Warner Music Japan (WMJ) is making a significant move into anime music through a new partnership with NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, establishing a dedicated Anime Business Division to spearhead this initiative.

The division has recruited notable industry veterans as external advisors, including Koichiro Natsume, former head of Aniplex, and Hiroyasu Shinohara, previously with TMS Entertainment. WMJ is also working with NBCUniversal to strengthen the team with specialized talent.

Key aspects of the partnership include:

• ADA (Warner Music's distribution arm) will handle physical and digital distribution for over 9,000 NBCUniversal Japan catalog works starting early next year
• Warner Music Japan will oversee production and promotion of new releases from NBCUniversal Japan artists
• The collaboration aims to leverage the growing global popularity of anime music, particularly on social media and streaming platforms

The timing appears strategic, as the global anime market is projected to grow by 77% to approximately $50 billion by 2033. This follows similar industry moves, including:

• Virgin Music Group's digital distribution deal with Frontier Works
• Spotify's partnership with Crunchyroll and launch of an "anime hub"
• A 395% increase in global anime music streams on Spotify since 2021

WMJ CEO Takeshi Okada emphasizes this partnership's potential to connect Japanese music with worldwide audiences through anime, while creating new opportunities for artists through anime-related collaborations.

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