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18-475: It is home to both former BMG Japan artists and new artists, including: Joint venture with Office Augusta , which is now a subsidiary of Universal Music Japan This article about a Japanese record label is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Universal Music Japan 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 ,

36-405: A cellphone download. Their song "Loose Leaf" was selected as the theme of the 2010 drama adaption of manga Flunk Punk Rumble , becoming their first drama tie-in theme song. On December 1, 2017, group member DJ Katsu was arrested on charges of suspected marijuana possession. On December 4, the group's recording contract with Universal Music was cancelled. DJ Katsu's management contract with

54-480: A fourth consecutive year. Including his initial listing in 2019, Fujikura became the first Japanese CEO to appear on the Power Players list five times total. 35°40′14.8692″N 139°42′24.33894″E  /  35.670797000°N 139.7067608167°E  / 35.670797000; 139.7067608167 Hilcrhyme Hilcrhyme ( ヒルクライム , Hirukuraimu ) is a Japanese two member hip-hop group. The band's name

72-524: A major label artist a later, under Universal. The group's second major label single, "Shunkashūtō", became a massive digital hit in Japan and brought the group to fame. It has currently sold more than 1,000,000 cellphone digital downloads, 1,000,000 ringtone downloads and 100,000 PC downloads. Since then, the band's next single (a re-release of "Mō Byebye") and their debut single, "Jun'ya to Manami", have been certified for being downloaded more than 100,000 times as

90-519: A new business model to strengthen business. These changes were effective as of January 1, 2016. A new label, Universal-W was established in December 2015 with Japanese company Warlock. 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. In December of

108-589: Is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of hillclimb and the word rhyme . They are best known for their 2009 hit song "Shunkashūtō", which has been certified for 1,000,000 cellphone digital downloads and 1,000,000 ringtone downloads separately. The group was named the New Artist of the Year at the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards . In December 2017, group member DJ Katsu was arrested for marijuana possession and subsequently left

126-489: Is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in Japan regarding music distribution. The company is responsible for marketing and distribution in Japan for Japanese releases under Universal. As of 2019, Universal Japan holds the second most shares in the Japanese music market, behind Sony Music Japan , and is followed by Avex . The company

144-539: The company. 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. 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. Universal Music Group completed their acquisition of EMI on September 28, 2012. In 2012, Ishizaka became CEO of EMI Music Japan while Universal Japan

162-535: 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. In June 2018, Universal Japan announced an exclusive license agreement with Disney Music Group . 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. In 2020, Universal Japan updated their corporate logo to match

180-536: The group. Hilcrhyme first met when Toc performed at a regular music event called Nettaiya, organised by DJ Katsu. After the event finished in 2005, the pair focused working together as a duo, mostly centering their activities around Niigata . The pair's first official release together came in March 2007, when they released Nettaiya , a demo album. In July 2008, the group released their debut single, "Mō Byebye", independently through Nao Plan management. Hilcrhyme debuted as

198-963: The same logo used by the main Universal Music Group company. In that same year, Universal launched the Virgin Music Label and Artist Services. The service 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 and president 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. 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, Fujikura

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216-622: 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. 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. In December 2017, Universal Japan announced they suspended

234-609: 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. 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 . Imprints from Universal J including Johnny's Universe and Top J Records were transferred to UJ. The company also announced Augusta Records would become an imprint of Universal Sigma. In April 2023, Fujikura

252-414: 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., following Seagram 's acquisition of PolyGram, and its subsequent integration into Universal Studios . In 2009, the company was renamed as Universal Music LLC. Kazuhiko stepped down as CEO and Keiichi Ishizaka became CEO and president of

270-530: 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. In an interview, Fujikura discussed plans for creating new marketplaces in Japan and developing them overseas, particularly in the United States. In September 2022, Travis Japan signed a record deal with Capitol Records , with distribution and marketing being handled by Universal Japan. In October 2022, following

288-510: Was listed on the Billboard International Power Players list for a third year in a row. In July 2023, Universal Japan announced a new imprint label under EMI, Holo-n, in partnership with Japanese virtual YouTuber agency Hololive Production . In January 2024, Universal Japan announced personnel changes for Virgin Music and Office Augusta. In May, Fujikura was listed on the Billboard International Power Players list for

306-460: 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 . In December 2015, Fujikura announced that Universal Japan "is a new business" and that the company would adopt

324-506: Was scheduled to hold a corporate swap in response of the merger. 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. In April 2014, Universal Japan

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