Photo Credit: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Exceleration Music and NexTone have acquired the recording and publishing catalog of Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan’s most celebrated cultural legacies.
U.S.-based independent music company Exceleration Music has acquired the recording and publishing catalog of composer Ryuichi Sakamoto in a landmark joint venture with Tokyo-based rights administrator and distributor NexTone. Acquired directly from the Sakamoto estate, the catalog encompasses the legacy of one of Japan’s most influential and visionary artists of the 20th century.
Exceleration will oversee rights management and revenue collection outside of Asia, while NexTone will handle the catalog within Asia, collaborating with Fuji Pacific on the administration of publishing rights. The companies will act as joint custodians of the catalog, working closely with Sakamoto’s management company KAB to preserve the composer’s legacy and oversee future posthumous releases.
This marks Exceleration’s first major acquisition in the Japanese market, representing a cultural milestone for Japan, where purchasing legacy catalogs is not yet as commonplace as in Western markets.
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a pioneer of electronic music whose work bridged synth-pop, contemporary classical, and avant-garde soundscapes. He first achieved global prominence as a co-founder of the highly influential synth-pop trio Yellow Magic Orchestra, whose music laid the groundwork for modern dance music.
Sakamoto’s cultural impact was further elevated by his prolific work in film scoring. He became the first Japanese composer to win an Academy Award, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for his score to The Last Emperor (1987). His cinematic contributions also include Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Little Buddha (1993), and The Revenant (2015).
Throughout his career, Sakamoto fused traditional music like Okinawan chants, Japanese, Asian, and African music with contemporary classical and avant-garde electronic soundscapes, leading to collaborations with artists including David Bowie, David Sylvian, David Byrne, Iggy Pop, and Alva Noto.
His legacy lives on through three recent documentaries: Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2018), Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus (2023), and Ryuichi Sakamoto: Diaries (2024). The posthumous art exhibition seeing sound, hearing time became the most attended show in the history of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, drawing over 340,000 visitors from around the globe, and continues to tour internationally. It will be presented in Europe at the Hamburger Bahnoff in Berlin in September.
Later in the month, HarperVia, an imprint of HarperCollins, the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world, will release the first English translation of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s autobiography, translated by Sam Bett, across all English-speaking markets.
“Music belongs to time, not to possession. We welcome those who will carry it forward,” said the Estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“NexTone is one of Japan’s most respected and forward-thinking music companies, a reputation that is richly deserved,” said Charles Caldas, Partner at Exceleration Music. “Partnering with them as joint custodians of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music catalog is a landmark moment for Exceleration. Sakamoto was undoubtedly one of the great artists of his generation, transcending geographic and artistic boundaries to become a true global icon.”
“We are truly honored to be partnering with Exceleration Music—global professionals in music catalog investment—to co-own and manage the catalog of Ryuichi Sakamoto, an artist whose music has transcended generations and genres to be cherished by audiences around the world,” concluded Daisuke Adachi, Director of NexTone.
“This endeavor represents a significant strategic step for NexTone: an opportunity to bring the expertise we have built over many years in music copyright administration into a new and expanded form, through the co-ownership of both publishing and master rights.”