone Records Limited is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parlophone Company Limited, which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a jazz record label. On 5 October 1926, the Columbia Graphophone Company acquired Parlophone's business, name, logo, and release library, and merged with the Gramophone Company on 31 March 1931 to become Electric & Musical Industries Limited (EMI). George Martin joined Parlophone in 1950 as assistant to Oscar Preuss, the label manager, taking over as manager in 1955. Martin produced and released a mix of recordings, including by comedian Peter Sellers, pianist Mrs Mills, and teen idol Adam Faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Records</span> British record label

Virgin Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwide success over time, with the success of platinum performers Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Phil Collins, OMD, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, the Sex Pistols, and Mike Oldfield among others, meaning that by the time it was sold, it was regarded as a major label, alongside other large international independents such as A&M and Island Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMI</span> British music recording and publishing company

EMI Group Limited was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Four" record companies. Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records, which are now owned by other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polydor Records</span> German-British record label

Polydor Records is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. In turn, Polydor distributes Interscope releases in the United Kingdom. Polydor Records Ltd. was established in London in 1954 as a British subsidiary of German company Deutsche Grammophon/Schallplatte Grammophon GmbH. It was renamed Polydor Ltd. in 1972. The company is usually mentioned as "Polydor Ltd. (UK)", or a similar form, for holding copyrights

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Music Group</span> Dutch–American music corporation

Universal Music Group N.V. is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California. The biggest music company in the world, it is one of the "Big Three" record labels, along with Sony Music and Warner Music Group. Tencent acquired ten percent of Universal Music Group in March 2020 for €3 billion and acquired an additional ten percent stake in January 2021. Pershing Square Holdings later acquired ten percent of UMG prior to its IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. The company went public on September 21, 2021, at a valuation of €46 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury Records</span> American record label

Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released rock, funk, R&B, doo wop, soul music, blues, pop, rock and roll, and jazz records. In the United States, it is operated through Republic Records; in the United Kingdom and Japan, it is distributed by EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMI Records</span> British record label

EMI Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia and Parlophone record labels. The label was later launched worldwide. It has a branch in India called EMI Records India, run by director Mohit Suri. In 2014, Universal Music Japan revived the label in Japan as the successor to EMI Records Japan. In June 2020, Universal revived the label as the successor to Virgin EMI, with Virgin Records now operating as an imprint of EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Music</span> American multinational music company

Sony Music Entertainment (SME), simply known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Sony Entertainment and managed by the American umbrella division of Japanese multinational conglomerate Sony. It is the recording division half of the Sony Music Group, with the other half being the publishing division, Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Island Def Jam Music Group</span> American record label group formed in 1998

The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordings. On April Fools Day 2014, Universal Music publicly announced the disbandment of the Island Def Jam Music Group, leaving Island, Def Jam and its affiliated subsidiaries as separate sister labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMI Music Japan</span> Japanese record company (2007–2013)

EMI Music Japan Inc., formerly Toshiba EMI, was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When EMI Music Japan was trading as Toshiba-EMI, it was involved with the production of anime. On April 1, 2013, the company became defunct, following its absorption into Universal Music Japan as a sublabel under the name EMI Records Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Music Label & Artist Services</span> Record label; music distributing arm of Virgin Music Group

Virgin Music Label & Artist Services is a music distributor of independent artists and record labels, owned by Universal Music Group. The subsidiary focuses on the distribution of new or emerging partners. The company is currently part of Virgin Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Music Group</span> American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group

Capitol Music Group (CMG) is an American front line umbrella label distributed by Universal Music Group which oversees handling of record labels assigned to UMG's Capitol Records division. It was inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog. It is one of seven umbrella labels distributed by UMG, the other six being Interscope Geffen A&M, Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Republic Records, Verve Records, and Decca Records. The current chair and CEO is Michelle Jubelirer.

Keiichi Ishizaka was a Japanese music industry executive who was the chairman of Recording Industry Association of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucian Grainge</span> British music executive

Sir Lucian Charles Grainge is the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Group. Grainge has worked in the music business for his entire career. Billboard magazine named Grainge as the most powerful person in the music business on four occasions in the 2010s, and the first-ever Executive of the Decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ai discography</span>

The discography of Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai consists of twelve studio albums, four extended plays (EP), seven compilation albums, one live album, one mix tape, ten video albums and numerous solo and collaboration singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMI Records Japan</span> Defunct Japanese record label

