VIRGIN EMBARKS ON NEW FRONTIER

Virgin Music Group and Frontier Works, a Japanese animation-production company, have joined forces to meet the growing global demand for Japanese culture and content.

VMG will support Frontier Works and the music catalog related to its popular games, including "Ensemble Stars!!" FW will also have access to VMG’s AI music-distribution and marketing platform and a team dedicated to supporting its releases globally.

According to Anime Industry Report 2023, the Japanese domestic animation industry reached a market size of $20.57b/¥2,927b (106.8% of the previous year). Anime revenue from outside Japan also achieved record growth in 2022, up 111.1%.

"Frontier Works has an incredible roster of anime-related entertainment full of great music that, now more than ever, will resonate with new audiences all over the world," said Virgin Music Group Co-CEO Nat Pastor. "It's our honor and pleasure to partner with Frontier Works, a premier player in anime-related content. Together, we hope to celebrate the music of anime by expanding their reach and introducing this powerful genre of music to fans in markets outside Japan."

“Frontier Works' music derived from anime and games has tremendous potential to reach a very engaged audience, and it's VMG's mission to deliver it to fans in Japan and overseas," added Universal Music Japan Senior Executive Officer Ichiro Tamaki. "We're delighted to be able to leverage VMG's global network and utilize our unique technology tools to best reach anime fans overseas. We look forward to working with Frontier Works to further expand the reach of Japanese-originated anime culture and music."

The same cannot be said about working with HITS.