Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/sony-music.
CC BY 4.0.
Kagase Uno of VTuber project VERSEⁿ has begun digital distribution of her first original song, "U☆World＊Order," as of Sunday, September 6, 2026. The track was produced through a 2023 crowdfunding campaign, with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by composer Asuka Ogura. A second song from the project, "Ippou Sonokoro Pedia!," was distributed earlier. The music video was already released in advance.
GungHo Online Entertainment announced a capital and business alliance with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. SME will acquire 12,006,500 GungHo shares from SON Financial LLC for about 28.6 billion yen (roughly US$179 million) in an off-market transaction. Pending regulatory approval, SME becomes GungHo's largest shareholder and an affiliated company. The two will explore joint development and operation of smartphone, console, and PC games, plus new projects using SME Group IP. GungHo keeps its Tokyo Stock Exchange listing.
Sony Music Entertainment announced on August 31 that its virtual talent project VEE will end its current operational structure as of Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The company said it determined that continuing operations as a sustainable business while maintaining the current framework is difficult, and it attributed the failure to establish that framework to management, not the talents. Of the 21 affiliated talents, 20 will continue their activities, with their activity names, characters, YouTube channels, and social media accounts carried over in principle. The transition will follow each talent's choice, such as going independent or joining a new agency. The one exception is Hoshihoshi Airu, whose graduation stream is scheduled for September 16 at 21:00. The fan community VEELLAGE will end service on September 30 at 23:59, with no refunds or compensation planned. Sales at the official shop end on November 30. The game "Gun Girl Go," which was under development, has been canceled. VEE, which launched in 2021, had promoted the message "VTubers are human too" and treated talents' activity names and characters as their own property. The official YouTube channel and SNS accounts will remain public as archives for the time being.
Sony Music Entertainment and GungHo Online Entertainment announced a capital and business alliance on August 28. SME will acquire all 12,006,500 common shares held by SON Financial LLC, GungHo's current largest shareholder, at 2,385 yen per share for about 28.6 billion yen. The transfer, scheduled for December 30, 2026, gives SME a 23.29% voting rights stake, making it GungHo's largest shareholder. The companies plan to combine GungHo's game development with Sony Music Group's entertainment expertise.
Sony Music Entertainment began order-based sales of 4th Anniversary Goods for VEE virtual talents Anew Uparu and Luminous Sweet at the VEE Official Shop. Each acrylic diorama stand, priced at 4,500 yen, includes a bonus sticker using new illustration by Kutori Panya. Orders run through September 6.
Sony Music Entertainment's Echoes label announced the debut of LAYRA, a singer who moves between virtual and real worlds. Part of the new song "Watashi wa LAYRA" by TeddyLoid was released. LAYRA is produced by Hiro-chan <As>, who worked on the singer Bell in the animated film Belle. Character design is by Mika Pikazo, and music is by TeddyLoid. LAYRA's first stage is the immersive live "Belle - PROJECT LAYRA -" at MoN Takanawa from October 10 to November 15, 2026, with five performers.
Sony Music's VEE project talents Anew Uparu and Maoh Tulsi have provided a collaboration song and made cameo appearances as character models for Ibarayugi's murder mystery work Kinpu no Harmonia, released July 15. The song Soul Unbound has two versions, each showing the talents' individuality. The cross-genre collaboration blends VEE talents into the narrative from both musical and story aspects.
Aniplex president Atsuhiro Iwakami will become the next president and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, effective April 2026, as reported by the Nikkei and covered by Animenomics. Iwakami, who has led Aniplex for ten years, will be the first executive with a video production background to head the Japanese music giant. The appointment reflects the growing influence of Aniplex within Sony Music Group, as more than half of Sony Music's sales in Japan now come from non-music sources, including Aniplex. Aniplex produced both "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle," the highest-grossing anime film globally, and "Kokuho," Japan's highest-grossing live-action film. External revenue from Sony Music's visual media and platform business, which includes Aniplex, rose 42.8 percent in the nine months ended December 2025 compared to the same period last year. Prior to leading Aniplex, Iwakami worked on productions such as the "Monogatari" series, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," and "Sword Art Online," and produced the mobile game "Fate/Grand Order" and the "Demon Slayer" anime adaptation.