EMI Records Japan was a Japanese record label which operated as a sublabel of Universal Music Japan. Established in April 2013, it was the successor of its previous entity as a company, EMI Music Japan. The sublabel's headquarters was located at Universal Music Japan's main office at Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. In February 2014, the sublabel had been divided into two separate sublabels, EMI Records, which contains the combined Nayutawave Records and more than half of the EMI Records Japan roster, and EMI R, which consists of the remaining EMI Records Japan artists. In July 2014, EMI R was renamed to Virgin Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onna no Ko wa Dare Demo</span> 2011 single by Tokyo Jihen

"Onna no Ko wa Dare Demo", also known by its English name "Fly Me to Heaven", is one of the A-sides of the single "Sora ga Natteiru/Onna no Ko wa Dare Demo" by Japanese rock band Tokyo Jihen, led by musician Ringo Sheena. It was released digitally in April 2011, and physically on May 11, 2011, after being postponed since February. The song was featured in a national campaign for Shiseido's Maquillage range of cosmetics in 2011, which featured Sheena as the spokesperson.

<i>Wa to Yo</i> 2017 studio album by Ai

Wa to Yo is the eleventh studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on June 7, 2017 through EMI Records and Universal Music Group. It consists of two discs, the Wa disc recorded in Japanese while the Yo disc was recorded in English. The album features guest appearances and collaborations from Kodō, Jinmenusagi, Himekami, Jamaican musician Junior Reid, American singer-songwriter Eric Bellinger, and American singer-songwriter Chris Brown. Wa to Yo is primarily a J-pop, R&B, soul and hip hop album.

<i>Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best</i> 2019 greatest hits album by Ai

Kansha!!!!! - Thank You for 20 Years New and Best is the fourth greatest hits album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on November 6, 2019, through EMI Records and Universal Music Group. Released in two physical configurations, disc one contains three new songs and six re-recorded gospel tracks of her previous hit singles while disc two contains material previously not available outside of Asia. The album served as Ai's first international compilation release.

References

  1. 1 2 "ユニバーサル ミュージック/オフィス オーガスタ 戦略的提携に向けた合意について" [Universal Music / Office Augusta Agreement on Strategic Alliance]. office-augusta.com (in Japanese). Office Augusta. December 28, 2016. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Universal Music Japan President/CEO Naoshi Fujikura Talks Streaming, Learning From K-Pop & More". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Billboard International Power Playersインタビュー vol.2 藤倉尚 ユニバーサルミュージック合同会社 社長兼CEO". Billboard Japan .{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 "Revealed: Billboard's 2021 International Power Players". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. 1 2 Schwartz, Rob. "Naoshi Fujikura Becomes CEO of Universal Music Japan". Billboard.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "Citigroup Sells EMI in Parts for $4.1 Billion to Vivendi, Sony". Businessweek.com. December 8, 2009. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  7. ↑ Warner Music Group Wants Part Of EMI Archived July 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine – Radio-Info.com Archived October 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (released October 31, 2011)
  8. ↑ Sisario, Ben (September 28, 2012). "Universal Closes on EMI Deal, Becoming, by Far, Biggest of Remaining Big Three". Mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  9. ↑ "役員人事のお知らせ". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ 新レーベル 「Virgin Music」 設立について. Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  11. ↑ "ユニバーサル、4/15付組織変更および人事異動を発表 | Musicman" [Universal Announces Executive Appointments, Organizational Changes, and Personnel Changes on April 15]. Musicman (in Japanese). Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "ニュービジネス関連部門 組織改編について". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  13. ↑ "『UNIVERSAL-W』 誕生！". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Notice Regarding Head Office Relocation". Universal Music Japan.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ "本社移転予定に関するお知らせ". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  17. ↑ JpopAsia. "Hilcrhyme's KATSU Arrested For Marijuana Possession + Group Dropped From Label". JpopAsia. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  18. ↑ "ウォルト・ディズニー・レコーズの日本国内における独占ライセンス契約を締結". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  19. ↑ "田口淳之介＆小嶺麗奈容疑者、湾岸署に移送 顔上げ前を見据える". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  20. ↑ Group, Universal Music. "Universal Music Group Launches Virgin Music Label And Artist Services". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  21. 1 2 Tatsumi, Ryuji (August 9, 2022). "Universal Music Japan's Naoshi Fujikura Talks BTS' Big Year in Japan, Post-Pandemic Strategies & More: Interview". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Travis Japan全世界メジャーデビュー決定、米国Capitol Recordsと契約（動画あり）". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  23. ↑ Luster, Joseph. "Ado Signs with Geffen Records to Release Music in the United States [UPDATED]". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 "ユニバーサル ミュージック、1/1付の役員人事および組織変更と人事異動を発表 | Musicman" [Universal Music Announces Executive Appointments, Organizational Changes, and Personnel Changes on 1/1]. Musicman (in Japanese). Retrieved February 28, 2023.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Universal Music Group at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.