Virgin Music Group (VMG), the world’s leading partner to independent artists, labels and entrepreneurs, and a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced a strategic relationship with Tokyo-based Bushiroad Music Inc., (Bushiroad Music) is a division of Bushiroad Inc., a leading producer of games and anime that has continued to grow by diversifying its IP portfolio into live events, CD sales and digital music distribution. In response to the growing global demand for Japanese culture and content, including animation and gaming, this new agreement will strengthen Bushiroad Music’s presence worldwide.
Bushiroad's smartphone application "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!” is a popular game with more than 20 million users worldwide, and the TV anime "BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!" aired in 2023. VMG will support the expansion of Bushiroad Music's overseas business through digital music distribution, which is rapidly gaining fans in China and across Asian markets. The new sequel series of “BanG Dream! Ave Mujica” is scheduled to begin airing on TV in January 2025 worldwide.
The movie version “BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! Part 1: Spring Sunshine, a Lost Cat" and “BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! Part 2: The Melody Within” aired in September and November, and the film’s ending theme songs "Adayume" and “Speed,” being distributed through VMG from September 28th and November 9th respectively, as part of the agreement. These theme songs, and the popular song "Mayoiuta" and “Hitoshizuku” have also been released in Dolby Atmos sound for the first time. The Dolby Atmos sound sources were mixed at Universal Music Studio Harajuku, which is designed to the world's highest standards.
VMG operates globally across 35 countries, with a multinational team of highly skilled and cross collaborative music professionals, a global infrastructure, and services that will maximize Bushiroad Music's music content and future releases. VMG will provide support to Bushiroad Music domestically in Japan and overseas, as a strategic global partner as Bushiroad further expands its business around the world to meet the growing global demand for Anime music and content.
Bushiroad Music, Inc. Representative Director, Nano Kitaoka
Bushiroad Music aims to deliver the happiness of being moved by music content to all the people. This partnership opens up new possibilities in music distribution. With VMG's extensive marketing support, we will accelerate the global expansion of our contents and deliver new music experiences to our fans.
Masaya Inokuchi, Managing Director, VMG/Universal Music Japan
“We are very pleased to collaborate with Bushiroad Music to help share music from their powerful slate of Anime programming with new and wider global audiences, including the music from BanG Dream!. We will utilize VMG’s global network to tap into the growing demand for music from Japanese content worldwide, sharing Bushiroad’s creative vision with the world, through their music and visionary content.
