BFM Digital, a global music company specializing in digital distribution, marketing, and promotions, announces it is expanding its international footprint with major Japanese deals with two prominent independent Japanese record labels, Video Arts Music and King Records.
This catalog, never before made available outside of Japan, expands on BFM Digital’s existing partnership with a number of Japanese record labels. BFM Digital’s network of more than 250 digital stores will provide a new source of revenue and exposure for this unique catalogue of traditional, cultural and classical Japanese music.
The BFM and Video Arts Music deal includes the initial release of 21 albums never before available in the US. Video Arts Music represents internationally well-known jazz artists for albums solely released in Japan, such as McCoy Tyner and Duke Jordan.
One of the largest independent records labels in Japan, King Records, celebrating its 80th anniversary, issued their first digital release via BFM, New York Attitude by saxophonist Erena Terakubo, in October 2011.
“We are thrilled to be partners with these Japanese record labels who have such high caliber catalogs of music from diverse genres unique to Japan such as Anime, J-Pop, Traditional Japanese music as well as world-class Classical, Jazz, World, Rock and Children’s music , which appeal not only to Japanese fans living abroad but also to a much wider audience of music fans worldwide,” says Michele Ito, VP of Label Relations at BFM Digital.
BFM’s initial foray into this untapped resource was with Nippon Columbia, Japan’s oldest record label, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010. Nippon Columbia represents one of Japan’s most beloved artists, Hibari Misori who has recorded over 1,200 tracks and sold over 80 million records. BFM is the sole distributor outside Japan for Nippon Columbia’s back catalogue.
“We are very excited about our partnership with BFM digital and the opportunity it brings for our content to reach a broader audience. While the industry has gone through changes in how people consume music, the search for good music has always been consistent. We hope that we can now reach that audience,” says Hisao Ebine, President of Video Arts Music.
BFM Digital also handles digital distribution, outside of Japan for Victor Entertainment (JVC) and Pony Canyon.
About BFM Digital, Inc.
BFM Digital is a global digital music company committed to serving the independent music community and delivering quality music, spoken word and video content to leading online retailers worldwide. Representing a diverse catalog of indie labels, artists and publishers, BFM distributes to all of the major music services including iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster, Walmart, Nokia and many more. With an unparalleled commitment to personalized service, BFM works closely with their content providers from around the world to ensure maximum exposure of their catalog by customizing marketing efforts and building strong relationships with BFM’s digital store partners. For more information, please visit www.bfmdigital.com.
