Crunchyroll adds music with Sony deal
March 6, 2023
By Nik Roseveare
Crunchyroll, the global anime brand, has launched a new music initiative that brings thousands of iconic videos and hundreds of popular and contemporary artists from Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ) to its service.
During the Crunchyroll Anime Awards (held this year in Japan on March 4th), the company announced a new music initiative celebrating Japanese music and musicians that brings iconic performances from popular and contemporary artists to its service. Users of Crunchyroll can now access an extensive library of short-form music videos and more than 100 full-length live concerts from SMEJ artists, including Aimer, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, LiSA, Hiroyuki Sawano and many more.
The new music and content hub on Crunchyroll’s streaming platform is now to its audience of 10 million+ paying subscribers. User features include music video curation, artist listing page and search integration, followed by a dedicated music landing page/screen, enhanced discoverability and show page integrations in the future.
“Crunchyroll is always looking for ways to add more value for its fans, and we know that anime and music have always been intrinsically connected art forms,” commented Asa Suehira, Chief Content Officer for Crunchyroll. “From the early years of anime, music artists have worked closely with the anime producers to write lyrics and meaningfully integrate the music into the story. Crunchyroll wants to replicate that same synergy for our fans.”
In recent years, Crunchyroll has been opening the door for music at events, including its yearly flagship Crunchyroll Expo, alongside New York Comic Con, Anime Expo, San Diego Comic-Con, and Porter Robinson’s Second Sky Music Festival, co-producing or presenting IP-inspired concerts, collaborating with DJs or sponsoring artists, and dance parties.