Tracklib strikes anime music deal

Tracklib says it is the world’s first fully licensed library of samples. It boasts various samples including classic recordings, while Bandai Namco Arts operates anime music label Lantis.

The licensing agreement between the two companies will offer music makers access to original songs from Lantis, which could be used as building blocks for new tracks.

The deal has kicked off with samples of Bandai Namco Arts’ Higuchi Kaede, a virtual YouTuber from Nijisanji. The sounds have been added to Tracklib’s catalogue, which boasts more than 100 000 recordings. More tracks, stems and sounds from Bandai Namco Arts are expected to be added throughout the year.

“We are excited to be able to bring anime music, which holds a large portion of Japanese pop culture, to all overseas creators,” Bandai Namco Arts chief producer of music rights Akiho Matsuo said. “This will not only be about our original artists gaining new income; they will also gain whole new opportunities. We look forward to seeing songs created with our samples top the Billboard Charts in the near future.”

The partnership follows a long history of close connections between hip hop and anime through a number modern-day producers who were inspired by Cartoon Network’s anime-packed Toonami in the early 2000s. This sonic relationship can be heard through mainstream artists like Childish Gambino, Soulja Boy and Kanye West.

“Anime soundtracks are a major inspiration to artists and producers all over the world,” Tracklib co-founder and CEO Pӓr Almqvist said. “We are very excited to now get them easy and legal access to Bandai Namco Arts’s foundational catalogue for the genre.

Tracklib's catalogue comprises recordings from more than 400 record labels and publishers around the world, including music from Isaac Hayes to Mozart and jazz artist Bob James, whose music has been sampled in 1000s of songs. The service has been used by big names like J Cole, Phantogram, Mary J Blige, Lil’ Wayne and DJ Khaled, among many others.