Japanese game music has gone beyond the confines of simply being the soundtracks to games. It is evolving into a massive genre of content that permeates the lives of listeners around the world.
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In the last installment of this special feature, Billboard Japan interviewed NexTone and talked about Game Music Academy, their new digital distribution business. This latest feature focuses on the SEGA SOUND TEAM. The music helmed by Sega sound producer Tomoya Ohtani has reached stunning streaming numbers, primarily in North America, and Ohtani’s presence rivals some of Japan’s top artists. The team is also behind Serani Poji, which has had several huge viral hits, and the music from the Sonic game series, which is drawing renewed attention due to the Sonic movies. The team’s influence seems almost limitless.
SEGA is using its massive library, which extends over a quarter of a century, as a collection of modern digital assets and passing it on to the next generation. Billboard JAPAN talked to Tomoya Ohtani, who leads SEGA SOUND TEAM, and to Ryo Kinoshita and Go Iwasaki, who are responsible for music licensing, about the team’s strategies and their passion for music production.
