Up-Front Group

Up-Front Group
Native name
 アップフロントグループ
Company type Kabushiki gaisha
Industry Music, entertainment
Founded 14 January 1983 (as Up-Front Agency Co., Ltd.)
Tokyo, Japan
Headquarters Azabu-koei Building
28-12 Higashi-Azabu Ichichōme, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 106-0044
Key people
 Naoki Yamazaki (chairman and representative director)
Yukio Seto (president and executive director)
Junichiro Iwata (managing director)
Subsidiaries Up-Front Promotion
Up-Front Works
Up-Front Books
Up-Front International
Up-Front DC
Up-Front Hawaii
etc.
Website www.ufg.co.jp

Up-Front Group Co., Ltd. (株式会社アップフロントグループ, Kabushiki gaisha Appu-Furonto Gurūpu) is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies. Its subsidiaries include the talent agency Up-Front Promotion and Up-Front Works, a music production and sales company that manages such record labels as Zetima, Piccolo Town, and Hachama.

Artists

Up-Front Promotion

All groups under Up-Front Promotion are collectively known as Hello! Project.

Up-Front Works

Subsidiaries

Zetima

Zetima
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded May 1993 (as One Up Music)
Distributor(s) Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Genre
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Zetima (ゼティマ) was originally founded in May 1993 as One Up Music (ワン・アップ・ミュージック, Wan Appu Myūjikku), a joint venture between the Up-Front Group and Warner Music Japan. In April 1998, Up-Front merged One Up with Y.J. Sounds to form Zetima. At the same time, Up-Front ended its distribution deal with Warner Music Japan and switched to Sony Music Entertainment Japan.

Artists
Former artists

Hachama

Hachama
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded April 2001
Distributor(s) Pony Canyon
Genre
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Hachama (ハチャマ) has a distribution deal with Pony Canyon.

Artists
Former artists

Piccolo Town

Piccolo Town
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded April 2001
Distributor(s) Pony Canyon
Genre
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Piccolo Town (ピッコロタウン, Pikkoro Taun) had a distribution deal with King Records from April 2001 to August 2013, when it switched to Pony Canyon in September 2013.

Artists
  • Bitter & Sweet
Former artists

Rice Music

Rice Music
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded March 1995 (as Y.J. Sounds)
Distributor(s) Pony Canyon
Genre
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Rice Music (ライス・ミュージック, Raisu Myūjikku) was originally founded in March 1995 as Y.J. Sounds (Y.J.サウンズ, Wai Jei Saunzu). After being absorbed into Zetima in 1998, the label was resurrected in September 2004 to focus on Kayōkyoku and enka. Like Piccolo Town, Rice Music had a distribution deal with King Records from September 2004 to August 2013, when it switched to Pony Canyon in September 2013.

Artists
  • Hirofumi Banba
  • Takao Horiuchi
  • Akira Kagawa
  • Jirō Sugita
  • Gen Takayama
  • Masayuki Yuhara
Former artists

Up-Front Works

Up-Front Works
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded March 2004
Genre J-pop
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Up-Front Works (アップフロントワークス, Appu Furonto Wākusu) is Up-Front Group's in-house label that specializes in limited edition releases that are sold either online or exclusively at music chains such as Tower Records. The label previously had distribution deals with Pony Canyon, Daiki Sound, and Universal Music Japan before 2019.

Artists

Up-Front Indies

Up-Front Indies
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded May 2019
Genre
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Up-Front Indies (アップフロントインディーズ, Appu Furonto Indīzu) is Up-Front Group's indie in-house label founded in May 2019.

Artists

Chichūkai Label

Chichūkai Label
Parent company Up-Front Works Co. Ltd.
Founded 2003
Defunct December 2009
Distributor(s) Epic Records Japan
Genre Classic, Euro-enka
Country of origin Japan
Location Tokyo

Chichūkai Label (地中海 Label, The Mediterranean Sea Label) was founded in 2003, with music inspired by those of the countries by the Mediterranean Sea, most prominently France, Italy and Greece, or even cover versions of songs from those countries. The label was handled by Epic Records Japan until December 2009, when Up-Front consolidated it with Zetima.

Former artists

Former artists

Affiliated with TNX

"TNX" redirects here. For other uses, see TNX (disambiguation).

All of the musical groups under TNX are collectively known as Nice Girl Project!.

  • Nice Girl Myu
  • GTT Club
  • MM Gakuen Gasshoubu
  • Gyaruru
  • Nice Girl Project! Kenshusei
  • Canary Club
  • Tokky