NetEase Cloud Music, the popular Chinese online music platform owned by leading Chinese internet company NetEase, Inc., announced a copyright licensing partnership with Tokyo-based Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution firm NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan on September 10. NetEase Cloud Music will be granted the license to Tokyo-based firm’s Japanese music catalog, including a large collection of anime music as well as sought-after albums and tracks from popular Japanese performers, among them fripSide and Kurosaki Maon. In China, the NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan library will be available on NetEase Cloud Music starting from September 10.
NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan is the entertainment unit of Hollywood film maker Universal Pictures. Since the 1990s, the Japanese unit has been known for the production of single tracks as well as whole albums from popular Japanese artists, including fripSide, Nanjo Yoshino, Yanagi Nagi, Kurosaki Maon, Urashimasakatasen, Gero, KOTOKO, Nagareda Project and Luce Twinkle Wink. As a powerhouse of anime music in Japan, the Japanese unit has gained strong support from manga and anime fans.
A large collection of music from NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan is now available on NetEase Cloud Music, including “only my railgun” from fripSide, “Issai wa Monogatari” from Nanjo Yoshino, “Harumodoki” from Yanagi Nagi, “Dead or Lie” from Kurosaki Maon, “Sailor’s High” from Urashimasakatasen, “Outgrow” from Gero,” “Hekirano sorahe izanaedo” from KOTOKO, “only my railgun (cover)” from Nagareda Project and “go to Romance” from Luce Twinkle Wink as well as the soundtracks to many anime series, among them, A Certain Scientific Railgun, To Aru Majutsu no Index II and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!
As the go-to destination for Chinese fans of Japanese music, NetEase Cloud Music is already the Chinese partner for several Japan-based record companies. In February 2017, the music platform reached a strategic partnership with avex, the largest entertainment group in Japan, whereby NetEase Cloud Music was granted the license for avex’s entire Japanese catalog. In October 2017, NetEase Cloud Music obtained the license for several original albums released by RADWIMPS, the immensely popular rock band known especially for creating the soundtrack behind the Japanese animated film Your Name. Just last month, in August, the platform established copyright licensing partnerships with KING RECORDS and UMAA and launched a massive Japanese anime music catalog in China. As a result, the number of listeners claiming to be fans of Japanese music skyrocketed, accompanied by an active exchange of opinions on the music genre making its appearance on the music platform.
Doyama Shoji, Managing Director of NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan, said: “A fast-growing Chinese music market represents great opportunities. NetEase Cloud Music has paid close attention to Japanese music. In addition to a variety of music genres, the Chinese platform boasts a rapidly growing user base that presents huge potential in terms of its penetration into both its domestic and overseas markets. The platform has accumulated extensive experience in collaborating with Japanese record labels and protecting and dealing with copyright issues. We firmly believe the platform will become our important business partner as we expand the fan base of Japanese music in China.”
Zhu Yiwen, CEO of NetEase Cloud Music, said: “Japanese music is popular among Chinese music fans, especially the anime genre. As a long-standing record company, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan has created a vast catalog of popular music going back more than 25 years, with a huge fan base. With the partnership, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan will also become a valued partner as we further diversify the Japanese music genres we have in our library and continue to meet the expectations of Chinese fans who love Japanese music.”
