Orfium takes on anime music in Japan with Bandai Namco Music Live deal

13 November 2023 - Press release

Latest partnership in Japan represents another key milestone in Orfium's strategic growth

Orfium (the 'Company'), the global technology leader solving the entertainment industry's biggest challenges around digital music and broadcast rights management, has partnered with Bandai Namco Music Live, a leader in Japanese anime music, as its newest client in the world's second-largest music market. The partnership follows Orfium's recently announced deal in Japan with Avex Inc and marks its expansion into serving the anime music industry.

The Japanese anime market is experiencing considerable growth as its base of fans expands globally, with digital platforms such as YouTube significantly accelerating its popularity. According to Morgan Stanley Research, the global anime market generated almost US$25 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to over US$35 billion by 2027. Anime IP franchises continue to expand their presence across new digital services in order to reach growing domestic & international audiences.

As Bandai Namco Music Live's rights management partner on YouTube, Orfium will manage, optimize and monetize the Japanese multinational's repertoire using its proprietary, market-leading AI-based rights management software. Bandai Namco Music Live represents more than 3,000 creators and is the force behind some of the most well-known and much-loved anime titles including the Love Live! series, Violet Evergarden, One-Punch Man, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Japan has been a core focus for Orfium since 2022 when the Company acquired Breaker and established Orfium Japan, led by Alan Swarts, who has more than 25 years of experience in the Japanese music and entertainment industry. While YouTube is the most popular video platform in Japan, with over 70 million monthly active users, UGC monetization remains in its infancy. Many Japanese music companies have only recently shifted from a policy of blocking the use of sound recordings to permitting their use in order to monetize IP and facilitate creativity. As the Japanese music business begins to embrace UGC monetization, it will be able to participate in royalties through YouTube, which paid over US$6 billion to the global music industry in 2022, along with other UGC-based social media platforms, which present significant untapped monetization opportunities.

Orfium CEO Rob Wells said: "Orfium's partnership with Bandai Namco Music Live cements our position as the frontrunner for UCG monetization in the Japanese market. With our move into the rich cultural heritage of anime music, we are proving how Orfium drives global digital transformation through distinctive local partnerships. This deal advances our mission to provide the technology infrastructure for the global entertainment ecosystem, supporting the industry and ultimately creating more value for creators and rights holders from the use of their music."

Alan Swarts, CEO of Orfium Japan, commented: "The opportunity for Orfium to expand into anime music comes at a time when the art form has never been more popular, and to be administering the catalog of such an established player in this space is testament to our expert team, advanced technology and AI-powered products and services. This new partnership with Bandai Namco Music Live is another opportunity for us to demonstrate our capabilities and I look forward to working with the team there to realize the true value of their repertoire."

Akiho Matsuo, Rights Department General Manager at Bandai Namco Music Live, said: "YouTube and other video platforms are great places where users and music can connect, but protecting and monetizing the rights of artists and creators is also important. By partnering with Orfium, whose superior technology allows for the management and monetization of music used in user-generated content, we can ensure that artists and creators make their music available on a popular global platform and one that, importantly, is also optimized for monetization."

Bandai Namco Music Live joins Orfium's rapidly expanding global client base, which includes record labels, music publishers, music production companies, collecting societies, broadcasters, and film and TV stakeholders.