Bushiroad Music Co., Ltd. President and CEO Yuuki Nemoto

Continuing to pursue inspiring quality and captivating fans

Bushiroad Music is involved in the music business, radio CD sales, event business, and more, with a focus on Bushiroad Group's proud titles such as "BanG Dream!" and "Cardfight!! Vanguard." We interviewed President Nemoto about his commitment to creating high-quality content that continues to impress fans, and his thoughts on his work, despite his extraordinary career.

■Music born from the group's proud works

Our main business is creating music from intellectual property (IP) owned by Bushiroad. For example, for an anime, we read the script and commission the creation of opening and ending themes that fit the work. We then review the resulting work and handle everything from arranging character recordings to mixing the soundtrack and mastering it for CD. Other major music companies typically sign artists with promising prospects, then when sales start to decline, they sign new artists with promising prospects, creating a cycle. However, our business is dependent on the works themselves, so we develop our music business while promoting the works. The Bushiroad Group is able to handle everything from anime and app games to merchandise creations, all in one place. I believe this is the strength of our music business.

Another major benefit of owning our own IP is the speed of decision-making. There are no bottlenecks, such as the need to repeatedly check things, that arise when another company holds the original work. However, while these benefits come with their own risks, there are also risks in handling advertising in-house. Advertising these days is particularly difficult. There are various advertising methods, such as commercials and transit advertising, but word-of-mouth is said to be the most effective in recent years. This is why we place importance on creating high-quality products and satisfying our customers. Furthermore, in an age where the influence of influencers is growing, it is also key to know how to get them involved.

■ Always seeking surprise and excitement with a lineup of exquisite products

One of the features of Bushiroad Music is that we have a smaller lineup compared to major labels. However, we take the time to carefully develop each piece of content. For example, in the case of the content "BanG Dream!", we had each voice actor receive private instrument lessons and perfected the instrumental performances of all of them. This is something that can only be achieved by our company, which carefully prepares a small lineup. We are very particular about pursuing high quality in this way.

■ Live music businesses suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our live performance business was particularly difficult. Our original goal was to deepen our attachment to our content by allowing fans to experience the thrill of real-life performances at offline events like live shows, rather than just engaging with our content through games and anime. However, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all offline events, which was a major blow. Ultimately, however, we decided to continue even at a loss, fearing that fans might lose interest if we couldn't hold live shows. However, if even one person tests positive for COVID-19, everyone becomes a close contact, meaning the performance is canceled at that point. In this situation, we couldn't let our guard down, and I'm sure the actors and staff were under a great deal of pressure and stress. At the same time, we received many supportive fans who said, "They're still going to hold live shows, even in these difficult times," which was encouraging. In addition to in-person events, we also focused on video streaming. While the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly a major blow, I think it was ultimately a great thing that streaming systems and services quickly became more widely adopted.

■Working for your own career will benefit the company. Even failure can be a source of growth!

I've been with this company for seven years. When I joined as a new graduate, I was focused on working hard for my career. However, during my first year, I was sent on a six-month business trip to the United States, where I found myself with less work than I had in Japan. Even though I wanted to work hard, the workload was so small that I had no choice but to keep looking for things I could do. My fellow new graduates were working hard in Japan, while I was out of work in the States, which made me feel quite anxious. After that, in my second year, I was suddenly assigned to work as an anime producer, and I approached my work with the motivation to gain experience and build a track record. What I learned from this experience is that if you work for your career, it will ultimately benefit the company. So, don't force yourself to contribute to the company. Instead, think of it as an experience for yourself and try anything. When you join a company, you often won't be assigned to the department you want. However, many of the things you think you're suited to are usually not yours. The important thing is to simply take the work you're given seriously. I believe that the most enjoyable thing about work is not being able to do the job you want to do, but being able to achieve results. I encourage you to gain a variety of experiences and find the job that you feel will allow you to achieve the best results.

　Also, failure is the best experience. I've failed more than anyone else. Failure sharpens your ability to hedge risks, so when you have subordinates, you can encourage them to take on challenges without fear of failure, and you can also support them in case of an emergency.

Misaki Otsuka, 4th year student at Tokai University